Surfing Magazine, owned by Source Interlink’s The Enthusiast’s Network (TEN), has ceased publication, and now Transworld Business no longer resides on a website with the name in the url. These are dramatic changes. Surfing Magazine has been in publication for decades, more than 30 years.
The centuries old Surfing Magazine publication is caput, according to an employee of TEN in the Bonita, Florida office, just ouside Naples. The employee we spoke to was very unwilling to say much at all about the end of Surfing Magazine, only that the publication was no more. According to the magazine’s website, their recent video project was its “last hurrah.” The amount of activity on the website has been slow for the past few months, and this recent announcement brings the once glorious surfing magazine to a sad abrupt end.
There is a really cool animation of all the magazine cover’s published over the years in the last minute of its final video project which featured Eric and Evan Geiselman, entitled E. Geiselman: https://youtu.be/hCHfy5hiQ_c?t=23m15s
Another one of TEN’s holdings, Transworld Business recently resided on a website url dedicated entirely to the Transworld Business name. But as of today, Transworld Business is on a website with the url grindtv.com. The exact date of the url change is unknown. It still appears to be branded as Transworld Business, simply a new url, one that seems very skateboarding oriented.The changes may have something to do with the recent agreements with the Dew Tour, an action sports circuit.
What this says about the future quality of surfing content generated by TEN is unclear, and since the person representing the company wouldn’t make any statements you’re free to speculate. We can’t help but wonder what state the company is in. The person we spoke to in the Bonita office on the gulf coast declined to make any statements about the company’s well-being. But, according to an article by Foliomag.com, in 2014 the company may have laid off close to 100 employees after closing 12 of its car and truck related publications. Still, their situation remains enigmatic.
It is disapointing news for anyone who gets stoked on good surf media, and rad pictures of epic waves. No one wants to see prominent surfing publications close up shop, but it may be a sign of the times. Everything seems to be going digital. Rumors have been spreading that something new is coming from the company, but it’s hard to say what just yet. TEN also owns Surfer Magazine, among many other publications.
