boxing news- as good as it was?

[mahatma]

i understand magazines are under pressure to raise money and that the internet has challenged specialist readership magazines.

However i find there are too many adverts in boxing news, with even other magazines taking whole page adds in it-maybe they could limit the amount of adds to say a maximum of 4 pages per issue or restrict adverts to website details .

I for one would also like less amateur footage and more previews, reports,interviews,articles etc which on the whole are of a high standard of journalism.

Still buy boxing news every week, i enjoy it but standards need to be maintained for it to remain as the principle boxing magazine.

[Brit Ryan]

With all due respect I think we are lucky to have a quality weekly magazine at all. I don't know whether it still survives but in the US they have one where the quality of the print is like Boxing news was in the 70s.
As for the Ads - halleluliah! They are a sign of success and keep the price down. As it happens, given that boxing is one of the things I spend my money on, I also find them useful.
I thnik Tris and the rest need to be given time to establish their independent vision after Claude's long reign

[Jeff Thomas]

i understand magazines are under pressure to raise money and that the internet has challenged specialist readership magazines.

However i find there are too many adverts in boxing news, with even other magazines taking whole page adds in it-maybe they could limit the amount of adds to say a maximum of 4 pages per issue or restrict adverts to website details .

I for one would also like less amateur footage and more previews, reports,interviews,articles etc which on the whole are of a high standard of journalism.

Still buy boxing news every week, i enjoy it but standards need to be maintained for it to remain as the principle boxing magazine.

Why would you replace amateur footage with some bloke talking about the potential outcome of fights your never going to see.

[Deno1986]

The amateur section of the magazine is the best part of it imo. Excellent magazine.

[jonny]

I think the Boxing News is second to none and wouldn't be without it.

[reggaereggae]

With all due respect I think we are lucky to have a quality weekly magazine at all. I don't know whether it still survives but in the US they have one where the quality of the print is like Boxing news was in the 70s.
As for the Ads - halleluliah! They are a sign of success and keep the price down. As it happens, given that boxing is one of the things I spend my money on, I also find them useful.
I thnik Tris and the rest need to be given time to establish their independent vision after Claude's long reign

I agree with this. Boxing news is indispensable and we are very lucky to have it. I don't think the writers are that great in general, but the qulity of the mag is far superior - the images, the graphics, layout etc

[Deserter]

[quote="mahatma" ] maybe they could limit the amount of adds to say a maximum of 4 pages per issue or restrict adverts to website details.[/quote]

That's not a realistic perspective unfortunately. In the industry some of the most successful magazines (mostly fashion titles) will go as high as a 60/40 ratio in terms of editorial to ads so Boxing News' ratio is actually low in context. Print publishing is already a tough enough business without trying to restrict vitally needed revenues and there aren't enough ads to make consumption of the content challenging, which is what would lose you readers.
The other mag ads are called 'house ads' by the way, and are just 'free' ways to promote products owned by the same company (in this case Newsquest). Again, it's standard industry practice.

[alexpaterson]

I really like boxing news. The guest columinsit is very good. I like most of it, very good magazine imo

[mahatma]

deserter thanks for pointing out the fact that newsquest are promoting their own fighting fit magazine i didnt realise that.
jeff and deno, i dont mind a page of amateurs news,but i buy boxing news as a pro boxing fan, so dont want to see pages of minor amateur boxing from up and down the country but i understand if thats your thing
brit ryan/reggae,reggae yes the graphics layout are far improved but in my opinion a balance needs to be achieved between advertisments and actual news.
as regard the new editor i wish him luck

[Deserter]

deserter thanks for pointing out the fact that newsquest are promoting their own fighting fit magazine i didnt realise that.
jeff and deno, i dont mind a page of amateurs news,but i buy boxing news as a pro boxing fan, so dont want to see pages of minor amateur boxing from up and down the country but i understand if thats your thing
brit ryan/reggae,reggae yes the graphics layout are far improved but in my opinion a balance needs to be achieved between advertisments and actual news.
as regard the new editor i wish him luck

It's a good debate so cheers for kick-starting it. I got a copy brought over for me by my flat-mate when he was back in the UK and having also bought it when I was back in May for some time I'd nail my colours firmly to the mast (if somewhat controversially) and say it's the best it's ever been as a package.
I think the new editor, Tris Dixon, has brought some much-needed fresh eyes to the package and elements like the opinion columns and the quickfire q and a's strengthen the overall offering IMO.
It's comprehensive, it's well-designed and it's cohesive. I'd say the only thing it's lacking is a more distinctive editorial voice overall, but that'll come with time hopefully. That was the magic of Harry Mullan and it's also something that Glyn Leach has done so well with BM.

[mahatma]

older readers will remember about 15 years ago when the magazine became a A3 size newspaper,it was horrible and it soon reverted to the magazine size it is now- so yes graphics style layout are all important and yes the magazine looks slick but content surely for us all is the most important thing, so its good for us to discuss what we like and dislike about the magazine

[Wrists]

Very good magazine, very good. In fact BN and BM are best in the business, better than Ring etc etc etc.

BN has always been good and early days of Tris Dixon's editorship seem promising.

Likes of Flexen who is a very good writer make the mag very good indeed.

BM - Love Leach's editorial, Farhood, Bunce and Smoggie are all welcome additions.

