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Thread: 19 of 22 Magazines Shuttered

  1. #11
    Senior Member swbstudios's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by savagejayj View Post
    I don't know, I think that magazines may become rare and even make some sort of comeback like LPs(vinyl records) which many people threw out and replaced with CDs, or even mechanical fuel injection which in the 1980s and 1990s many of Porsche mechanic threw away in the trash ( to hard to work on and getting all the linkages just right, price to rebuild the pump or just didn't have the knowledge ) but now wished they had kept it because it's worth a lot now, or like old car brochures that one would get for free at the auto show or dealers show room floor that fetch a pretty penny now. With more people throwing away/recycling magazines they will eventually become scarce and then who knows. Just look at the prices of the 2.7 911 from 1974-1977, these were considered the worst Porsche 911 to ever buy used. Anyway I'm open to offers on my set of Excellence magazines 1-188
    I agree. Nothing substitutes for an actual magazine in the hand. It has nothing to do with "keeping up with technology" as I access those resources as well. Very sad to see many of these titles go away. Looking at images on a comparatively small phone screen doesn't compare to a proper piece of printed paper. I do see a comeback of sorts for higher end print media. We are already seeing examples of this with niche publications.
    67 911 , 69 911S, Ford V Ferrari 906LH, 85 Carrera...and-gasp! a bunch of Corvettes, Musclecars and Italian crap(330GTC,GTA/M,308GTB)

    EarlyS # 603, GroupV #2

  2. #12
    This is going to sound pretty far out there, but I've felt this way for a while and perhaps it's worth mentioning. The loss of printed literature, be it magazines or books, is a dangerous path for society. To own or possess a written account of things is to have something that cannot easily be changed by those who may be better served by an alternate view of history.

    Imagine if a government had the authority to command that cloud based books be changed to reflect a different view of events than really happened. Think it's unlikely? Not that long ago Amazon accidentally sold an ebook that it believed was in the public domain. When they realized that it was not, they reached into every single Kindle and removed the book. Of course they compensated people who had downloaded it, but the fact that they were able to make such a decision and execute it without the permission of the buyer should make us all shudder.

    Information held in a single location and disbursed from that location will always be a ripe target for those who want to influence the masses. For automotive magazines perhaps that is less important, but we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to the convenience of a cloud based repository for books and literature.

  3. #13
    Senior Member beh911's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ibmiked View Post
    This is going to sound pretty far out there, but I've felt this way for a while and perhaps it's worth mentioning. The loss of printed literature, be it magazines or books, is a dangerous path for society. To own or possess a written account of things is to have something that cannot easily be changed by those who may be better served by an alternate view of history.

    Imagine if a government had the authority to command that cloud based books be changed to reflect a different view of events than really happened. Think it's unlikely? Not that long ago Amazon accidentally sold an ebook that it believed was in the public domain. When they realized that it was not, they reached into every single Kindle and removed the book. Of course they compensated people who had downloaded it, but the fact that they were able to make such a decision and execute it without the permission of the buyer should make us all shudder.

    Information held in a single location and disbursed from that location will always be a ripe target for those who want to influence the masses. For automotive magazines perhaps that is less important, but we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to the convenience of a cloud based repository for books and literature.
    "Your sentiments are noted, along with your IP address and correlated recent browsing activity, the ad trackers embedded in this forum have been incremented, and your n-dimensional profile cube updated at Google"

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  4. #14
    Quote Originally Posted by sithot View Post
    https://jalopnik.com/ten-publishing-...ign=2019-12-07

    Here is the full list of the 19 publications ending their print run…

    …The move follows an alarming trend in the automotive print world following the shuttering of Autoweek's print operations and acquisition by Hearst Magazines back in October, and a restructuring at Car And Driver last year that saw over a dozen staffers laid off.
    Surprised/not surprised and interested for the obvious reasons. "T.E.N." killed off European Car (nee VW & Porsche magazine, which in many ways and alongside C/D and Excellence lit my fire, long after my first magazine to Car Craft, of all things, expired) a while back, but to kill off 19 of 22 titles in one go suggests, well…wow. How European Car got axed before some of those is beyond me. But the reality is this: It's open season on print, something I started wondering about back in 2001 or so, only to see Excellence do just fine through 2009 or so. We've seen attrition in print since 2001 (and 2009, and 2015, etc), but this is the kind of industry gutting I worried we'd see…18 years ago, in the "just add .com to everything" era. And part of why 000 seemed like a worthwhile experiment back in 2016. We have some other ideas… We'll see.

