Wildlife in NC magazine going bimonthly as it braces for budget cuts

Wildlife in North Carolina, a taxpayer supported monthly magazine, is moving to a bimonthly publishing schedule in response to looming budget cuts.

The magazine had been receiving roughly $750,000 annually from the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission to subsidize its publication.

Several months ago the agency informed the magazine that the money, which represented more than half of its budget, would likely no longer be available.

"It became apparent quickly that we could no longer afford to publish monthly, and that we needed to explore advertising," Greg Jenkins, the magazine's editor, said in an e-mail to freelancers announcing the changes.

The magazine will now publish six times a year and publish two free guides -- a fall hunting guide and a spring fishing and boating guide.

Wildlife in North Carolina will continue to be free of advertising, but the two free guides will included paid advertisements.

The changes go into effect July 1.

Jenkins said raising the magazine's subscription price was not a viable solution because 30 percent of subscribers are lifetime subscribers, and another 40 percent have three-year subscription deals.

The magazine's plan has been approved by the Wildlife Resources Commission.

It won't result in any staff reductions, Jenkins said. The magazine employs six people.

Wildlife in North Carolina is celebrating its 75th year. It has about 44,000 monthly subscribers who pay $12 a year.

"We wanted a sustainable model that would work for the magazine," Jenkins said in a phone interview this afternoon.

"The whole idea is to keep delivering the quality content we've delivered for 75 years. It's a big deal and we want to keep it going."