PBR Tries To Buck Media Trend With New Print Magazine

As media outlets and sports organizations prioritize digital, video and social media in order to engage with the highly coveted Generation Z demographic, Professional Bull Riders (PBR) is poised to buck the trend with a new print magazine.

Gold Buckle, named after PBR’s world champion trophy, will launch its first-ever issue on December 9. The semiannual publication, available at newsstands everywhere for $13.99, will feature exclusive interviews and behind-the-scenes access to marquee bull riding events while also showcasing the best of Western lifestyle including travel, food, history, gear and music.

The inaugural issue includes interviews with two-time PBR world champion Jose Vitor and ‘Yellowstone’ star Cole Hauser, a preview of upcoming electric trucks, a feature on 10 historic working ranches, and an oral history on the founding of PBR 30 years ago.

“The Western lifestyle was once considered a regional phenomenon, but cowboy culture is no longer just home on the range,” says PBR CEO and commissioner Sean Gleason. “In today’s culture, it’s Main Street. Western touches all parts of pop culture, entertainment and fashion. Western influences are on Broadway, in television commercials, and are pushing into the rap-infused neighborhoods of Compton and Hot ‘Lanta.

“Some people may see our sport merely drafting off the success of ‘Yellowstone,’ and we’re thrilled to have Cole Hauser on our first cover, but as PBR celebrates our 30th anniversary, we’ve been helping push cowboys into the mainstream for three decades.”

Begun in 1992 when 20 riders from the rodeo circuit branched out to highlight bull riding as a separate entity, Professional Bull Riders now features more than 500 bull riders competing in 200+ annual events across the United States, Australia, Brazil, Canada and Mexico.

A subsidiary of Endeavor since 2015, PBR’s Unleash The Beast tour and Team Series are televised on CBS, CBS Sports Network, Pluto TV, Recast and other networks around the globe reaching half a billion households in 130 countries and territories.

Off the dirt, PBR recently opened its 11th PBR Cowboy bar, in Huntsville, Ala., with five more planned to open in 2023.

“We are an ambassador, influence and catalyst expanding the Western lifestyle and cowboy culture,” Gleason says. “In sports, PBR already owns the cowboy hat. With that position we can extend the brand into different areas—whether it’s country cowboy bars, a new magazine, consumer product opportunities, or exciting TV and film projects on the horizon.”

Launching a print publication, especially in today’s digital-first landscape, will be no easy feat. Estimated revenue for periodical publishing, which includes magazines, fell by 40.5% from $40.2 billion in 2002 to $23.9 billion in 2020, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s Service Annual Survey (SAS).

Popular publications including ESPN The Magazine, Playboy and O, The Oprah Magazine ceased printing in 2020 in favor of digital, while Dotdash Meredith recently announced it will stop publishing six magazines including Entertainment Weekly, Health and InStyle.

Despite the changes in how people consume media and rising costs, 60 print magazines launched in 2020 during the height of the coronavirus pandemic.

Gold Buckle is published in partnership with a360media, the publishers of celebrity and health and fitness magazines including Men’s Journal, Soap Opera Digest, Us Weekly and Woman’s World. Approximately 140,000 copies per issue will be produced.

“There is always a place for high-quality publications packed with beautiful photos and great writing,” says a360media president and chief media officer Doug Olson. “Nothing matches the experience of sitting down with a magazine you love. The Western lifestyle is red hot, and PBR continues to grow in popularity, attracting millions of avid fans.

“We believe the timing is perfect to launch Gold Buckle, which will serve the PBR faithful, while introducing the world of Western sports to a new and engaged audience.”