First sports magazine launched
JAKARTA (JP): Raket, the first Indonesian sports magazine ever to specialize in tennis, badminton and squash coverage, was launched here yesterday evening with a maiden issue of 30,000 copies.
It is also the first sports magazine to feature an athlete interviewing another athlete. "No other magazine has done that," said special editor Barry Wood. Wood says he has 15 years of working experience in interviewing and dealing with the world's top tennis players.
"The magazine offers the interviews of not only top tennis players, but also unknown tennis players, who may have interesting stories. Top coaches and heads of top tennis schools are also the target of interviews," Wood said.
The other features of the magazine include love stories among athletes, practical tips on how to play better, analyses of athletes' technical and psychological aspects, as well as tips on health and nutrition.
The publication, which will appear every two weeks, costs Rp 7,500 (US$3.3). Compared to the prices of other Indonesian periodicals, which average at Rp 5,000, the price of the 100-page colorful magazine is quite high.
Ignatius Sunito, the sports magazine's general manager, said the recent controversial increase of paper prices is partially to blame for the high price. Another reason he suggested was that the number of advertisements is still small.
Moreover, "we expect readership from the middle and upper brackets of society," Sunito said. Specifically, the magazine is aimed at young executives who are fond of tennis.
Sunito declined to reveal the initial investment for setting up the fledgling magazine. But he was optimistic the break-even point could be reached within two years. Wood added that an English edition of Raket for wider readership in Asia was his next ambition.
Behind the magazine's birth are senior reporters of the Bola weekly sports tabloid. Raket's major contributors also include some of the world top's sports reporters and photographers.
The magazine's editor, Sumohadi Marsis, is optimistic that the particularity of his magazine will make it sell well. He argued that badminton and tennis especially are very popular among and loved by Indonesians.
"Badminton is our country's favorite sport. Moreover, Indonesia is a repository of the sport's world champions. As for tennis, our tennis players rank among the best in Asia. And more and more people are playing it as more and more tennis courts are being built in our cities," Sumohadi said.
He added that squash was beginning to gain popularity among Indonesians and so it was reasonable to include it in the magazine. (arf)