Angling Times - is there too much news in it?

[keora]

Last January, Angling Times altered its layout - it dropped most of the articles writtten by regular contributors, such as Des Taylor and Neville Fickling, and increased the proportion of news items. The editor, Richard Lee explained elsewhere in this forum that he wanted the AT to be news oriented.

Seven months on, in my view the AT has become less interesting. The many short news items are tedious to read. The main columnists writing about fishing techniques, Steve Ringer and Martin Bowler, are getting a bit repetitive.

I've taken the AT for many years. This week I bought the Anglers Mail for comparison. The Mail nowadays is more readable than the AT, and its layout and design is far more appealing.

I'd be interested to know if AT sales increased after its update.

What do forum members think of the AT these days ?

 

[richiekelly]

havent purchased it for ages, my son buys it sometimes but i find it boring, same old thing, i think the mail is marginally better.

 

[Alan Tyler]

Sometimes, a copy of the "Angling Star" gets as far south as Norfolk at the same time as I get that far north.
A much better paper than the best bits of the others put together, with the regular journos talking in depth to the anglers who are doing conspicuously well at the time, rather than just rewrite the same stuff they wrote last year - or forty years ago.
I wish it would go national!

Bladdy Norverners don't know they're born....Luxury!!!

 

[beerweasel]

I used to read it as a youngster when the articles were good and you would learn a great deal.
Now it just seems to be a showcase for stoic faced Carp boys, bragging about there latest "30".
I don't buy it now.

 

[sam vimes]

I've always found that I tend to buy periodicals when I'm a beginner/intermediate with lots to learn. Once I've managed to get a bit more experience under my belt my interest wanes. That's not to say there's nothing left to learn. However, I won't pay for a magazine to learn the odd gem amongst a load of stuff that's nothing new.

Since the advent and rise of the internet, I can see very little that they could print in the angling press that I can't get on-line, that includes news.
Unless the Angling Times starts putting gold leaf inserts into its pages I'll not be buying it, or any other magazine, in a hurry.

 

[thames steve]

Would be interesting to find out if their tactic of going more news-based has meant more or less sales....anyone know?

 

[Lord Paul of Sheffield]

Din't Richard post on here once or twice - he may answer

 

[keora]

I looked up the circulation figures before I posted. In the 12 months to March this year, average weekly sales of the Angling Times was 302,000 copies (11,000 less than the sales for the 12 months to March 2010). The Anglers Mail had weekly sales of 224,000 for the 12 months to March 2011 (11,000 more than the sales for the previous 12 months period). So the Times has been slowly losing readers, while the Mail has been slowly gaining.

I can't find more recent figures, so you can't tell if the new format AT, introduced only in mid January this year, has had any real effect on sales this year.

As for the Angling Star, I read it every month, it's Northern based, so for me it's more local. I think sometimes the articles aren't that polished, even though the advice in them is generally useful.

 

[barbelboi]

As posted in an earlier thread, I haven't bought weekly angling mags for years so not able to comment.

 

[Graham Marsden]

I looked up the circulation figures before I posted. In the 12 months to March this year, average weekly sales of the Angling Times was 302,000 copies (11,000 less than the sales for the 12 months to March 2010). The Anglers Mail had weekly sales of 224,000 for the 12 months to March 2011 (11,000 more than the sales for the previous 12 months period). So the Times has been slowly losing readers, while the Mail has been slowly gaining.

I can't find more recent figures, so you can't tell if the new format AT, introduced only in mid January this year, has had any real effect on sales this year.

As for the Angling Star, I read it every month, it's Northern based, so for me it's more local. I think sometimes the articles aren't that polished, even though the advice in them is generally useful.

I think it means the average weekly sales of AT are 302,000 divided by 52, which equals about 58,000 copies per week, which sounds about right.

I think the most they ever sold in a week was around 150,000, and that was many years ago, long before the internet came along.

 

[Mark Wintle]

302,000 / 52 = 5,800 so quite where the 302,000 comes from is anyone's guess.

AT sales currently about 50,000, AM low 30,000s

Highest figure I've ever seen on AT is 177,000 in the 1970s. Am hit over 100,000 in those days.

 

[Graham Marsden]

I never was any good at maths! But I knew 302,000 a week was way, way over the actual figure of around 50,000.

 

[Tee-Cee]

Is it not possible to receive the Angling Star by post-on a yearly subscription? Many seem to rave about it so it must have something different! Can someone who is a regular reader explain-please!!

Would it be available in Wigan-I have family there..

Personally I would still like to buy an angling paper as I did when I was much younger BUT it would have to be something different to AT/AM examples I've read, although admittedly this was a year ago or more..............Perhaps the 'new format' mentioned by the original poster would suit me..



ps Surely AT/AM look at the competition (Angling Star) if its as good as suggested and think..............................mmmmmmm

 

[keora]

Well, I made a mistake in the figures I quoted above. They refer to weekly readership figures, which is an estimate based on extensive interviews, rather than actual circulation figures.

I have managed to find circulation figures for late 2010 - see the following link:


http://www.ipcadvertising.com/resource/lpwmomvzv44d2d6xecuuqqy8.pdf

In late 2010 , Angling Times sold 47,323 home copies a week (presumably this is UK sales).
Anglers Mail sold 32,000 home copies.

Going back to my original question, is the Angling Times too news oriented ?

 

[Bob Hornegold]

I like the News section, but I think they have increased the size of the Match and Sea sections ?

I would love to see Des back, I cancelled it after they dropped his section and only buy it now when I see something of interest on the fromt page.

And all these stupid gifts should dropped as well, that applies to Anglers Mail as much as A. T.

The only reason other than the News, I would now buy is to read Martin Bowlers section !!

Bob

 

[Berty]

I never was any good at maths! But I knew 302,000 a week was way, way over the actual figure of around 50,000.

You can count *+&%ing money!!!!

 

[Andy Banham 2]

i am a subscriber to angling times and will not be renewing my subscription. why give gifts that are almost unusable, instead of 3 give one FULL size usable gift.

 

[Berty]

i am a subscriber to angling times and will not be renewing my subscription. why give gifts that are almost unusable, instead of 3 give one FULL size usable gift.

Or just quality reading!!

 

[flightliner]

why give gifts that are almost unusable, instead of 3 give one FULL size usable gift.

I go along with that Andy,
Only the other day I was looking at two of my reel cases that were given away by AT for the queens silver jubilee back in the seventies, they are still very servicable as is the maggot riddle that fits into a standard maggot container that was free back in the eighties. Really good item this as you can seperate turning maggots on the bankside.

 

[cg74]

After looking in on their website and going on the thread's original question: "is there too much news in it?"

I can see another angling publication going down the pan. As all I saw was non-news-worthy headlines; one carp angler banks two 20's, another takes three 30's. Pleased as I am for captors, its hardly hold the press news.

Then there's "The season's biggest barbel" 16-04, well I ain't calling the lad that caught it a liar buuuut he must be big for his age and sorry A.T its not the biggest caught this season, biggest reported to them but that's not what they wrote.


Regards the free gifts, the last one I got is very useful, it was 100m of red 6lb line and because its so frail, it never damages my mainline when using it for marker knots.