I got Salt Water Fly Fishing for four or five years when it was new
At first I devoured every word. But after a while, I lost interest in articles on places I'd never visit and there was rarely anything really new written on the kind of fishing I did do.
At least it lasted longer than Warm Water Fly Fishing did.
When the American Angler family expanded in the '90s, first with the return of Fly Tyer, and then with Warm Water and Salt Water they were all under the editorial control of Art Scheck.
It must have been a huge job for him, but he held it together and each magazine was excellent.
Soon though, each separate publication had it's own editor and some slipped.
I don't get any FF magazines any longer, but I do know they need to appeal to a wide range of people, fishing in a wide range of environments. No matter what, not everyone will be happy.
I would think the editor of one of these magazines would need to walk a very thin line to hold on to subscribers
Tough thing to do