    Quote Originally Posted by LiveFromNY View Post
    I always wonder who exactly is alarmed by this kind of news? Time moves on and we all have access to more automotive media than we've ever had in our lives - more than any of us could ever expect to consume. I, for one, wouldn't trade that to save the print dinosaurs.
    ^ Agree, and I wouldn't either. Online automotive video content has become very good, though the entertainment is typically over in 2-15 minutes (good when you've only got 3-15 minutes, but nothing beats a book or article for me). Forums remain interesting (though these are being threatened by various "social" platforms), and nothing beats the web for quick-hit media. And yet…I find digital to be an unenjoyable and thus poor platform for much besides text only, video, and news. Trying to really enjoy text+photos, a nice layout, or an immersive text online is, for me, a nightmare. Hyperlinks (wait, how did I get here? I was really enjoying that other story…now what was it about again?) and trying to pinch images larger and smaller and then going back to the text isn't great. At least, not for me. And then there's the Photobucket, "This domain available" landing pages, etc. Finally, I get too much screen time as it is…

    I'm not sure people are mourning print, or bad print, so much as choices—and it's nice to have some of all of the above around. All of the platforms are tools, with upsides and downsides. One is no substitute for the other, at least in my view, and we are indeed way richer for the multiple platforms we've got.

    Quote Originally Posted by beh911 View Post
    Not alarming at all.

    I just recycled 20 years of Excellence and Pano that were boat anchoring in the attic…

    There is an entire generation of people that just aren't into automobiles at the rate my generation (X) and those before me are/were. On the contrary, there is a growing number of younger people that find ownership of a car and perceived "negative" effects…

    Softening prices on vintage cars, flagging new car sales while styles get blander to divert money into R&D for electrics/batteries/autonomy. Interest and excitement are waning, and unfortunately, I think it portends a sad long term trend for the industry and enthusiasm for it.
    ^ I finally threw out all of my old C/D and R&T and M/T, etc. Can't bring myself to do so with EVO, Excellence, and Panorama…but they do take up a lot of space and 55-70% of the space is gobbled up by ad pages. I suspect some people have chucked issues of 000, too, though a Prototyp issue of 000 sold for $860 on eBay, and we've seen some other single issues ask for $200~ea. Did confirm the $860 sale, as well as a $500 sale of the first five issues, lightly used, but haven't followed up with the others. Thought 1: I think people will obviously pay for certain print…look at what many of us have paid for certain books, myself included. Thought 2: I really should get into the business of re-selling 000. Thought 3: I don't buy the argument that kids don't like cars-both the crowds at the Cars and Coffee in Novato, CA (600 cars strong?) and EASY Saturdays suggest there are plenty of young people still into cars, and vintage cars. Softening early 911 prices are interesting to me, as well, but look at prices for 914-6 of late. Kind of nutty, you ask me (and I like 914s). There are also some wild prices happening over on BaT for cars that weren't worth much a while ago. Supra Twin Turbos, NSXs, E28 M5s, etc etc.

    Then again, I share your concerns about "perceptions" on a societal level. The next years will be interesting indeed—maybe good in some ways. We'll see.

    Quote Originally Posted by 911MRP View Post
    ...maybe my kids can bury me in an eco friendly sustainable casket made from recycled old car magazines /rare original automotive literature pulp; paying for my funeral using the meagre proceeds of my virtually worthless unusable polluting petrol 73 RS that by then have devalued back to the amount I paid for it in the early nineties because no one wants it. Possibly quite a nice apt send off

    Actually my daughter is looking for an old Elise built the year of her birth which was while I was working at Lotus in Hethel -- maybe there is some hope for our predominantly middle aged man hobby after all.
    ^ That's what I am talking about. Love it! And my daughter is car crazy. We'll see if it holds…

    Quote Originally Posted by swbstudios View Post
    I agree. Nothing substitutes for an actual magazine in the hand. It has nothing to do with "keeping up with technology" as I access those resources as well. Very sad to see many of these titles go away. Looking at images on a comparatively small phone screen doesn't compare to a proper piece of printed paper. I do see a comeback of sorts for higher end print media. We are already seeing examples of this with niche publications.
    I really resonate with this, but of course I would.

