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| is EA still viable or have they gone the way of some other publications?
seems like it has changed or faded into the back round
is there new cast of characters taking over or what
pretty hard to compete with MH but still hate to seem them fold
two magazines where good for the industry....i thought
anybody know more?
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | As a Member of the EA staff, I can tell you we are trying to keep our head above water at the moment -- The last year, we underwent some serious burdens - Staff, support, and financial wise. We're very proud of our product and feel we would do our readers an injustice to lessen the quality or just fill it with 90% advertisers. But with the way things have been going, we are running into some walls. This poor economy has hurt our advertisers which in turn hurts us - Hopefully we can pull through this. We appreciate the support of everyone who has been loyal to us through-out this difficult time.
Thanks, Jerry Sondag
Vice President Esox Angler Magazine
Edited by Jsondag 4/26/2009 11:43 PM
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Posts: 49
| any reason EA doesn't have a website with a message board?
maybe something along the the lines of the Next Bite, MH or M1st?
something with videos and past articles in a condensed format?
just a thought
maybe other people on this site have some suggestions to help you guys make it thru the tough times?
more issues and back off on the pike articles too
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| I thought The Next Bite was part of EA? They do have a website with all the above mentioned. |
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Posts: 49
| it is my understanding that next bite is on their own now, they used to be with EA but not any longer.
correct me if i am wrong.....?
jerry s would probably know more than i do on the subject
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | True, we ended our relationship with "The Next Bite" last year, but the title remained on the cover through last issue.
We have been talking about reinvesting in the website, so on and so forth. Our main concern is putting out a quality publication. Nothing is more important than that.
Jerry Sondag
Vice President Esox Angler Magazine |
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| i can imagine that hunting up advertisers in the current economy is a real challenge.
Esox Angler is a great magazine, and i hope that you and the rest of the EA team find a way to keep it viable, Jerry.
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Posts: 1663
Location: Kodiak, AK | Hey Jerry, I like EA, and used to read it fairly often. But I find the price tag now a bit much to swallow. And the fact that it's only out four times a year, I'm not constantly checking to see if a new one is out...it'll be March, and I still have the one from the last Summer because I haven't bothered to check and see if a new one is out because four times a year is kinda out of sight, out of mind.... That said, I know a magazine trying to stay afloat, the last thing they want to do is make more magazines and sell them for less. But I know I'd buy them every month if they came out for like $5-$6. Probably wouldn't subscribe because like the winter issue, you kinda lose me on the ice/walleye stuff. Just not my thing, so I don't buy EVERY issue.
And FWIW, I don't mind ads if that's what it takes to keep a good mag up and running. |
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| Jsondag - 4/26/2009 11:42 PM
As a Member of the EA staff, I can tell you we are trying to keep our head above water at the moment -- The last year, we underwent some serious burdens - Staff, support, and financial wise. We're very proud of our product and feel we would do our readers an injustice to lessen the quality or just fill it with 90% advertisers. But with the way things have been going, we are running into some walls. This poor economy has hurt our advertisers which in turn hurts us - Hopefully we can pull through this. We appreciate the support of everyone who has been loyal to us through-out this difficult time.
Thanks, Jerry Sondag
Vice President Esox Angler Magazine
Hey Jerry.....Any idea when your spring issue is going to come out? Your winter issue wasnt in the mail until late Feb. or early March. I'm wondering when I can expect to recieve my spring issue?
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Posts: 392
Location: lake x...where the hell is it? | i agree with esoxfly. i wont mind the ads as long as the great articles are still there. looking forward to the next issue. and thanks for not compromising the quality of it. |
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| Does ending the relationship with Next Bite mean that Pete Maina is no longer involved? |
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| Great Magazine and Great people.. |
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | Pete is no longer with EA. He hasn't been involved in a while. |
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| this magazine is more than worth the cost, especially at subscription rates which are lower than newsstand prices.
it'll only cost you $22/year, less than the cost of one new lure and the information will probably be a better value towards catching fish!
http://www.esoxanglermagazine.com/
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| lambeau - 4/27/2009 10:34 PM
this magazine is more than worth the cost, especially at subscription rates which are lower than newsstand prices.
it'll only cost you $22/year, less than the cost of one new lure and the information will probably be a better value towards catching fish!
http://www.esoxanglermagazine.com/
I agree with Lambeau that $22 is chump change compared to other costs associated with muskie fishing and education is very important to anything we try and do. But why should I subscribe now when theyre publishing late if at all? Are there guarentees that I'll even get my 4 issues? |
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| WIth Burns and Maina not involved anymore why even waste the money. |
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Posts: 2378
| Guest - 4/28/2009 12:38 PM WIth Burns and Maina not involved anymore why even waste the money. Yeah, because Rob Kimm, Dick Pearson, Doug Johnson, Dan Craven, and a host of others that regularly contribute don't know a #*^@ thing. Gimme a break.
