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SBC Media – Publisher of Snowboard Canada, SBC Skier Magazines – Declares Bankruptcy

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Sources confirmed today to ActionSportsDaily.com that Snowboard Canada Magazine, and its sister publications, are officially out of business.

The parent company, SBC Media, which also publishes skate, wake and other action sports titles that focus on Canadian audiences, filed for Bankruptcy on Friday July 10, 2015 and plans to sell off all its assets. All employees were forced to “clean out their desks” by Noon on Monday the 13th.

SBC was the longest running and largest action sports media company in Canada, founded in 1993, and offered a credible and authentic voice of the action sports culture in Canada.

The online media kit didn’t provide specific numbers on Snowboard Canada’s reach but a few statements they outlined  include:

  • No. 1 Snowboard magazine in Canada
  • No. 1 Subscriber base
  • No. 1 Specialty retail base and shop network, distributed to more than 500 shops nationwide
  • No. 1 Circulation base, available at all major newsstands
  • No. 1 Newsstand draw, dealer base, and sell-through

Snowboard Canada’s presence on social media was robust on Facebook (84K Likes), Twitter (15K followers) and Instagram (27K followers).

The Facebook Group Page of SBC Media is now closed with a “birth” and “death” year in its profile listed as 1993-2015.

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Canadian pro snowboarder Leanne Pelosi tweeted out her dismay over the news as well.

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This news comes on the heals of Europe-based Factory Media shutting down print versions of a number of action sports titles across the pond, including Onboard, Whitelines, Kingpin, Monster Skateboard and others, and instead focusing the entire business on web and video.

It’s a sad day for the action sports industry and our thoughts go out to all SBC’s talented employees that are now forced to polish their resumes, not to mention the athletes and brands that will no longer have a Canada-specific publication to share their stories.

Yet in age of brand and athlete social media controlling their own image and reach, along with declining advertising revenue this news, while shocking, is not all that surprising.

This story will be updated in the days to come.