    And yes, it is. There are a lot of hardworking people involved in all of those titles that were just taken off the newsstands…right before Christmas. And the publisher's point about not worrying, since they'll still be online? If those sites pay what most sites do, I am not expecting much in the way of quality content. I really hope you are right on your last point…also for all the obvious reasons. But, in a good sign, we sold out of the first run of slipcases for soft-cover magazines in 22 hours. And I am the dummy on that one, as the team wanted to do them in 2018 and I pushed back, as Excellence had binders that we sat on in a warehouse, unsold, fo-eva. Maybe there is hope…but there are surely easier ways to make a buck!

    Quote Originally Posted by ibmiked View Post
    To own or possess a written account of things is to have something that cannot easily be changed by those who may be better served by an alternate view of history.

    Information held in a single location and disbursed from that location will always be a ripe target for those who want to influence the masses. For automotive magazines perhaps that is less important, but we should be careful what we wish for when it comes to the convenience of a cloud based repository for books and literature.
    ^ This, for both the larger (and more important) reasons you state (see school meeting scene in Field of Dreams), but also in our little world. I believe that publishing things, in print, and distributing it to many locations, is the best way to preserve that information.

  5. #15
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    As someone who still has some issues of R & T, Autocar, Autosport, Motoring News, from 1963 on... I have culled through many, I gave away 45 years of Pano, trashed years of Autosport and Car and Driver, still have years of Excellence and many others, they are enjoyable to re visit but occupy so much space. Although I agree the online or digital versions are not as enjoyable, I have made the switch. It's so convenient and earth friendly to read on my computer. I used to wait weeks for an Autosport to arrive, now I check it out every Thursday on line.
    I think the high quality quarterly format will survive.
    David

    '73 S Targa #0830 2.7 MFI rebuilt to RS specs

  6. #16
    Early S Reg #1395 LongRanger's Avatar
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    . . . Sorry

    I quit regularly reading almost every car mag decades ago

    Sure-sure --- I'll spend an odd afternoon-or-so at the local Barnes & Noble to sneek some page-time . . . but the only mag I actually buy anymore is Keith Martin's Sports Car Marketplace . . . mostly for the histories his Contributors tell about the cars they review

    (Problem there is I grew up on Henry Manney III (had a Testarossa as a daily driver), Tony Hogg (427 Cobra owner), and the incomparable LJK Setright (NO ONE would drive with him --- in anything), so --- enduring Donald Osbourne's blathering on Italian cars gets to be a biiiiit much. I mean --- does the man actually drive anything?)

    And anyway, from what I can tell, SCM 's doing just fine

    (No surprise, really; I mean --- consider the audience demographic . . . Olde Wythe Guys w/money-money-money)



    As for all those titles listed? --- again, consider the demographic . . .

    Quote Originally Posted by sithot View Post
    . . .

    4-Wheel & Off-Road
    Automobile
    Car Craft
    Chevy High Performance
    Classic Trucks 
    Diesel Power
    Hot Rod Deluxe 
    Jp
    Lowrider
    Mopar Muscle
    Muscle Car Review
    Muscle Mustangs & Fast Fords
    Mustang Monthly
    Street Rodder
    Super Chevy 
    Super Street
    Truck Trend 
    Truckin’
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    . . .
    . . . nothing that I read --- or bought . . . or miss . . .



    ..

    .........

