Samsunspor Dergisi

Samsunspor Dergisi (literally 'Samsunspor Magazine') was the official printed publication of Samsunspor, a Turkish professional football club based in the Black Sea city of Samsun. First issued in 2004 during the presidency of İsmail Uyanık, the magazine was conceived as a club-owned fan title aimed at the red-and-white supporter base, combining interviews with Samsunspor players, feature dossiers and club news. Its editorial identity was therefore tied directly to the football club rather than to an independent publishing house. The title had a stop-start publishing history. After an initial run of 16 issues it was shelved for a long period, then revived in October 2008 under the new club president Fuat Köktaş. The 14th issue of that revived run was printed in a trial batch of 3,000 copies, and continued demand led the club to keep printing. The magazine appeared monthly, but the run ended again after its 20th issue, published in June 2009. A third publishing period began in March 2012, when the magazine returned to supporters at a cover price of 5 Turkish lira. At that stage it reported 500 subscribers and a print run of 2,000 copies, and it was sold through Samsunspor Store and Erreà shops in the province. Publication stopped again after the February 2014 issue, and no official statement was made about its fate. As a result the title is best understood as a defunct club media product rather than an ongoing commercial magazine brand. Because it was produced by and for Samsunspor, the magazine functioned as a supporter-engagement and merchandising asset: it was distributed through the club's own retail channel and through the kit supplier's local stores, and it carried player interviews and themed dossiers designed to strengthen the bond between the club and its fans. Its intermittent life cycle reflects the financial and administrative volatility typical of Turkish club publishing ventures, where titles are launched, suspended and relaunched according to the priorities and resources of successive club boards.

Samsunspor Dergisi was launched in 2004 as the official printed organ of Samsunspor, the professional football club of Samsun on Turkey's Black Sea coast. It was first published during the presidency of İsmail Uyanık, at a time when Turkish clubs were increasingly using their own media — magazines, television programmes and later websites — to communicate directly with supporters and to build merchandising revenue around the club brand. The first publishing period produced 16 issues before the magazine was shelved for a long period. It was revived in October 2008 under a new club president, Fuat Köktaş. The relaunch was tested commercially: the 14th issue of that run was printed in a trial batch of 3,000 copies, and the level of interest persuaded the club to continue printing. The magazine settled into a monthly rhythm, built around interviews with Samsunspor players and themed dossier features aimed at the red-and-white fan base. That second run ended after the 20th issue, published in June 2009. A third publishing period began in March 2012, when the magazine returned to supporters at a cover price of 5 Turkish lira. By this stage the title reported 500 subscribers and a print run of 2,000 copies. Distribution ran through Samsunspor Store, the club's own retail outlet, and through Erreà shops in the province — Erreà being the club's kit supplier at the time — which tied the magazine closely to the club's merchandising operation. Publication stopped again after the February 2014 issue. No official explanation was given for the closure, and the title has not returned since, leaving its status as a defunct club publication. Across its three runs the magazine remained a club-owned product rather than an independent commercial title. Its fortunes tracked the club's own administrative cycles: each relaunch coincided with a change of club leadership, and each suspension followed a period in which the club evidently chose to redirect resources elsewhere. For collectors and Samsunspor supporters, the surviving issues are now memorabilia documenting the club's players, squads and internal affairs during the 2000s and early 2010s.

• 2014

  Publication stopped after the February issue; no official statement was made about its fate.

• 2012

  Third publishing period began in March, priced at 5 Turkish lira, with 500 subscribers and a 2,000-copy print run.

• 2009

  Second publishing run ended after the 20th issue, published in June.

• 2008

  Revived in October under new club president Fuat Köktaş; the 14th issue of the run was trial-printed at 3,000 copies.

• 2004

  First issue published during İsmail Uyanık's presidency; 16 issues released before the magazine was shelved.

Official club publication for Samsunspor supporters, sold through club and kit-supplier retail channels.

• Samsunspor Dergisi (monthly club magazine)

  Official monthly magazine of Samsunspor featuring player interviews and feature dossiers for supporters.

1. 1Samsunspor Dergisi — Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Samsunspor (dergi) — Turkish Wikipediatr.wikipedia.org
3. 3Samsunspor official website — magazine pagesamsunspor.org.tr