Covid-19 has crushed parts of the media landscape, and one of its victims was longtime cycling publication Bike magazine, whose publisher cited the pandemic-deflated economy as the chief reason for indefinitely 鈥減ausing鈥 production of the title last October.
In this particular casualty of the coronavirus, however, Boulder, Colorado-based active lifestyle publisher (and OBJ parent company) Pocket Outdoor Media saw a growth opportunity.
As soon as Bike hit the brakes, Pocket Outdoor Media CEO Robin Thurston decided he wouldn鈥檛 wait around to see if it would resume operations. Instead, he saw a chance to fill that magazine鈥檚 void in the marketplace with a new title in POM鈥檚 portfolio, so he invited the editorial staff of the now-idle publication to join his company and reimagine what a mountain biking magazine could鈥攁nd should鈥攂e.
A New Title
The result is Beta, a multichannel content platform聽launched Tuesday, which聽includes a new quarterly magazine,聽website, and membership program called Beta Pass (part of Pocket’s larger Active Pass platform). Its first print edition is due out in late March, just as the snow begins melting and riders return to dirt singletrack across much of the country.
Former Bike editor and California-based mountain biking industry veteran Nicole Formosa will serve as聽Beta鈥檚 first editor-in-chief. She says Thurston called her with the idea the day after Bike announced it would cease publication, and soon the proverbial knobby wheels were in motion.
鈥淭his opportunity with Pocket to start something new, to have support from a publisher, is pretty unheard of in media,鈥 Formosa tells OBJ. 鈥淎nd to have that publisher say, 鈥榃e trust you, we like what you were doing鈥攄o that for us鈥攁nd bring the team you want to bring,鈥 that is unbelievably rare. I鈥檓 grateful and appreciative of Robin and Pocket for the support that allows us to keep going, to keep creating the kind of content we all want to create.鈥
Expanded Market Opportunity
Beta couldn鈥檛 be hitting newsstands, smartphones, and laptops at a better time. Not only did the coronavirus upend publishing, but it drove more people onto mountain bikes and into the woods, so the arrival of a new publication that covers a sport amid this renaissance was timely, to say the least.
Beta will tap into this trend and differentiate itself from the competition by building a mountain biking brand that caters to more than the hardcore rider. Formosa says the hope is to attract legions of new enthusiasts鈥攎any of whom found the sport because they needed a new socially distanced outdoor activity鈥攚ithout alienating the diehards. Beta wants to become the go-to resource for all levels and types of riders, including those who ride electric MTBs.
Formosa has brought with her a group of diverse and experienced storytellers who understand mountain biking trends and can expertly help enthusiasts choose their gear, improve their technique, and increase their stoke.
鈥淥ur strength is in long-form storytelling, quality over quantity, authoritative gear coverage, and in-depth analysis,鈥 Formosa says. 鈥淥ur editors have a strong reputation and credibility in the industry for objectivity on the gear side. And we have something rare in the mountain bike media landscape鈥攔eal journalism, a real focus on storytelling.鈥