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Surfing Magazine |
 The Largest Surfing EncyclopediaA-Z: A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Advertisement
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If the old fable about the tortoise and the hare holds true, Surfing magazine will pull ahead of nemesis Surfer just before the finish line. To have pulled even with the self-professed "bible of the sport" is a miracle in itself, especially considering the late start and checkered past Surfing has endured. It has held fast to its early vision of playing to the sport's youth and gone head to head with its rival for several decades, well above the rest of the media pack.
When former marine turned data processing manager Richard Graham launched International Surfing in Southern California in December of 1964, he wasn't the first to test Surfer's monopoly on the market. Several other challengers had valiantly failed to create a rival to John Severson's established tabloid on all matters surfing. Graham's effort, geared more toward the younger reader, was able to tread water, and it actually beat Surfer in grasping the counterculture movement of the late '60s. Bolstered by the photography of Leroy Grannis and Don James, the art direction of Tom Yasuda, and the writing of Graham and Duke Boyd, International Surfing tapped into the era with psychedelic impressionism. The euphoria wouldn't last. The magazine went through an awkward phase after being sold in 1968 to Adrian Lopez. Two relocations landed the tabloid in New York City with little grasp on the sport's pulse (other than the unintentionally timely heading "A Lopez Publication" under the logo). An entirely new staff bumbled through several months of regression before another move, this time back to Laguna Niguel, signaled the start of reconstruction. Aided by the photography of Art Brewer and Dan Merkel and the informed commentary of Tom Morey and former Surfer front man Drew Kampion, the magazine clawed its way back to respectability. In 1974, it dropped the "International" tag, going monthly two years later and emerging with a formidable editing team in Dave Gilovich and Larry "Flame" Moore. Clyde Packer bought the magazine in 1976 and dove straight into the new "pro" arena by acquiring input from top competitors Peter Townend, Shaun Tomson and Nick Carroll. Over the next several years, photographers Aaron Chang, Don King and Jeff Hornbaker were groomed into sharpshooters as Surfing caught Surfer in terms of reverence and numbers by the mid-'80s. During this boom time, the magazine launched sister publications Bodyboarding and Volleyball, also moving to its current home in San Clemente. Playing Teen Beat to Surfer's National Geographic, Surfing has hung with its rival ever since. In the '80s, it set precedents by offering free posters with every issue and establishing Bodyboarding magazine. In the decade-ending boom time, the multitude of pages was bursting with more neon than a Cyndi Lauper concert. With much space devoted to the pro tour and a photo-heavy format, editors avoided intellectualizing. Carroll took the reins into the '90s, keeping the same youthful face on the magazine despite critiques by some intelligentsia. "Most writers don't like it as much as Surfer because it does not try to be literary," Carroll said, "but this is a foolish way to judge all surf mags, in my humble opinion. There's as big or bigger a place in the sport for an emotion-driven, photo focused, moment-by-moment mag like Surfing as there is for a perhaps overly serious bible of record like Surfer. Newsstand sales would tend to confirm this." The 1990's recession forced Surfing to rebuild once again, and as always, photos and art direction powered the ship. With a new class of photographers in Chris Van Lennep, Pete Frieden and Hank, Surfing rocketed into record territory before the century was out. More than 70,000 subscribers and a total audience of more than 1.3 million are now privy to each issue. Adding to the offensive are Surf Guide, Surfing Girl and an annual calendar. Sold by Packer in 1998 due to failing health, the conglomerate was purchased by McMullen-Argus, a subsidiary of Primedia. The editor's office has been equipped with a revolving door in recent years as a procession of people have come and gone. Townend is back as group publisher, continuing the struggle for supremacy against not only Surfer, but the fledgling Internet presence as well. -- Jason Borte, October 2000
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