    We Can Be Heroes

  7. #17
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    Talking of journalists who drive the cars....I recall one time a TV/ print journalist borrowed one of our Lotus press fleet cars but only made it as far as the first roundabout before having a prang. Suufice to say the car wasn't exactly errm..top gear ...when it came back to the press fleet garage! As one of the two directors of Lotus Engineering Limited I got the escalation call about the mishap and had to try to keep a straight face when I went to see. I know there were a very few journalists that the undeniably world class development engineers at Lotus had any time for discussing things with ---having given blood sweat and tears to refine the handling of some Lotus or OEM client product dispiriting to be reviewed by some hack who hadn't the talent to really understand the combination of engineering and feel these guys possessed. In fairness the same is true to say their talent was way way way above my pay grade too Having been fortunate to have spent time with these professional test drivers /engineers on track at Hethel (and later others through Motorsport) I'd say except for a vanishly small few of those of us who think we are great drivers and profess to understand vehicle dynamics, the vast majority are actually greatly deluded! I was certainly very humbled from those work experiences. Harsh reality despite using my position as their boss to lean on these talented guys to give me lots of tuition and spending my spare time to steadily progress through the internal Group Lotus driver permit grades assessed by the legendary Alistair. In context of this thread I love reading particularly the old magazines with the of way of writing about cars but learned to take most journalists prose about driving them with a pinch of salt even if it is entertaining. I can admire their skill with the keyboard however -- another talent that eludes me.

    Steve
    Last edited by 911MRP; 12-11-2019 at 08:57 AM.

  8. #18
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    Whoa that's pretty major. I wonder what the reasoning is behind this. I would have to assume that like newspapers, it's falling ad revenue, at least enough to cause them all to shut their doors. Either way it's a shame.

  9. #19
    Senior Member Simonjjb's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by LongRanger View Post
    I quit regularly reading almost every car mag decades ago

    Sure-sure --- I'll spend an odd afternoon-or-so at the local Barnes & Noble to sneek some page-time . . . but the only mag I actually buy anymore is Keith Martin's Sports Car Marketplace . . . mostly for the histories his Contributors tell about the cars they review

    (Problem there is I grew up on Henry Manney III (had a Testarossa as a daily driver), Tony Hogg (427 Cobra owner), and the incomparable LJK Setright (NO ONE would drive with him --- in anything), so --- enduring Donald Osbourne's blathering on Italian cars gets to be a biiiiit much. I mean --- does the man actually drive anything?)

    And anyway, from what I can tell, SCM 's doing just fine

    (No surprise, really; I mean --- consider the audience demographic . . . Olde Wythe Guys w/money-money-money)



    As for all those titles listed? --- again, consider the demographic . . .



    . . . nothing that I read --- or bought . . . or miss . . .



    ..
    Whats Barnes and Nobel?
    1968 911L Coupe - Golden Green
    1971 911S Coupe - Gemini Blue
    1973 911S Targa - Signal Yellow
    1974 914 2.3 - Sunflower Yellow

  10. #20
    This is a copy of a post that I made on another forum.

    AutoWeek bites the dust...
    Edit Report Quote
    #1 Post by theunz » Wed Nov 06, 2019 11:13 pm

    Well, sort of, mostly, in my eyes anyway.
    Just picked up the issue of AW that I received today and noticed that it said LAST issue! So it seems that they are now going to be an online only magazine, if you can still call it a " magazine. I have been reading AW since it came in newspaper format. I have seen a lot of changes, some good, some not so good, but this new online only format will be the last straw for me.
    I know, I'm old and don't fit in with the new wave of reading on a screen. I always liked being able to scan the whole page (actually 2 pages) in one glance. Often timesI find myself rereading past paragraphs or looking at a picture again after the author draws your attention to something you didn't notice. I find that very difficult to due on a screen. I generally read my magazines from cover to cover, but like to thumb through the whole thing first, sometimes reading an article or test that really piques my interest.
    I always keep a supply of unread magazines in the, uhh...library? Now I'll have to take the iPad with me. But you know what, I will not do that, I will instead just cancel my subscription!
    So a year or two ago my favorite car mag (Hemmings Sport and Exotics) went away completely and my newspaper (Tulsa World) cut back on their content so much it was more like a small town weekly rag than a metropolitan newspaper.
    I realize that advertisers are eschewing print media for online offerings because that's where their (young) market goes to play, but I don't have to like, or follow it.
    End of rant, now excuse me while I walk over to the television and turn it off so I can go to bed and dream about those "good ole days"!
    1969 911S
    1969 Datsun 2000...worth less, but more valuable

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