Earlier today Robert Kennedy Publishing, which is responsible for Musclemag, Oxygen, and Reps magazines, shut its doors and sent its employees home. Musclemag was established by in 1974, but as of today, the magazine, along with the other titles are done. You won’t be receiving any more copies in the mail, and you won’t be able to buy the magazine in the grocery store. And Robert Kennedy Publishing is in the process of declaring bankruptcy.
As soon as I heard the news happened I contact Bill Geiger, the now former Editor-In-Chief of Musclemag. He said, “I'm sorry for all the talented editors, writers and photographers who have lost their jobs. We had a really great team but publishing as we know it is changing. Sadly the company was saddled with some costs it couldn't shed and ultimately that dragged us down. Hopefully the magazine titles will continue under a new owner after bankruptcy. But for most of us we need to find jobs.”
I remember when I was a kid, I used to ride my bike to Barnes & Noble to read the newest magazine. I’d be so excited to read the Venice Beach Scene or Johnny Fitness’ newest column, and I was just reminiscing about how proud and excited I was to write last year’s Olympia coverage. Seeing my words in that legendary magazine always gave me a thrill. This is a sad day for our sport, and the industry. One of the truly great institutions in bodybuilding has fallen.