135 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10020-1393
212/522-1212
http://www.sikids.com
Want access to some of today's most powerful American consumers? Look no further than Sports Illustrated for Kids. It reaches one million tweens and teens, ages 9 to 14 - and
it's one of the rare print publications that reaches males in that age group. The magazine and its companion Web site underwent a dramatic redesign last fall to jack up its
sophistication level and thus attract and better serve today's more mature kids. "If you're 11 today, your level of sophistication and sports savvy is higher than if you were 11
years old a few years ago," says Assistant Managing Editor Bob Der. "Our mission is to present real sports information to readers 9 to 14 in a way they want to read about sports,"
he explains. With its fresh design and instinctive understanding of how kids read and consume sports, SI for Kids has accomplished that feat. To many pundits in the kids'
industry, it's the book for reaching tweens and young teens.
Content/Contacts
The redesign resulted in a more organized, cleaner pub. There's a new "Warm Up" section in the front of the book which Der likens to the "Scorecard" section of Sports
Illustrated. The editors cover kids' sports, college and pro sports and like to include plenty of profiles of athletes, and "in their own words" features. Uniquely kid-focused
items like comics and athlete cards remain well-loved features, while scouting reports and plenty of action photos give the pub a more grown-up feel.
Use Der as a gatekeeper for other editors. Send "snail mail" materials to:
Bob Der, Assistant Managing Editor
SI for Kids
135 West 50th Street
New York, NY 10020-1393
Call to follow up at 212/522-6664. Or, email [email protected].
Pitch Tips
Just because your pitch fits the mag's age demographic doesn't mean it will fly. Sports are the name of the game at SI for Kids but the editors receive many pitches that don't
take that into consideration. "We're frequently pitched movies," Der says, "which is fine. But I can't tell you how often the pitch has nothing to do with sports. It's been as
ridiculous as people who say, 'Well, there's a scene in which the star is riding his bike.' That's frustrating."
Conversely, the magazine doesn't just cover kids' sports. Although it does feature young athletes prominently, its coverage of college and professional athletics is extensive
and an important element of its appeal to young readers.
Der prefers to receive supporting materials for all pitches. "If it's on paper, it can live beyond the phone call," he jokes. Send snail mail or email depending on the amount
and nature of the materials. Follow-up calls are encouraged, but don't cross the line between aggressive and annoying.
Comments
The editors are working on a double issue for September, previewing the 2001 football season. While coverage will include both college and pro football, emphasis remains on the
NFL preview, including SI for Kids' very own ranking of the season's starting quarterbacks.
"In a bigger, umbrella sense, we're working on our coverage of action sports," Der says. The publication has increased its coverage of action, or "extreme" sports, including
BMX biking and skateboarding, and is fine-tuning the way it presents those sports for its very sharp young readers. "We want to make sure the way we present these sports is
authentic."
In The Pipeline
The editors are always eager for access to athletes, so if you're pitching the appearance of a celeb athlete at your event, give them a call. Just be aware that the event will
not be the focus of the story, since the pub's subscribers are reading for the athletes.
Remember that the editors are working two months ahead due to the time constraints of their monthly deadline. "You can't pitch me an event happening this weekend. We're
working on closing August and September," Der says.
Pitching a celebrity athlete's involvement in a charity or endorsement of a corporate product will likely get your foot in the door with the editors, but be forewarned that it
won't become the focus of the coverage. "If in the story [on Kobe Bryant] we can make a mention that he does charity work, that's fine," Der says.
Finally, remember your story doesn't end with the print publication. The sikids.com Web site features a variety of the material from the mag, along with fun games, fantasy
sports leagues and other activities. Plus, content from the Web site is distributed to a variety of partners, including major portals like Yahoo!.