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| definitely a reasonable price for the magazine
i think they could actually charge more but on the flip side
there is a good point being made about being late with the publication
a delay can be tolerated but it was not communicated well to the subscribers
what is the status of the next issue?
with pete and jack gone they seem to be lacking direction and organization
not too mention the loss of 2 high profile sticks
hopefully the new blood can turn it around soon.....?
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Posts: 18
| So Mr. Guest is saying that only Burns and Maina know musky fishing. Exactly-Give me a break too! I think it's a great magazine. |
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| Disappointing to see people log as "guest's" only to make derogatory comments on issues they have no knowelege or facts on.
If someone would like to give their opinion, then they should not be afraid to log in under their user name. I would argue the contibuting staff is more important to EA or any other publication than any one or two people.
I for one will continue to support EA as I do Musky Hunter not only because I enjoy the reading, but because it is good for the health of the sport... |
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Posts: 814
| So does this mean our subscribtion is on hold? Are we going to recieve anymore issues? What about yearly subscribers if the magazine is no more...will we be refunded the difference? |
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Location: Northwest Chicago Burbs | mskyhntr - 4/28/2009 4:21 PM
So does this mean our subscribtion is on hold? Are we going to recieve anymore issues? What about yearly subscribers if the magazine is no more...will we be refunded the difference?
What in this thread would lead you to believe that the magazine is no longer publishing? |
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Posts: 814
| As a Member of the EA staff, I can tell you we are trying to keep our head above water at the moment -- The last year, we underwent some serious burdens - Staff, support, and financial wise. We're very proud of our product and feel we would do our readers an injustice to lessen the quality or just fill it with 90% advertisers. But with the way things have been going, we are running into some walls. This poor economy has hurt our advertisers which in turn hurts us - Hopefully we can pull through this. We appreciate the support of everyone who has been loyal to us through-out this difficult time.
Thanks, Jerry Sondag
Vice President Esox Angler Magazine
Just reading between the lines....late issues and trying to stay above water. This tells me that they running into issues with funding which in turn without funding there possibly might not be no more EA. just my opinion |
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Posts: 1636
| Enjoy the magazine guys. Not only do you get musky articles, but you get walleye and others as well. You dont get the same old articles rewritten over and over, the same kind of stories told over and over, or made up techniques. Dave Olsen does a great job designing the layout of the magazine as well.
As for the subscription being too much... are you serious? $22 for 4 issues. Articles written by some of the most experienced muskie fisherman there is... Thats less than a double cowgirl...
Edited by Reelwise 4/28/2009 5:03 PM
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | 1. Jack Burns is still involved in EA, he just stepped down to let Rob take over as Senior Editor - Jacks words were "Fish more, Work Less". But Jack is part of the heart and soul of this Magazine and still works with us.
2. Pete Maina is an industry mogul - because of that he has his hand in a lot of things - EA was something that he was proud of, but none the less, it wasn't benefiting him in ways he needed so he wanted to focus more on his show which provides much more for him personally.
3. As for our active status, we are between a rock and a hard place, and it is easy for faceless critics to post comments that criticize a company that caters to a small market that is very difficult to appease.
Not to mention, as owners we don't get paid a red cent and we never have. I know many of you think that Pete ran this magazine up until now, but he didn't. He was an active owner and the face of EA - also, he never got paid. Dave Fornara the president of the organization has almost 7 figures into this, spends everyday in the office, and has never received a dime. I have been with EA for the last 3 years probably paying single handedly for your last 12 issues, I have never received any money. All we do is bleed and drain our personal funds to bring musky fisherman the best information on the rack. It is a labor of love, and we do it because we bleed fishing. We brought on walleyes to sell more subscriptions, so we could play with the idea of more money to go to six issues. For that we got chastised by a lot of people. We had printing issues, so we get complaints. Pete's gone, why bother? It is a never ending battle full of nay-sayers and negative comments. We do not want to upset or ignore the EA faithful, nor do we want fade away. We are doing everything we possibly can to continue. And thank you to all those who support and defend us at this point, we need the moral support. I have probably let you all in a little deeper than I should, but it is a frustrating deal to say the least.
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Posts: 20212
Location: oswego, il | There will always be those bitter jealous people.
I subscribe to EA and MuskyHunter. 10 years now for Muskyhunter and EA for as long as they have been in business. I will continue to subscribe to and enjoy both. Thanks for the hard work that are put into both magazines. |
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Posts: 292
Location: SW MI | I enjoy the magazine, sorry to hear about the troubles. |
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Posts: 221
Location: Detroint Lakes, MN |
Esox Angler has not only been on the cutting edge of all things muskie since it's inception, it's also been a forum for differing camps to express opinions on everything from killing trophies, handling of muskies and muskie management.
At it's core it's the best fishing mag I've ever read.
It isn't because of one person, it's because of the whole team.
If you aren't getting it, than you are missing out.
JS |
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Posts: 171
| Jerry
I love the magazine. Very well written. I enjoy the multi-species aspect. Rob & the gang put out a great piece of work. I keep them all and go back to re-fresh my memory before trips and to help me try new tactics.
Keep it going, big guy.
(And tell Brett I said "hey" next time you see him.)
