EDITOR’S NOTE
SOME CHANGES,
BUT GOOD ONES
W
hen I was in high school, between every period I’d swing by my locker
and swap out my books for the next class. Then I’d slide the latest out-
door magazine I was reading in between my notebook and my textbook,
where my teacher wouldn’t see it when I walked through the classroom door.
I was a good student, but high school was a bore. Magazines were my escape;
the stories a gateway out of a small Midwestern town to the greatest outdoor
destinations in the world.
Reading the stories in those magazines (sometimes instead of paying atten-
tion in class) and the dreams they inspired were real motivators for me develop-
ing a passion for hunting and fishing – activities that now define who I am as a
professional and a person.
They’re also why, in 2007, I left home to become associate editor at FLW. I
chased a dream of working for an outdoor magazine, and in the process learned
the trade from great writers and editors such as Jason Sealock and, my most
influential mentor, Colin Moore, who recently retired from FLW.
Those editors established a legacy of producing a quality print publication at
FLW, and they did it, frankly, on a minimalist budget with a minimalist staff.
I’m proud to still be a part of this team. I’m proud of the fact that, even though
digital media seems to be overpowering print, we’re still able to publish a mag-
azine that teaches about bass fishing and the people and trends at the top of
the game.
But I’m also proud that FLW is a forward-thinking company, and that it main-
tains a conservative business model that helps ensure FLW will be around for
many more years. It’s that type of foresight and planning that led to a decision
to make a change to the print publishing model we’ve been using for more than
a decade.
Starting in 2019, FLW will switch from publishing eight issues per year to a
quarterly print schedule, with issues slated for winter, spring, summer and fall.
Yes, I’m seriously happy about the decision. I’m a “print guy.” I believe in its
value, and that words in print have a lot of staying power. Yet I care more about
FLW’s well-being than I do my own interest in producing magazines. This change
will free up resources to allow the company to expand its FLW Live broadcasts,
and to launch some really exciting online video projects such as the Varsity Bass
documentary series announced in November (look it up at FLWFishing.com).
This is the way media is changing these days. Instead of kids like me hiding
Outdoor Life between their books, today’s high school students steal glances at
their smartphones during class. Great-grandmas have email addresses. A gener-
ation that grew up with vinyl albums is using Facebook and YouTube.
If you’re a die-hard print reader, the change might sting a little. You might even
be thinking that we’re cutting your content in half. I don’t look at it that way. We’re
just giving you some alternatives and a more complete package of content that I
think you’ll enjoy.
More importantly, this change gives the magazine long-term viability, so we
can continue to deliver high-quality bass fishing content from FLW’s top pros, and
so I can keep striving to live up to the legacy established by editors-in-chief who
came before me.
4
Curtis Niedermier, editor-in-Chief
Publisher
Irwin L. Jacobs
editor-in-Chief
Curtis Niedermier
Production Manager/
Graphic Designer
Michelle Dowling
Associate editor
Justin Onslow
Field editors
Rob Newell & Matt Williams
Contributors
Joe Balog, Tyler Brinks, David A. Brown,
Dan Johnson, TJ Maglio, Colin Moore,
Sean Ostruszka, Paul Strege
Graphic Designer/Illustrator
Matt Pace
Director of Advertising
Al Chapman | 270.252.1628
FLWFishing.com
Senior Web Content Manager
Jesse Schultz
Senior editor
Kyle Wood
Digital editor
Jody White
Letters to the editor
FLW Bass Fishing
30 Gamble Lane, Benton, KY 42025
[email protected]
Chairman & CeO
Irwin L. Jacobs
President of FLW
Marketing Division
Trish Blake
President of FLW
Operations Division
Kathy Fennel
Chief Financial Officer
Dave Mahler
Vice President, Controller
Tommy Boaz
Vice President of Marketing
Kelly Oettinger
Vice President of Operations
Dave Washburn
FLWFISHING.COM I WINter 2019