Despite the instantaneous nature of news these days, preseason college football magazines have survived.
They have endured teletypes, television and fax machines, email, the Internet and now Facebook, Twitter, Snapchat and Periscope. Whatever else comes down the line, these magazines will likely withstand that, too.
Why?
Why do so many people still buy them when most of the information is dated? The publishing deadlines are typically in May, which means a lot has happened from the time the ink has dried until the magazines are delivered to the newsstands until practice begins in August.
Mountaineer Sports Network from IMG football radio analyst Jed Drenning has been publishing a preseason college football magazine tailored specifically to West Virginia football fans for six years now (The SignalCaller), and he believes there will always be a market for these types of publications.
“The book market as a whole has taken a hit, there is no doubt about it, but in some respects it’s still going strong – probably more true in respect to magazines than books,” said Drenning. “(Magazines) are not much of an investment for something that has a pretty good shelf life. These are things people will be looking back and reviewing for years to come.”
When football fans from my generation were growing up, we couldn’t wait to get to the newsstand to pick up the new Street & Smith Magazine or The Sporting News College Football Preview.
When we began reading these magazines West Virginia was lumped in with the other Eastern Independents, typically near the end of the section with a small blurb tucked right next to the Joe Weider Muscle Builder advertisement. Then Don Nehlen arrived and eventually the Mountaineers got good enough to move closer to the top of the Eastern Independents on the same page with Pitt and Penn State.
Back then, whenever those magazines arrived in mid-summer it was a clear sign that football season was right around the corner.
Of course, access to information was far more limited in the 1970s, 1980s and even into the early 1990s and what fans read in those publications back then seemed new and fresh. That’s clearly not the case today, meaning magazine publishers have to present their information in a different fashion featuring more in-depth analysis and information, along with interesting and eye-appealing graphics.
Believe it or not, Drenning says positioning his magazine in today’s news environment is still fairly easy to accomplish.
“In the market of college football preview magazines and publications, there is not another one that is dedicated to previewing the Mountaineer football season,” he explained. “Therefore we have a unique market and a unique product.”
Drenning said the idea for producing a West Virginia football-centric preseason magazine came about following WVU’s victory over Georgia in the 2006 Nokia Sugar Bowl.
Star players Steve Slaton and Pat White were featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s regional college football preview that summer and it was sold out at every bookstore Drenning went to.
“It took me a couple of days to get it and I was like, ‘Wow.’ That really struck me. And then when I got the magazine there was only just two or three pages of Mountaineer content inside it,” he said. “That got me thinking, 'If it sells out simply by having Mountaineer players on the cover, what would happen if there was a magazine dedicated just to (West Virginia football)?'
“Then I thought, ‘Why am I asking this question instead of trying to do it?’”
Six issues later, Drenning is still at it despite the growing challenges and obstacles in an ever-changing print industry.
“Any time you are going to dedicate yourself to a print publication, the biggest part of your overhead is going to be your print aspect itself and that’s not a cheap venture, especially if you want to do it right,” he said.
Indeed, what The SignalCaller offers is much different than what a Mountaineer football fan will find in, say, Lindy’s or Phil Steele, for instance.
There is an expansive season preview of the Mountaineers, an in-depth look at the Big 12 Conference from one of the league’s most experienced writers, Berry Tramel, there is a Q&A with WVU coach Dana Holgorsen, Big 12 team previews from beat writers on campus at each school, a look at the top incoming recruits in the conference, historical features and profiles, book and restaurant reviews, inside trade secrets and, yes, Jed’s league and national predictions.
How could you publish a preseason magazine and not serve up those summer picks that drive players, coaches and fans crazy?
Jed’s magazine is like a flea market for Mountaineer football lovers – it has a little bit of everything.
As for his predictions, Jed sees a fifth-place finish for West Virginia in the Big 12 this year. His national top 10 is comprised of Ohio State, TCU, Baylor, Auburn, Michigan State, USC, Alabama, Oregon, Georgia and Florida State.
Of course, Jed picked the Seminoles 10th before Dalvin Cook was suspended indefinitely earlier this summer.
“Invariably, in the world of college football something always happens,” Drenning said.
Isn’t that the truth!
Jed’s top five is not much different than ESPN’s college football preview - Ohio State, TCU, Oregon, Auburn and USC - or Phil Steele, who likes Ohio State, TCU, USC, Alabama and Baylor as his five best teams heading into the season.
Speaking of Steele, leafing through his magazine is like going through a racing form at Pimlico. There is enough information in there to make your eyes burn and your head spin.
Athlon’s, Lindy’s and Sporting News are probably a little easier on the eyes, but all of them are worth adding to your coffee table or bookshelf, or, on the nightstand right next to your smartphone.
