More than 50 years after its inception, Surfing Magazine has called it quits.
The iconic magazine, which stood as an edgy alternative to it's older sibling SURFER Magazine, was started by Leroy Grannis and Dick Graham, and will merge with Surfer on February 1, 2017.
Known for harboring progressive surfing and fostering young guns in the industry, SURFING put much focus on photography, and always stood out as a platform for the more rebellious side of surfing. However the surf industry has seen a lot of challenges in the last several years and SURFING was not immune to them.
The Enthusiast Network EVP and GM Norb Garrett said in an interview that, "It was a decision that nobody took lightly."
TEN has operated the world’s two largest surf media brands successfully under one roof for the last 16 years. Unfortunately based on not only the business climate, but also the demands of the consumer and customers, the media company thought it was best at this time to consolidate both of the brands into one strong single brand, SURFER, which has been the lifelong bible of the sport.
Listen, this totally sucks, and might be a telltale sign that the surf industry might be headed down a rather conservative road, but we're pretty sure this wasn't an easy decision. It was probably rather emotion for the dudes at TEN (they had to cut an entire editorial staff), just as it is for all us. SURFING has had such a unique and important role in helping to grow surf culture over the last 50 years, we're super sad to see it go.