ErieBoy75 |
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Posts: 83
| I had recently seen a news report where it stated that both newspaper and magazine circulation was in serious decline nationwide.
It makes me wonder if internet magazines are the future. They have a number of very real advantages, probably a dozen or more. The main downside is it's nice to take a paper mag with you into the "Reading Room".
I've picked up several EA mags over the past few years. I was always impressed by the photography and the quality of the layout and editing. I'll bet you could make the move to paperless as you are a progressive publication. Best of luck to you, and I hope you ride this storm out. |
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Posts: 311
Location: Ontario | I've been lucky enough to have some articles with my photos in EA. The first thing I can tell you about the team over there is that there's no pretention, no 'tree house club mentality' (like you'll find in many a circle) and the guys and girls are all just real people. 'Real Deal' is a great way to describe not just the nuts and bolts fishing stuff, but the way they treat each other and the people who write in. Their whole approach, from what I saw. I gained a lot of confidence in the craft getting feedback from guys like Kimm, Maina and especially Burnsy. You start looking down that lineup and it's pretty clear..not a lot of flash in the pan, mouthpiece types. They're all pretty reputable, veteran and solid fishermen. Johnson, Pearson, Kimm, Craven. These are about the last guys you'll find hyping, squabling or chest-thumping, especially on a keyboard. I think the sport is in desparate, desparate need of guys like this. Once again, 'real deal' pops up. Take a look at the businesses that have gone belly up in the bucket on Main Street and Wall Street since last fall. Some pretty big names. Bedrock institutions, in some cases. Like it was mentioned, EA looks for a tiny, niche slice of a pie that's small enough to begin with and getting smaller. Win lose or draw, it's been a slice boys, I enjoyed it all.
MY NAME IS JP BUSHEY AND I CAN'T WAIT FOR PIKE SEASON TO OPEN ON GEORGIAN BAY THIS WKND.
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Posts: 2
| David Fornara here --- President of Esox Angler Magazine.
As Jerry stated, (out of frustation) the Magazine at this time is still going. The retail store and website are still going as well. We are trying to Keep EA's head above water; but it is a difficult time in the "Print Sports Media" business.
It is not just the advertising or subscription base that are problems in this industry. In the last 2 month's the Company that prints EA has shut down one of it's plants. The Circulation company has had a 25% reduction in staff, (for niche magazines) and the paper company we use, (which is a comodity - like soy beans or pork belly's) have shut there doors.
There is much more than great articles and a great staff involved to bring a magazine like ours, (a labor of love) to the newsstand or to your mailbox.
For us this has never been a Musky Hunter/EA issue --- I've subscribed to Musky Hunter longer than most in this thread have --- garanteed. Jim and Steve are to be commended for being able to produce what the do --- and give us all a good bit of information to read.
We tried to send out notices in the most efficient way we could, ($$$ wise) and we figured that word of mouth would handle the rest. We added an issue to everyones subscription to make up for the lateness of Winter/Spring. That seemed to be OK with most.
While we are unsure about are future; we continue to scrape by never having takek a paycheck, (in 7 years) and all pitching in were we can. From Jack Burns, Rob Kimm, Dave Olson, Jerry and myself. Even more so people who have now moved on --- Pete when he was knee deep in it --- Most of all, my better half Teresa Webinger, (whom most of you know) sunk not only a slew of $$$ into EA, but even more so; was General Manager for 2+ years without a single dollar for her extreme amount of time and effort --- she loves to fish, but even more so --- she did it for me, my friends, muskie fisher people and the cause. Anyone who knows her; knows she "gets it" more than a lot of the fishermen do.
Personally, I always dreamed that we as fisherman could have a magazine or an organization like the NRA; only maybe call it the NFA. Were we all work "together and secure the future of our fisheries for generations to come. But because many of us are so opinionated or sit in different camps; it seems we are a long way from that point; kind of a shame really. Meanwhile stocking issues, size limits, spearing, or whatever just keeps on keeping on.
This is not a bash out there to anyone --- just a heads up to make us all think a little bit.
Besides this is opener weekend here in WI --- we've all weathered the winter --- can't we all be excited --- the time to fish muskies is just around the corner.
If you have questions please feel free to email or call us; if EA goes out of business we will put out an announcement until then --- like the last 3+ years; the rumor mill keeps churning --- but we still manage to find a way. Better a little late than never... I guess?
David Fornara
President
Esox Angler Magazine</p>
Edited by David Fornara 4/28/2009 10:16 PM
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Posts: 692
Location: Pelican Rapids, MN | Thanks Dave! A much more level headed response compared to my rant. I can't believe I forgot to mention Teresa's dedication and stress she has undergone the last several years. She had singlehandedly taken care of all the managerial duties until she passed the torch to Dave. Without Dave and Teresa EA would have collapsed years ago. |
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Posts: 32879
Location: Rhinelander, Wisconsin | And with that said, there's little more to say or speculate. Good fortune to EA magazine and the staff, good folks all. Here's to the end of the recession soon, and better times for us all. |
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Esox Angler ?