ASB MAGAZINE: According to Surfer Magazine Editor-in-Chief, Todd Prodanovich, issue number three of volume 61 will be the iconic publication’s final issue. SURFER Magazine was founded by John Severson in 1960 as The Surfer Quarterly. It is the first major surf periodical, and its over 60 years of success spawned the genre from which all great surfing magazines aspire. Prodanovich posted the announcement on Instagram with the following caption:
“This is the last issue of @surfer_magazine,” wrote Prodanovich. “The whole staff got let go yesterday (no, nothing to do with the heat from the Biden endorsement 😂, just the Covid economy), but I feel like we’re ending on a high note with this one. The cover shot was taken by @donaldmiralle during the Encinitas paddle out in support of the Black Lives Matter movement. “
It was speculated that the closure was politically motivated after Surfer endorsed US Presidential candidate, Joe Biden, however it appears that timing was a coincidence and that the furloughing of staff and this week’s ‘closure’ maybe only for the foreseeable future.
It appears there’s some hope for a Surfer revival, but not until the economic fallout from COVID19 plays out. Sources really close to the matter told ASBMAG.com also confirmed the closure was ‘definitely not politically motivated.’
“These furloughs are aligned with others AMI did in New York,”
“They say the brands are temporarily pausing while Covid plays out.”
Around the same time AMI closured Surfer, they also closed Powder, Bike, Snowboarder magazines amongst others. American Media Inc. or (AMI) acquired Surfer Magazine as well as Powder, Bike, Snowboarder, and several other titles from The Enthusiast Network in February 2019. Prior to that transaction, The Enthusiast Network shuttered its other surf publications, Transworld Surf in 2013 and Surfing Magazine in 2017. American Media continues to operate its portfolio of publications including OK!, US Weekly, In Touch, and Men’s Journal.
