Building On A Firm Foundation

Right now, I imagine many of you are asking the same question.

"Who is this new editor anyway?"

Hey, don't feel bad. The truth is, I'd be asking myself the same thing if I were you. The answer probably depends on whom you ask.

To my buddies, I'm one of the most enthusiastic, high-energy bowhunters around.

To the InterMedia Outdoors executives who hired me, I'm an experienced journalist with 17 state and national writing awards under my belt.

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Personally, I'd say I'm one of the luckiest men on the face of the earth. Taking the helm of the world's biggest bowhunting magazine is a tremendous opportunity. Considering I am now part of an editing lineage that began 21 years ago with the legendary Chuck Adams, it's also a humbling honor.

Landing this gig put me on a serious hunter's high. The prospect of playing with the latest and greatest archery equipment -- not to mention pursuing big-game animals across North America -- will do that to you.

Yet as much fun as this job surely will be, it didn't take long to realize it also will require a tremendous amount of work. Just how much began to sink in during a phone call I had with a friend shortly after accepting the editor's position. After explaining the ins and outs of the job, my friend made a very insightful comment.

"You're kind of like a general contractor," he said.

The more I thought about it, the more it seemed like the perfect analogy. As editor of Petersen's BOWHUNTING, I am the general contractor of a team that builds nine magazines a year -- and it's my responsibility to make sure every issue is the best it can be. Fortunately, I've got an excellent team of foremen in Associate Editors Dan Beraldo and Tony Peterson and Art Director Nicole Mahany. Plus, our sub-contractors (field editors and contributors) are among the best in the business.

It's also worth noting I have an extremely solid foundation to build upon. Since its debut in 1988, BOWHUNTING has climbed to the top of the archery magazine mountain -- and stayed there -- by relentlessly bringing readers compelling feature articles, top-notch hunting advice, expert gear reviews and the most up-to-date reports on new bowhunting products and technologies. I can assure you that won't change under my watch.

Of course, that doesn't mean there aren't some changes coming. Every editor has his or her own philosophy that puts a unique stamp on the magazine. In my case, after spending the past 14 years in the newspaper business, that means bringing a hard-nosed, fact-driven approach that stresses thorough reporting and a willingness to ask tough questions.

One change that has already been made -- and you'll see it in this issue -- is a tweak in how we test bows for our High Grade reviews. Rather than replicate IBO speed tests conducted by manufacturers, we'll test bows using the draw length, poundage and arrow weights most commonly used by everyday hunters. We believe this will result in more useful, "real-world" results you can rely on when making difficult buying decisions.

In the months and years ahead, you're likely to see more additions and custom modifications. While I can't say yet exactly what those will be, I can promise you all the changes will rest on the firm foundation this magazine has built over the course of more than two decades.