This months Dive mag

[Brian Garner]

Fantastic. Thats all I can say.
I am now off to the newsagents to get FCUK who are apparently doing a review of full face masks. Well not really but you get the point.
Is there nothing more for Dive to write about diving. 4x4 reviews dont seem to hit the mark for me. Then to top it off most of the mag is about overseas locations. It still says on the front BSAC.

Rant over

[TerryH]

Let me see how many 4x4 (diver) owners out there.

vs

Divers who go on hardboats.

Great new series on hardboats/skippers etc, but at one per
monthly issue it's going to take an awful long time to get
around the UK.

4 pages wasted on 4x4's when you could have done 4 (or more)
boats? Absolutely.

TerryH

[Steve Walker]

Let me see how many 4x4 (diver) owners out there.

vs

Divers who go on hardboats.

Great new series on hardboats/skippers etc, but at one per
monthly issue it's going to take an awful long time to get
around the UK.

4 pages wasted on 4x4's when you could have done 4 (or more)
boats? Absolutely.

TerryH


Ah...the perennial topic.

Having e-mailed/spoken to a couple of the people at BSAC Dive mag, I can confirm that they are a friendly enough bunch who are more than happy to have constructive dialogue, especially if, like myself, you fancy getting involved in contributing (e.g. re the "Get Charter" feature). I've seen evidence that they've listened and acted on information received, but the usual thrust of the threads posted here relating to the mag are, I think, a bit counterproductive.

Like someone said, elsewhere on the forums in another thread, the best way to make change occur is to get in amongst it.

I think all the necessary contact details are in the mag
but I'm happy enough to pass them along if anyone can't find them.

Regards
Steve

[TerryH]

Yep I agree they are approachable, have done in the past.

Ok lets look at this way. I am sure they are not in it for
the goodness of there health, so the content must be based on
three sets of criteria.

1. The readership (both BSAC & non-BSAC)
2. The Advertisers (got to get those glossies somehow)
3. The potential new readership (nice piccies of sharks etc.)

So by all means scream if I'm wrong, but with this very
simplistic list, isnt it mutually advantagous to all three
groups (and therefore the mag) to target the subject matter
that appeals to the majority?

So as we have Red Sea advertisers both in flashy colour
and small ads and a shedload of divers go the RS, I would
expect there to be an article in almost every issue. Just makes
economic sense.

So why (when you apply the same criteria) isnt the same
attention directed at other majority (not minority) areas.

I have no idea how many Skippers/boats there are, but lets say
we have 500 in the UK. They all take 12 divers and we have say
30 diving weekends/60 days each year.
That's a potential 360,000 divers who use hardboats!

Ok my figures are wrong? Maybe, so lets assume that of the 12
divers 2/3rds are repeat business. That still leaves 120,000
divers. Too much well half it. I have 60,000 divers. Thst's
more than in BSAC as a whole!

You can play with what ifs and figures all day long, but IMO
the mag is not bad, it just hasnt quite realised that they need
to do a few sums and target the demographic.
After all that's what successful publishers are meant to do.

Rgds
TerryH

[bugsonfilm.com]

Maybe suggest areas of your preference for features - others may wish the same or for somethingelse to another taste. Whichever the case, suggestions and feedback are what the mags are open to - this one included.
If you are to send in a feature, bear in mind they are probably working on the issue due out in several months time, although features usually have a good shelf life.
Regards
Stephen

[Steve Walker]

You can play with what ifs and figures all day long, but IMO
the mag is not bad, it just hasnt quite realised that they need to do a few sums and target the demographic.
After all that's what successful publishers are meant to do.

Rgds
TerryH


Interesting demograpics, sounds very reasonable, but in fairness, AFAIK, Dive has come up with this very practical feature off their own backs rather than as a suggestion from this forum and I'm sure they'd be happy to try other targetted regular features, if we could suggest some - any suggestions anyone?

Trying to please the diving fraternity as a whole has gotta be pretty challenging, divers love to complain more than any other recreational group I've ever been part of.

Cheers
steve

[TerryH]

Trying to please the diving fraternity as a whole has gotta be pretty challenging, divers love to complain more than any other recreational group I've ever been part of.

Agreed, but the point is that we could be talking about Pigeon
Monthly and it would still be the publisher who has to do the
homework and target the right demographic.

I can fully understand that we may have niche/minority areas
where they may be a bit lacking on info, but to miss the main
target when it should be an absolute integral part, is a bit
rich.

Doesnt take a genius to figure out that divers book boats. A
quick look at there own classifides would probably give them a
clue.

Rgds
TerryH

[DougParker]

I didn't even take it out of the packet, slung it straight in the bin. It's not as interesting as it could be. Too much BSAC.

[Si Brookes]

Rant on Dude,

Amazed they didnt feature feature the venerable old Landrover, one of the few vehicles where it is easy to mount a front tow hitch(thats if you know why that would be an advantage!) also failed to look at 4 wheel drive vans.... do they still make them!
Right I'm off to chop in my old dive gear so I can colour co-ordinate, can you get a talking dive computer that says "err H-E-L-L-0" in an american accent, that would be just great, yeah, woo air punching and all that.

Si

[Brian Garner]

I didn't even take it out of the packet, slung it straight in the bin. It's not as interesting as it could be. Too much BSAC.

If you think there is too much BSAC in this mag then you have not read it or a while. Apart from a couple of articles there does not seem to be much BSAC in there at all. IIRC it was last months mag where the back page, the one with a dive that went wrong, was written by someone whom had now reached the heigths of divemaster. A strange BSAC qualification.

I agree with you on the sling it in the bin. Its just your reasons I question.

Now where did I put my latest 990.

Brian Garner

[Steve Walker]

Too much BSAC.

Yeah, same goes for these forums too! ;)

I think the publishers would be fairly pleased with the mag being so obviously BSAC, given the name "BSAC Dive"...

Cheers
Steve

[DougParker]

I'm only whining because i've gone off BSAC.