NBL Magazine is Reborn
After nearly a year of silence, the proverbial presses at the NBL are rolling again on a monthly magazine (10 issues a year, really). Through a partnership with an outside publishing company, Floyd Publications of Florida, the publication formerly known as BMX Today made its debut last Friday at the NBL Grands as “BMX Nation.” In that time, we have heard a chorus of consumers begging for its return, and have learned more about the bathroom reading habits of the BMX public than we ever wanted to know.
The first issue, with Ssquared Bicycles’ Josh Meyers on the cover, is very well designed, full-color-throughout, on “slick” paper. At first read, it had the feeling of a music mag…a vibe like Vibe, if you will. The tale going around in Louisville is that Floyd Pubs took the magazine from the “Let’s do this!” call from the NBL, to printed copies in about a month—hypersonic in publishing circles.
Of course, with swiftness like that, you run the risk of a few bobbles along the way. One big one was a typo on the cover (where “Hyper” Bicycles became “Hyber” Bicycles). A bit of a d’oh! moment for the team. Word is they will be detailing Jud Ciancio’s car monthly, and have assigned a staff member to be Clay Goldsmid’s personal valet for the next 365. Spell check fail notwithstanding, it put “Hyper” on the lips of everyone in the place, so not all bad (unless you’re the guy who had to explain it).
We like the fact that the contents of the book are largely editorial features, versus easy-spoil content like news and race coverage. The key to publishing a relevant magazine today seems to be in the editor who can ask himself “will this story be of interest to readers in 30 days?” If not, post it on the Website for consumption TODAY, but don’t waste pages on it. By the time your mag lands in the mailbox, the readers are not going to care about it, and will blaze on by.
That said, the “BMX Insider” column, penned by BMX Mania editor Jerry Landrum was entertaining. Though, like any “news” content in monthly print, it incited a “I’ve known that for a month” reaction by more than a few in the pits. Still, it is the writer’s take on a story as much as the story, itself, that makes content entertaining, so nice work, Jer’.
We’d take you through the details on the rest of what’s inside, but no need…You can see it for yourself online at bmxnat.com. The first issue with Josh on the cover is in the mail to NBL members now. The next isssue, presumably with the Grands coverage in it, will be hitting the streets Mid-October.