All in all very good

[tonyevs]

My main grumble with BN is the amount of adverts .. 7 full pages and numerous others ads this week.

They seems to fill too many of the 48pages with pictures .. 7full pages and numerous half pages.

I don`t really read the amateur pages. A quick browse is about it. But 4pages seems not too bad because I`m sure the youngsters love it if they ever make into it in print or one of the many pictures they pack the paper out with..

I think the new guy, Tris Dixon, is doing a good job so far. He seems to have made one or two little changes so far, and more importantly - he seems willing to speak his mind and air his opinions alot more than the previous editor. So good an impression he has made on myself, I even re-newed my subscription

The first BN I started getting were those under the fantastic Harry Mullan. He did it with few pictures, even fewer adverts .... just page after page of boxing news and boxing articles ... the good old days

[bennie]

Boxing News has a good, young, talented team. People think it is a glamour job but working for Boxing News is all slog, believe me. Good luck to 'em.

[Deserter]

Boxing News has a good, young, talented team. People think it is a glamour job but working for Boxing News is all slog, believe me. Good luck to 'em.

A classy post sir

[chinny]

Boxing News has a good, young, talented team. People think it is a glamour job but working for Boxing News is all slog, believe me. Good luck to 'em.

Has someone hacked into your account??

I think the Tris era has started very promisingly. The guest columns are refreshing and insightful. Somehow the letters chosen for publication seem a bit more biting and relevant. They even had someone refer to allegedly not paying Calzaghe last week (although they gave Mr Legedly a smokescreen write of reply).
Donald Macrae features are unmissable, and Tris's visits with old ex pro's are usually outstanding.
Unmissable every Friday for me

[DIRT SUGAR]

My main grumble with BN is the amount of adverts .. 7 full pages and numerous others ads this week.

They seems to fill too many of the 48pages with pictures .. 7full pages and numerous half pages.

I don`t really read the amateur pages. A quick browse is about it. But 4pages seems not too bad because I`m sure the youngsters love it if they ever make into it in print or one of the many pictures they pack the paper out with..

I think the new guy, Tris Dixon, is doing a good job so far. He seems to have made one or two little changes so far, and more importantly - he seems willing to speak his mind and air his opinions alot more than the previous editor. So good an impression he has made on myself, I even re-newed my subscription

The first BN I started getting were those under the fantastic Harry Mullan. He did it with few pictures, even fewer adverts .... just page after page of boxing news and boxing articles ... the good old days

Adverts = revenue, how do you think magazines like BN keep going, on sales? Boxing News is a brilliant effort every week and I know as I've had the fortune to freelance for them when Claude was editor and as cover for Nick Bond and like Bennie says it's a labour of love for those guys.

Tris Dixon's doing a great job from what I see and read every week. It's the best boxing publication out there by miles and we're lucky to have it in this day and age. Talk of too many adverts is just daft, how do people think they keep it going.

[nh1]

I understand it's not realistic to expect BN to cut down on the number of ads.

My pet hate is the double-page photo at the beginning of the mag every week. Maybe some people like it, but for me it's just a waste of two pages which could be filled with text.

[oliverfennell]

Boxing News has a good, young, talented team. People think it is a glamour job but working for Boxing News is all slog, believe me. Good luck to 'em.

Either that's an immense chunk of sarcasm, or something has really changed!

If the latter, with respect, we used to clash on here about BN stuff, so could you explain why? Is it just because Abrams has moved on? I know he was your main aggitator, but Flexen was dead in your sights, too.

[tonyevs]

Maybe Bennie has applied to freelance for them again lol

of course they need adverts ...just seems so many. But the amount of packing they do with the pictures is worse..

Take out the pictures and how much boxing txt is left?

[slapbangwhallop]

its a quality weekly. Irish fighters seem to get ignored a bit too much for my liking - but thats hardly a shock.

Now if they could only guarantee to have it on my doorstep for Friday I would be happy, two weeks in a row it landed on Monday and Tuesday respectively and I was on the verge of cancelling until it arrived on Friday again this week.

Its not like I live in the sticks, as a weekly timing of the delivery is very important for me. I dont want a magazine that is made up of mostly fight previews for a weekend that has already past.

[Counter-puncher]

its a quality weekly. Irish fighters seem to get ignored a bit too much for my liking - but thats hardly a shock.

you're right, far from a shock you saying that

[Wake up call]

older readers will remember about 15 years ago when the magazine became a A3 size newspaper,it was horrible and it soon reverted to the magazine size it is now- so yes graphics style layout are all important and yes the magazine looks slick but content surely for us all is the most important thing, so its good for us to discuss what we like and dislike about the magazine

It wasn't even that long ago. The big size mag (berliner I think the proper term for it is) was out between around 2000 and 2005.

[DIRT SUGAR]

I understand it's not realistic to expect BN to cut down on the number of ads.

My pet hate is the double-page photo at the beginning of the mag every week. Maybe some people like it, but for me it's just a waste of two pages which could be filled with text.

I like it and don't forget someone's got to fill that two pages of text, it doesn't happen by itself!

[chinny]

Its not like I live in the sticks, as a weekly timing of the delivery is very important for me. I dont want a magazine that is made up of mostly fight previews for a weekend that has already past.

That was why I didn't renew - I'd rather pay the extra and read it on Friday morning.

I started reading under Mullan's editorship - what a writer. The kind of moral, crusading voice we don't really have now do we?