History

Woods & Waters Magazine was founded in 1987 by Faith and Tony Balita and run by them for the next 13 years. Based on prior experience, Balita saw a void in the regional marketplace much like USA Today detected the opportunity among daily newspapers. The void was quickly filled by distributing the initial W&W product that offered readers an editorial concept that a survey dictated.

In January 2001, Christopher (C.C.) and Christine McCotter took over the reigns from the Balitas. Over the past two years, Woods & Waters has seen even further refinement and conceptual upgrades to match or readers' and advertisers' interests. New ongoing features include the popular Destination File which highlights a certain region of our coverage area and accompanying expert and the Day On The Water feature which features a regional professional angler on a public water. The new W2 also places more emphasis on conservation-minded short pieces, better Regional Reports, a diverse Calendar of Events and editorial themes for issue continuity.

Woods & Waters chose to stand out by offering readers the type of information they wanted -- where-to, how-to and what-to-use feature articles with a mixture of short news items and regional fishing forecasts. We are proud to say we run no cut and paste items -- everything is generated by our staff and contributing writers. Ad content is kept at a tasteful percentage -- no more than 50%, also giving advertisers more space to stand out. The proof of concept correctness in attracting and keeping readership while generating response to advertisers is attested to by the rapid growth of the magazine and staying power. No other regional publication has ever enjoyed such success or lasted as long.

Distribution

Tradionally, "free" publications have been mailed in bulk to selected distribution points without any monitoring to assure that supply is actually being exhausted. Woods & Waters has incorporated into its basic structure a system that each person in the chain of distribution has a vested interest in its public consumption. They are trained to monitor consumption each month, adjusting quantities at distribution points to match seasonal change.

Over the years we have established an avid and loyal following of anglers, hunters, boaters and campers. We know that a product properly presented, packed with useful information guarantees readership and advertiser response.

Currently, W&W is distributed from the MD/PA line down to the VA/NC line out to Radford and over to Virginia Beach. We are in every advertisers' shop, all WAL-MARTS, Sports Authorities, Green Top, Bass Pro Shops and other key distribution points. Our subscription list has grown 355% in the past two years. We currently are reaching nearly 50,000 folks via our print edition and an average of 58,000 each month via this website.

Finally

One look at our logo reveals our publication's commitment to respecting the environment. The logo symbolically represents the earth, trees and water -- intended to reflect our deep concern of our fragile environment. In other words, we have a passion for our business -- we're not just in it for the money. We are part of a number of charity/conservation efforts including Women In The Outdoors, The Lake Anna Fish Structure Enhancement Program, the Green Top/Woods & Waters Sportsman of the Year Award and more. If you want to be part of a publication that genuinely tries to help its advertisers, readers and environment, join the Woods & Waters team today.

Contact us by email or by calling 1.540.894.5960.