BOULDER, Colo. (BRAIN) — Pocket Outdoor Media revealed the name of its new mountain bike title: Beta.
Beta is a new title developed by POM and a crew of former Bike magazine staffers that POM hired in November, a few weeks after Bike’s owner paused its publication. Beta’s editor in chief is Nicole Formosa, the former editor in chief of Bike (and also a former BRAIN editor).
POM now has about 30 titles in the cycling, outdoor, and health and wellness categories, including BRAIN, VeloNews, Triathlete and VeloPress in the bicycle world. POM also owns the Roll Massif cycling event company. The portfolio engages with 30 million active consumers each month.
Beta’s new website, Betamtb.com, launched Tuesday. The brand has also launched Beta Pass, which is connected to POM’s larger Active Pass membership program. The first print magazine will be published in March.
Across POM’s titles in cycling, skiing, outdoors, climbing, running, fitness and other categories, one-fourth of all readers own or plan to own a mountain bike, noted Robin Thurston, POM’s CEO. The interest in the activity among POM existing base gives Beta a headstart, he said.
“Mountain biking is North America’s fastest-growing outdoor sport, with record sales and participation in 2020,” said Thurston. “With our cycling expertise and new technology platform, POM is uniquely positioned to serve this market — and get even more riders out on trails.
Joining Formosa at Beta are Ryan Palmer, Anthony Smith, Travis Engel, and Satchel Cronk.
“Robin’s passion for cycling and his vision for reinventing the media model is incredibly energizing,” said Formosa.
“My team is tasked with a mandate to create dynamic content and introduce a variety of services and experiences — both virtual and in-person — that create value for POM’s Active Pass membership. To that end, our site is launching with a mix of high-impact video, beautiful photography, in-depth gear reviews (including the first video from our annual buyers’ guide, The Beta Tests) and the kind of storytelling that will separate us from the competition.
“We’re also mission-driven to make mountain biking more accessible, so you’ll be seeing a more diversified mix of contributors and athletes gracing the pages of our quarterly magazine, which debuts this spring.”
More information on Beta’s Instagram page.
POM’s brands include: Yoga Journal, SKI, BACKPACKER, VeloNews, Climbing, Rock & Ice, Gym Climber, Trail Runner, Women’s Running, Triathlete, Better Nutrition, Bicycle Retailer & Industry News, Clean Eating, Beta, Fly Fishing Film Tour, IDEA Health and Fitness Association, Muscle & Performance, NASTAR, National Park Trips, NatuRx, Oxygen, PodiumRunner, Roll Massif, SNEWS, The Voice, Vegetarian Times, VeloPress, VeloSwap, Paleo Mag, Beta, FinisherPix, and Warren Miller Entertainment.
The company is headquartered in Boulder, with offices in San Diego, Toronto, Carbondale, and Frankfurt, Germany.
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