A men’s magazine with a Christian slant has gone digital-only following the death of its founder.
Steve Legg launched Sorted magazine in 2007 and remained its editor until last year. He died in September from cancer aged 57.
Sorted printed six times a year, most recently priced at £6, but is now going digital-only with a subscriber model. It currently has a staff of two including editor Val Fraser.
At its peak in 2013 Sorted had an ABC circulation of 33,824, of which 202 were newsstand sales from newsagents, 2,067 were subscriptions, 1,555 were bulk sales and 30,000 were free distribution.
The magazine, which has described itself as “the world’s most wholesome men’s magazine”, cites survival expert and TV presenter Bear Grylls as a regular columnist and secures celebrity interviews with a focus on issues of faith. Prominent interviewees have included the actors Gary Oldman, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Sir Roger Moore.
Sorted is owned by Son Christian Media Ltd, whose shareholders/investors are Rebekah Legg, Steve’s widow and executor, and Duncan Williams who previously bought the Pulman’s Weekly News and View From series in the West Country.
Son Christian Media Ltd also launched Christian tabloid The Son in 2005.
Williams said in a statement: “The news that Sorted magazine has moved to a digital platform and is discontinuing its print edition shouldn’t disappoint anyone. In fact, I feel it’s a really positive move. Under the editorship of Val Fraser, an experienced journalist, there’s tremendous potential to reach more people – both within and beyond the Christian community – with lifestyle content, current affairs, celebrity interviews, and opinion pieces.
“For fans of Sorted who might feel this signals a decline, I’d say it’s quite the opposite. Most print magazines have faced declining sales and distribution, but moving online opens up a huge opportunity to connect with a broader audience.”
Williams, then Sorted’s director of publishing, told Press Gazette in 2014 that the brand did well with advertisers who were “very keen to be associated with a more wholesome and mature publication”.
Of its celebrity interviews he said: “We try to ask in-depth questions that aren’t the usual PR fare… which produce interesting interviews. Asking that key question about faith is rewarding.”
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