Powerboat Magazine Ends Regular Publication Upon Aquisition by Bonnier Corp.

Long established as THE source for news, boat reviews and features covering the world of high performance boating, Powerboat Magazine will cease regular publication in August after being purchased by Bonnier Corporation, one of America's largest consumer publishing groups. With over 1,000 employees and more than $350 million in annual revenue, Bonnier Corp. ranks in the top 10 nationally among publishing companies. The company was formed in March 2007 when Sweden's Bonnier Group purchased 18 magazines from Time Inc. and combined those assets with its U.S. magazine partner, World Publications,

Rumors of a purchase offer had been floating around performance boating forums for about a week, but only today has the announcement of Powerboat's sale been officially announced on the Powerboat Facebook web page:

"Surely hope this isn't an end of an era, but it's still a sad day. After the July 2011 issue, which is being sent out this week, it looks like Boating will be coming your way if you're a Powerboat subscriber."

Bonnier currently publishes a number of marine-relate titles, including Boating, Sportfishing, Yachting and WaterSki, among others. Reportedly, Powerboat and Trailer Boats (also acquired from Affinity Media Group) will be offered from time-to-time as "special issues" during the boating season.

Of course, I enjoyed Powerboat as much as anyone else, and it has been hard to watch the magazine gradually shrink as the performance boat industry has taken a beating over the last few years. While the content has always been first-class, the fewer number of advertising pages sold has clearly had a significant impact on the cost of operation. While on the surface, it seems like the end of an era--it may be a sign that media coverage of performance boating is simply changing to reflect new technologies, new publishing models and new times. We're looking forward to being a part of that.