I’ve been a reader of SLAM before I even read magazines. When I was six years old back in ’95 SLAM was exclusively a picture book that satisfied my love for the game of basketball. I feel some sort of homage towards SLAM since I’ve been a loyal reader of theirs basically since their beginning (in 1994). When I grew out of Goosebumps, I found SLAM and have been religiously following ever since. I make a temple with the 200+ scriptures of SLAM that I own.
After doing some mapping, I found out SLAM was once published by PRIMEDIA Inc., a former magazine publisher. They are also publishers of many other guides and magazines, ranging from apartment guides to home magazines (Wikipedia: PRIMEDIA 2008). The company also has many websites corresponding to the magazines and guides.
Suddenly my underground SLAM seems…above ground, tainted by the light. If SLAM is owned by a company that also owns literature that I would consider wiping my ass with if there was no toilet paper. SLAM owned by a company that also owns magazines such Soap Opera Weekly and Practical Horseman? It hardly makes sense to me, and definitely makes me wonder why SLAM was purchased by a media company that is interested in things that have nothing thing do with hoop culture. It gets worse.
In 2007 PRIMEDIA PRIMEDIA Inc. sold their massive “Enthusiast Media “group of magazines to Source Interlink Companies (Wikipedia: PRIMEDIA 2008). Source Interlink is a self-proclaimed “dynamic organization” with divisions of content, distribution, and merchandising (Source Interlink Companies: Our Divisions 2008). Those three divisions spell out three words to me…CROSS MEDIA OWNERSHIP. And the sentence “with this solid foundation for growth, Source will simultaneously harvest operating synergies as it continues to capitalize on market opportunities,” tops it off, blatantly showing me a media monster. Now it’s got me thinking could SLAM part the same rot that Cosmo is a part of?
SLAM magazine would be part of the “content” division of the company, Source Interlink Media. Under this division there are “more than 75 publications, 90 Web sites, 400 branded products, 65+ events, and TV and radio programs [making it] the largest provider of content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, marine, and other niche activities (Source Interlink Media 2008).” The division’s strategy focuses on these targeted communities and exploits for their marketability by supporting “market-leading brands through a multiplatform media approach (Source Interlink Media 2008).”
This however does not turn me away from SLAM; I feel that I do not buy SLAM just for the pictures any more (although they still have some of the best). I continue to follow SLAM like a cult because of TRASH TALK (a section where writers to SLAM can get their own ink by saying what they like/don’t like about SLAM), NOYZ (an inside joke/underground news blurb)…because of Scoop Jackson, Khalid Salaam, and Lang Whitaker (writers of SLAM). It’s the writers that make SLAM for me, I dig their style.
My SLAM is safe from Foxes and Cosmos.
Sources
"Our Divisions". Source Interlink Companies. 2008. 15 Nov 2008
"PRIMEDIA." Wikipedia: The Free Encyclopedia. 1 Nov 2008. 15 Nov 2008.
"Source Interlink Media". Source Interlink Companies. 2008. 15 Nov 2008
4 comments:
SLAM is certainly safe from the Source Interlink influences, as you might call them. We're allowed to do our thing essentially without hindrance. I'll pass-on your kind words to Lang and Khalid (Scoop's now at ESPN).
Hey. Russ Bengtson here. I was the EIC of SLAM for five years of so and was on the full-time editorial staff for more like 10 (as you're probably aware of), and while we changed publishers a couple times when I was there, the only thing that changed was the little logo on the cover, the name at the bottom of the spine and the corporate portion of the masthead. I never even talked to anyone from Primedia (or Emap, or Petersen, or any of our other adoptive parent companies) while I was there, and there was definitely no impact on editorial decisions. Just another $.02.
That should read "five years OR so," of course. Some editor I am. (Also, I should have totally blamed the two Nets covers on Primedia.)
Thanks for the info guys, much appreciated. SLAM is still my underground and above ground source. I love the writers and am glad that they aren't tainted by their corporate ownership. SLAM needs to have that in your face and down to earth qualities to make it what it is. SLAM dunks SI. Also love the online section. Some great posts and discussions come from there, I think some of the exciting action from slam online should post in the next issue of SLAM to get more people interested in their own participatory journalism online.
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