Angler's Mail

Angler's Mail

Cover of Angler's Mail, 10 May 2011.
Editor Tim Knight
Categories Coarse fishing
Frequency Weekly
Circulation 27,803 (ABC Jan - Dec 2013)[1]
Print and digital editions.
First issue 1966
Company IPC Media
Country  United Kingdom
Language English
Website www.anglersmail.com

Angler's Mail is a weekly angling magazine published in London, UK, by IPC Media's Inspire division.

The magazine covers aspects of modern coarse fishing, and is on sale every Tuesday priced £1.85. Its latest audited average weekly sales were 27,803 for the Jan-Dec 2013 according to the Audit Bureau of Circulations.[1]

Initial launch

Angler’s Mail was first published on green newsprint in 1964 by Echo Publications, a small publishing house in the West End of London.

In autumn 1965, the late John Ingham, then on sports desk at The People newspaper, owned by Odham Press, heard Echo were to close Angler’s Mail because the circulation had fallen to 8,000 to 9,000 a week.

John said: “I spoke to the then editor of The People and suggested it would make a very useful addition because Echo were heavily into angling. He gave it his support and it was bought for £8,000 in January 1966. I recruited new staff for a relaunch on May 6. Unfortunately the editor of The People went home after a long meeting about the relaunch and dropped dead, but it still went ahead.[2]

Editors and history

John Ingham became founding editor in 1966. He served 20 years with Angler’s Mail and 40 years with Odhams, which became IPC Magazines (now IPC Media). Until John retired, not one, single computer was allowed inside the IPC offices (then King’s Reach Tower) because of the unions, until Murdoch’s revolution at Wapping.[3] John wrote an angling column for The People until he died aged 88 at the end of 2011.[4]

Roy Westwood became editor in 1986 and finally retired from the staff in 2002.[5] During Roy's editorship Angler's mail became the UK's first all-colour UK angling magazine, ready for the start of the new coarse fishing season in June 1991. During the 1990s, Roy developed monthly magazine Stillwater Trout Angler. Angler’s Mail also had sister titles in Coarse Angling (editor Colin Mitchell) and, briefly, Improve Your Sea Fishing. All three magazines are no longer published. Roy still contributes to Angler’s Mail as a photographer.[6]

In 2002 Tim Knight became Angler’s Mail editor.[7] Today he is the second longest-serving current staff member, behind features editor Richard Howard (who started in January 1987).

Sister publications

2009 saw Angler’s Mail’s second publication of an annual magazine, Carp Tips.[8] The fourth issue of Angler’s Mail’s annual Where To Fish magazine was also published in 2009.[9]

References

External links