Gray’s Sporting Journal


In the mid 1970s, on their kitchen table, Ed and Rebecca Gray began to build the premiere issue of Gray’s Sporting Journal. They wanted to publish a hunting and fishing magazine for a “thinking” audience. Or, as Ed put it, the sporting magazine he would want to read. In 1975, however, publishing a new magazine of any kind was a daunting project. This was especially so for a young couple with an idea that bucked the big, bold and splashy trends of the magazine business and publications aimed at ever larger yet ever less sophisticated audiences. Ed and Rebecca would step backward toward a calmer state of mind, toward a more studied readership. Rather than eschew tradition, fine literature and classic presentations, Ed and Becky chose to honor them. They dared to create an intelligent, thoughtful national magazine that strove to achieve a much higher standard. They were aware it could be a magazine that might never achieve great numbers of readers but would attract a more discerning reader – men and women who cherish our sporting traditions and the grand contemporary recreation those traditions have created. However, Gray’s has not only survived for a quarter century but also has flourished. Gray’s is still, and hopefully will always be, unique, what The Washington Post once called “this little gem.” Morris Communications has owned Gray’s since 1989 and continues to be delighted to bring it to both readers and advertisers.
At a Glance
- Launched: 1975
- Annual frequency: 7X
- Circulation: 30,000
- Average HHI: $271,000
- Average net worth: $2.4 million
- Digital editions: iPad
86% of readers are in professional or managerial positions and 73% have taken a fishing/hunting trip outside of the US in the last 3 years.