Dear Friends in Sport,
Thank you to all for your interest in Manitoba Score Magazine. We are proud of the stories we’ve been able to tell over the last five months featuring high school, amateur, and university athletes, and we appreciate the words of encouragement we’ve received from each of you.
When we began this venture last September, we were driven by the core belief that amateur sports are wort h our very best effort. We believed that the athletes, programs, coaches, and volunteers that we would profile deserved more coverage than they were receiving, and that the sports community was ready to support a publication dedicated to this level of sport. And our pricing strategy was simple -- $30 for an annual subscription, with $10 going right back to amateur sport.
I am pleased to say that we are steadily building a sponsorship base. However, sustainability in this industry is a function of both loyal advertisers, and a growing readership. We now need to determine the level of interest among readers of our publication as we plan future issues, and how much support we can expect from the sports community going forward.
Simply put, readership drives sponsorship. Subscription sales differentiate our magazine from the large number of free publications that fill the magazine racks in schools, businesses, and restaurants. And a strong subscriber base is an indicator (for potential sponsors) of the number of people that truly care about sports at the non-professional level, and read our magazine in their homes or at their places of business. And to date, with the exception of one crown corporation (Manitoba Hydro), we have been relying completely on sponsors from the private sector. We have not received support from the provincial government, despite our discussions with the Departments of Health; Healthy Living; Education Citizenship and Youth; and Culture, Heritage, Tourism, and Sport.
Not to say that these departments are indifferent. In his letter to Manitoba Score Magazine dated February 21, 2008, The Hon. Eric Robinson, Minister of Culture, Heritage, Tourism, and Sport, personally expressed his congratulations “for producing an excellent magazine…Your publication fills a particular need for information and encouragement to young people to strive for excellence in their chosen sports.”
Several other elected officials have expressed their approval of our magazine, and have acknowledged its importance. I am led to believe that the lack of tangible support from our government is the result of the following unanswered question: Are there enough Manitobans interested in reading about amateur sport to make this issue important?
And so, over the next two weeks, I am asking you to provide feedback regarding our first four issues. We here at Manitoba Score Magazine want to hear honest, candid opinions from the sports community—the provincial sports organizations, high school and university athletic directors, administrators, coaches, and athletes.
Specifically, I’m hoping that you will answer the following two questions:
- Is the coverage we provide important to you ( and if so, why) ?
- How can we best encourage your members, athletes, parents and supporters to subscribe?
If there is anyone that you think may not have received this email, but might like to voice an opinion, please pass it on. And please send your responses by email to tom@manitobascore.com, or feel free to contact me by telephone at 255-5084 if you would prefer to discuss.
We hope to continue creating a product that not only recognizes teams, athletes, and coaches, but that can also be held to the highest standards in terms of journalistic and photographic quality. Ultimately it is you, the leader s of our sports community, who will determine whether or not this work is both valued and sustainable.
We have always believed that the number of sports supporters in our province is large enough to matter, and this is our chance to prove it. We love to tell great stories. If you would like to continue reading them, please let us know.
I look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Tom Thiessen
Publisher
Manitoba Score Magazine