We switched from a traditional tab to a magazine format a couple of years ago. The downside to it is, since it has to be shipped off to a different printer it has to be done super early. Preseason practice started for public schools on Aug. 1, and the magazine had to be done on Aug. 5. Thankfully we only have four high schools that we focus on and they're busy with offseason workouts all summer, so we're able to get the stories done early. Pictures went down to the wire, though.
We include some of the state colleges, too, which is difficult. Of the four that we ran preview stories for, three had to be written off of conference media day quotes. We try to run a list each year of our local players at four-year colleges, as well, and that's a chore. Scanning 100 college rosters for the easter egg of a guy who played two years at a juco and wound up at a Division II school three states away gets less fun every year. So does cursing out the D-II and D-III programs who still haven't posted their 2016 rosters in the first week of August.
As for advertising, I think our publisher called it a "$20,000 product." Not sure if that's good for a 52-page magazine or not. From his tone it didn't sound like anything special. We had 10-12 pages of ads and about 40 open pages.
