Sports Illustrated reducing to fortnightly after 63 years as a weekly

Sports Illustrated subscribers may be surprised to learn that their heretofore weekly magazine will be coming out only ever two weeks, beginning this Friday, according to a report in Poynter. In a letter to readers with the December 25th issue, editor Chris Stone said

"Sports Illustrated has been a weekly staple for more than 63 years, delivering the best sports journalism with near metronomic regularity. That will continue to be the case, but beginning next month the metronome clicks a little less often."

Stone said the new frequency will have more of the long-form stories that SI is known for and more photos on better paper. It will also mean heftier issues.  And the popular swimsuit issue will continue. 

"Optics do matter," Stone told commentator Bo Sacks. "If an issue feels light" as SI and its sister weekly Time have lately, that gives off an insubstantial vibe to both readers and potential advertisers...."Hundreds of thousands (of 2.75 million subscribers) would prefer to stick with the weekly cadence," Stone conceded, "but we think the better choice is a magazine that is heftier. The next issue, for instance, will have three more long stories than the same issue a year ago."