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JohnRich

"Parachutist" versus "Skydiving" Magazines

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Another thread got me thinking about the relative circulation rates between the two monthly skydiving magazines.

I imagine "Parachutist" has more subscribers, because it's part of being a member of USPA., and being a USPA member is virtually required by just about all drop zones.

But of all the skydivers, what percentage also fork out additional money to get "Skydiving" magazine?

Please vote above indicating which magazines you receive.

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If I could opt out of Parachutist in return for a lower membership fee, I would immediately.

I got Skydiving as a gift for one year. I didn't bother to renew. I only liked the 4 way block articles from Hoover.

...
Driving is a one dimensional activity - a monkey can do it - being proud of your driving abilities is like being proud of being able to put on pants

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none of us really "subscribe" to Parachutist because we cannot opt out.



Yes you can. Just call and ask them to stop sending you one. It may take a month, but it'll stop coming. (You don't get a discount, but do save a tree).

- Dan G

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Yes you can. Just call and ask them to stop sending you one. It may take a month, but it'll stop coming. (You don't get a discount, but do save a tree).



I really have no personal feelings for a tree, but a discount would be nice to opt out of the magazine. However, that's the only money maker that the USPA actually has. With out those advertising dollars, then the USPA would be left with nothing but failures to show for their efforts.
--"When I die, may I be surrounded by scattered chrome and burning gasoline."

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I get both. Have subscribed to Skydiving Magazine for probably 12 or 13 years. They both offer something different and complement each other.
"Mediocre people don't like high achievers, and high achievers don't like mediocre people." - SIX TIME National Champion coach Nick Saban

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none of us really "subscribe" to Parachutist because we cannot opt out.



That's what I was thinking - the magazine is a collateral benefit of the membership, which most DZs (in the States anyway) require to be able to jump there.

And yes you can opt out, but not with any monetary savings.
Arrive Safely

John

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i don't get parachutist, being from canada (I did get it once or twice when I won free subscriptions for a year at paraski), but when I submitted an article about Bill Cole to Parachutist I was told they wouldn't print an article about someone who'd been kicked out of his association.

Skydiving magazine printed the article in its entirety.

Also, parachutist wouldnt even mention BASE jumping, which in my mind is just another discipline of parachuting.

So in my mind, Skydiving magazine is the only way to go. They donèt have to kowtow to anyone.
If some old guy can do it then obviously it can't be very extreme. Otherwise he'd already be dead.
Bruce McConkey 'I thought we were gonna die, and I couldn't think of anyone

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I get both of them.

I like Skydiving's willingness to discuss the touchy subjects that Parachutist avoids. USPA is so sensitive about anything that they feel might tarnish the image of skydiving that their magazine is not really representative of what's going on in the sport.

Whenever someone at the dropzone gets a really pretty picture, everyone says "you should send that to Parachutist!" If it's a pretty picture of something sketchy, the immediate response is "Nah, that one's going straight to Skydiving".

Parachutist tends to prefer photos of cool jumps. Skydiving tends to prefer cool photos of jumps.

I too find it ironic that "Skydiving" magazine features B.A.S.E. jumping, while "Parachutist" magazine does not.

I would (and do) pay for Skydiving. I probably wouldn't pay for Parachutist if I weren't essentially forced to.

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I too find it ironic that "Skydiving" magazine features B.A.S.E. jumping, while "Parachutist" magazine does not.



Or put another way, "Parachutist" only covers skydiving whereas "Skydiving" covers all parachutists.

Peace,
-Jeff.
Peace,
-Dawson.
http://www.SansSuit.com
The Society for the Advancement of Naked Skydiving

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It's not my fault!:D


For several years I worked for skydiving companies that advertised in the magazine, meaning they got a first run copy at least a week before everyone else got one to their mailbox.

The only problem was everyone at the company sneaking into each others office to swipe the copy.:ph34r:

----------------------------------------------
You're not as good as you think you are. Seriously.

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I get the both, read them both, but like Skydiving infinitely better. Some articles are written with more of a sense of humor, there is greater breadth of coverage of skydiving related topics (BASE, more rigging, etc), and the writing tends to be better anyway.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

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Despite ostensibly being written by different people, I"m pretty sure I could write a script to generate an issue of Parachutist based on membership facts and boogie stats. Skydiving on the other hand consistently has actual worthwhile news about the sport.

I think the paper and binding (or lack thereof) has something to do with the perceived quality as well. Neither magazine has enough content to fill a normal sized magazine, but only Skydiving admits this by printing something closer to what might be the skydiving section of a newspaper. Its thin, but well filled. Parachutist on the other hand seems to have more space to fill and just as little if not less real content to fill it.
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