BASS

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BASS logo.jpg

BASS LLC (formerly the Bass Anglers Sportsman Society) is an international fishing and media organization headquartered in the Blue Lake Center at 3500 Blue Lake Drive. Headed by CEO Bruce Akin, the company publishes "Bassmaster", "BASS Times", and "Fishing Tackle Retailer" magazines and operates the Bassmaster Elite Series and Bassmaster Classic fishing tournaments.

B.A.S.S. was founded by Ray Scott in Montgomery in 1968. He sold it in 1986. In 1994 Birmingham courted B.A.S.S. officials to bring its headquarters to the city, perhaps in concert with public investment, such as moving the Birmingham Zoo to the same site.

B.A.S.S. was purchased by ESPN in 2001. Former Time Inc. CEO Don Logan purchased it in 2010 along with Jerry McKinnis and Jim Copeland. The headquarters was moved to Birmingham from Celebration, Florida in November 2011. McKinnis operates its television production company from Little Rock, Arkansas.

In 2017 a majority stake in B.A.S.S. LLC was acquired by the Anderson Media Corp., owned by the same family that founded Books-A-Million.

References

  • Tomberlin, Michael (September 8, 2011) "BASS to move into Colonial Center Blue Lake in Birmingham." The Birmingham News
  • Van der Bijl, Hanno (October 5, 2017) "Birmingham's B.A.S.S. LLC has a new majority owner." Birmingham Business Journal