Pop quiz: name the first person to grace the cover of 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine.
Reinhold Messner? A worthy candidate, but wrong. Robert Redford? Nope. Also a strong guess, but he didn鈥檛 show up until 1978. The correct answer, of course, is none other than seventies country-rock superstar Linda Ronstadt.
To be fair, that was a trick question. I don鈥檛 expect anyone to answer correctly unless you鈥檙e or . (And if you are either of those people, Hello! Thank you for inspiring my career.) The truth鈥攕omething our legendary fact-checkers have demanded since our inception鈥攊s that the very first edition of 国产吃瓜黑料 was published as an insert in , which featured Ronstadt on the cover, along with a large 国产吃瓜黑料 logo positioned above her left shoulder. You can think of 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 launch strategy back then as a sort of benign bait and switch. An established media brand gathered its formidable audience in one place, only to direct readers鈥 attention elsewhere and expose them to an exciting new business idea.
It seems fitting, then, that 43 years later we鈥檙e executing the same tactic for what is effectively 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 relaunch. The real reason we鈥檝e brought you here today is to introduce , a new membership program for anyone and everyone that loves the outdoors. In case you missed the news, by Pocket Outdoor Media (since renamed 国产吃瓜黑料 Interactive), linking us to dozens of other like-minded resources, from fellow media titles like and and , to revered services such as , , and , to iconic experiences like the bike series and the annual ski-and-snowboard film tour. Our new parent company has bundled the features of all these properties into . Sign up, and you鈥檒l gain access not only to our award-winning journalism but to a host of additional perks and benefits, including:
- A subscription to 国产吃瓜黑料 magazine and your choice from 12 国产吃瓜黑料+ member titles
- Digital access to members-only content across all 国产吃瓜黑料 properties
- Over a thousand hours of exclusive TV content via the
- Access to hundreds of virtual health, fitness, cooking, and outdoor classes
- Two free books a year from
- Personalized, ad-free experiences at 国产吃瓜黑料 Online
- A subscription to , so you can download maps offline and
- Free training plans for running, cycling, and triathlon via
- Discounts on everything from gear to race-entry fees to event photography
国产吃瓜黑料+ also represents a significant shift in our business strategy. Back in the 1990s, we followed other magazines in committing the industry鈥檚 original sin: abandoning consumer revenue in the digital space by deciding to give away all website content for free. That made us almost entirely dependent on ad revenue, and for the next two decades, 国产吃瓜黑料鈥檚 fortunes followed the boom-bust cycles of the marketing industry. Many titles didn鈥檛 survive those lean periods鈥擱IP National Geographic 国产吃瓜黑料鈥攁nd while 国产吃瓜黑料 managed to stay afloat, we also knew that we鈥檇 eventually have to make the shift to a paid digital model to get back on solid ground. We had confidence that our digital readers would be as willing to pay for our storytelling as our print subscribers, but building the infrastructure for member-only access requires millions of dollars of investment. It took the resources of our new company to finally make it happen, and we couldn鈥檛 be more excited to put that confidence in our journalism to the test.
launched in May, but today marks our brand鈥檚聽official integration into the membership program. That means you鈥檒l notice some changes here at 国产吃瓜黑料 Online, including registration and log-in features that allow you to customize your feed and see more of the stories you want, from 国产吃瓜黑料 as well as all of our partner titles. More significantly, we鈥檙e no longer giving away everything for free. Going forward, we鈥檒l be putting 30 percent of our content, including all of our print-magazine content, behind a member wall. We feel strongly that the work we produce at 国产吃瓜黑料 is distinct and valuable, a vital service that readers are now聽willing to pay for. What鈥檚 more, we plan to roll out some exciting new member-only exclusives in the coming months, including an 国产吃瓜黑料 Book Club, member access to our gear testing, serialized longreads, and unique travel opportunities. We believe that when you see all the additional perks of an 国产吃瓜黑料+ membership, the value will be evident.
I should also add that there are many things that won鈥檛 be changing at 国产吃瓜黑料, starting with our decades-long commitment to quality, in-depth reporting. Each day at 国产吃瓜黑料 Online, you鈥檒l continue to find one-of-a-kind longform stories, comprehensive travel advice and unbiased gear reviews, and clear-eyed coverage of critical outdoor topics that affect all of us, from the ongoing bike-safety crisis to the importance of making our nation鈥檚 outdoor spaces welcoming and accessible to all. And a significant amount of our content will always be free.
In short, the new 国产吃瓜黑料 has more to offer than ever鈥攂ut we can鈥檛 succeed without your continued support. I hope you鈥檒l explore the benefits of an 国产吃瓜黑料+ membership on our site today and join our growing community. Maybe one of you can even help us get Linda Ronstadt signed up.