Could this be a formula for other mags on the brink? Photo: Wavelength
Is it news when a surfing magazine turns non-profit? It could be said that most surf mags have been slowly going non-profit for decades, before disappearing. With a few notable exceptions, its got to the point where mere existence is held up as a success.
However, Wavelength, which bills itself as Europe’s longest-running surf magazine, has actively embraced the not-for-profit angle. And has done so on purpose. Under new owners, it recently announced it has transitioned into a Community Interest Company (CIC). In the UK, that’s a special type of limited company that exists to benefit the community rather than private shareholders. Unlike a charity or a 501(c)(3) organization, they operate more like businesses with a clear social mission and have less room for fundraising and none of the tax relief.
Now UK has a long, and underrated, surf history that stretches back to 1890. That was the year the Hawaiian Princes Jonah and David Kawananakoa and their English tutor John Wrightson, took time off their studies to surf in Bridlington, Yorkshire. It was summer, so the water had warmed up to a barmy 55 °F, but the Hawaiians must have felt the cold through their wool shorts.
In 1934 Tom Blake sent a surfboard as a gift from Hawaii to the UK after a request by Birmingham dentist and bodyboarder Jimmy Dix. Dix took the 14-foot, state-of-the-art board to Cornwall, where it caused a stir and helped surfing take root. Then in the ’50s and ’60s, Australian lifeguards turned up with new fiberglass boards and helped start a nascent surf industry.
By 1981, local surfer, shaper and photographer John Conway organized a professional event that managed to attract superstars like Shaun Tomson and Rabbit Bartholomew to Fistral Beach. Conway also launched Wavelength, with an initial ambitious print run of 5,000 issues, off the back of the event. Conway helmed the magazine for two decades and it provided the UK surf scene with a glossy platform for its pro surfers, writers and photographers to share their success, track their progress and celebrate UK surf culture.
As more competitors entered the market in the UK (including the still-going-strong Carve in the 1990s), Conway, often described as a “loveable rogue,” struggled to make ends meet. The magazine changed hands a few times in the 2000s, and while always published, it was often on the brink. In 2014, new owners took over through a crowd-funding scheme, and ran it predominately as an online platform, until they announced this year it was again up for sale.
That’s where the new editor Chris Thompson stepped in and decided to take it in a new direction. “Wavelength has always been about more than just the magazine. It’s about the people who shape British surf culture,” Thompson told The Inertia. “By becoming a not-for-profit CIC, we can more actively support the incredible talent in our community. Whether it’s a filmmaker capturing the essence of UK surf spots or a writer chronicling the stories of local surfers, we’re now in a stronger position to elevate their voices.”
One of the first goals is to digitize the complete archive of Wavelength print magazines, thousands of slides, and photo negatives to create a free, open-access database which should help preserve the history of British surf culture. Other initiatives are to develop grants and scholarships for aspiring surf writers, photographers, and filmmakers, launch mentorship programs and support grassroots surf events that bring the community together.
It’s a wide, and worthy remit. And one that won’t be easy. While it’s not exactly akin to opening a Blockbuster video store, print surf mags aren’t exactly cash cows. But by focusing on the culture and community, and not profits, Thompson and his team are hoping Wavelength’s 40-year legacy will continue. If successful, it could provide a template for other legacy media facing the same pressures.
