First sports magazine launched
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)