espo Posted June 16 Share Posted June 16 I may keep my Hot Rod subscription for another year. I'm not fond of the quarterly publications but I do like the content, and I get almost daily E-Mails with stories and picture content. "Electric Trend", formally known as Motor Trend is dead to me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 New issue I see out. Theme is protouring. Another issue not worth $15. If they don't get better I just don't see it lasting for more than a couple of more issues. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted June 25 Share Posted June 25 (edited) Heard that song 'Another one bites the dust'? Scale Auto also gone like other magazines mentioned. Ostensibly 'absorbed' into Fine Scale Modeler. Someone was having a laugh as FSM is but a shadow of how it used to be. Looked at copies of FSM since SA was 'absorbed'. Hardly any auto content as far as I could see. It just was not going to happen as FSM is a general modelling magazine. Kalmbach has sold on the title to another publisher fairly recently, so we will see. Watch this space! Maybe gradually we are witnessing the death throws of niche subject paper magazines generally, but do hope it does not come to that. Maybe I am bit 'old school', but I for one prefer to have a printed paper magazine to read. Edited June 25 by Bugatti Fan 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 On 6/24/2024 at 11:10 PM, Bugatti Fan said: Heard that song 'Another one bites the dust'? Scale Auto also gone like other magazines mentioned. Ostensibly 'absorbed' into Fine Scale Modeler. Someone was having a laugh as FSM is but a shadow of how it used to be. Looked at copies of FSM since SA was 'absorbed'. Hardly any auto content as far as I could see. It just was not going to happen as FSM is a general modelling magazine. Kalmbach has sold on the title to another publisher fairly recently, so we will see. Watch this space! Maybe gradually we are witnessing the death throws of niche subject paper magazines generally, but do hope it does not come to that. Maybe I am bit 'old school', but I for one prefer to have a printed paper magazine to read. What FSM has become is no great surprise. I'd got the early issues and the mixture of genres compares to what is in FSM now. If the automotive content was going to increase they would have to add pages. What killed the magazines is that the content provided does not match the cost. The new HOT Rod quarterly demonstrates that. Rodders Journal was slightly.more and the content justified the price. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JollySipper Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 I used to read Hot Rod a lot back in the '90s, when it was at a 'best', at least to me........ There was the Thom Taylor artwork, Posies Pick, which was always something cool, it was just a better time for the mag in my opinion, maybe because it was a better time in the automotive world? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabbysdaddy Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 This sort of fits, it's just the continuation of technology: 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Hall Posted June 26 Share Posted June 26 (edited) On 3/25/2024 at 1:18 PM, stitchdup said: and it looks really bad if you take the laptop into the toilet for a time, but its still the comfortable reading seat I often take my iPad to the bathroom and read Car & Driver, Motor Trend, or Top Gear on it... Edited June 26 by Rob Hall 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted June 27 Share Posted June 27 On 6/24/2024 at 11:53 PM, bobthehobbyguy said: New issue I see out. Theme is protouring. Another issue not worth $15. If they don't get better I just don't see it lasting for more than a couple of more issues. I need to go to B&N and have a look at it. The best of the best of pro-touring cars can easily be the equal of anything you can buy new today, with all the attraction of iconic styling. Check out this full-independent-suspension chassis for '55-'56 Ford cars from Art Morrison... https://artmorrison.com/1956-ford-crown-victoria/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldcarfan Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 Having been a faithful reader of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Car & Driver and all the others, it almost physically hurts to see these institutions passing away. I looked forward to reading what Brock Yates or David E Davis were up to every month. The only time I really lost interest in Hot Rod was when they really got into Pro Street or drag racing. I was always a road racing/short track/NASCAR kid. I also loved the antics Car & Driver's writers were getting into. Maybe that's why I still like Cannonball so much. Today's market is just not there for the media I consumed and I understand that. Over the years I've made a kind of peace with all these things slowly fading. The Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, the after school shows, the Saturday morning cartoons, all the sitcoms, and of course the magazines and movies. Today is for someone else and I'm content to let that be. Wow, in rereading this, I find it to be true, but a downer! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabbysdaddy Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 25 minutes ago, oldcarfan said: Today's market is just not there for the media I consumed and I understand that. Over the years I've made a kind of peace with all these things slowly fading. The Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, the after school shows, the Saturday morning cartoons, all the sitcoms, and of course the magazines and movies. Today is for someone else and I'm content to let that be. Wow, in rereading this, I find it to be true, but a downer! MeTV does Saturday morning cartoons, and an hour every morning at 7 Eastern. They are also launching MeTV Toons, which has started elsewhere but still waiting in my area. They seem to be having trouble getting it started here. Regular antenna TV, most if not all the classics. https://www.metvtoons.com/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
espo Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 15 hours ago, oldcarfan said: Having been a faithful reader of Hot Rod, Car Craft, Car & Driver and all the others, it almost physically hurts to see these institutions passing away. I looked forward to reading what Brock Yates or David E Davis were up to every month. The only time I really lost interest in Hot Rod was when they really got into Pro Street or drag racing. I was always a road racing/short track/NASCAR kid. I also loved the antics Car & Driver's writers were getting into. Maybe that's why I still like Cannonball so much. Today's market is just not there for the media I consumed and I understand that. Over the years I've made a kind of peace with all these things slowly fading. The Three Stooges, Bugs Bunny, the after school shows, the Saturday morning cartoons, all the sitcoms, and of course the magazines and movies. Today is for someone else and I'm content to let that be. Wow, in rereading this, I find it to be true, but a downer! I think "yes and no". When these magazines started to be taken over by someone other than car enthusiasts the content became less and less interesting over time and the relevance of their printed articles did the same. This is what I think has killed a lot of print magazines on many subjects. You can blame the internet in part, but with management whose sole focus of turning an ever-bigger profit without investing in the things that create that return play a much larger part of the problem. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stavanzer Posted June 29 Share Posted June 29 31 minutes ago, espo said: I think "yes and no". When these magazines started to be taken over by someone other than car enthusiasts the content became less and less interesting over time and the relevance of their printed articles did the same. This is what I think has killed a lot of print magazines on many subjects. You can blame the internet in part, but with management whose sole focus of turning an ever-bigger profit without investing in the things that create that return play a much larger part of the problem. David, has the right of it. Monetizing everything only works in the short run. Then, the customers depart, and there goes the magazine(or whatever). But, no matter. The Folks who monetized it got theirs, so "It's All Good"! TM 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobthehobbyguy Posted June 30 Share Posted June 30 22 hours ago, espo said: I think "yes and no". When these magazines started to be taken over by someone other than car enthusiasts the content became less and less interesting over time and the relevance of their printed articles did the same. This is what I think has killed a lot of print magazines on many subjects. You can blame the internet in part, but with management whose sole focus of turning an ever-bigger profit without investing in the things that create that return play a much larger part of the problem. Unfortunately this is the case here. The downward spiral started when Source Interlink bought the Petersen titles. More ads appeared and there were how ti articles that were thinly veiled ads. I couldn't believe when Rod and Custom dropped the sketch pad pages. They were one of the features I looked forward to. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 I wonder if accountants ever had their own dedicated magazine named 'The Bean Counter' ? That's the problem when people with no passion for the content take over. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrm Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 The sad truth is that content and ownership have very little to do with magazine's demise, no matter their subject. Internet and today's technology simply made magazines obsolete and literally useless waste of space and money. We are living the last days of the last generation that grew up without cell phones that take better pictures than pro cameras from 10 years ago, not to mention videos. The last generation that grew up without 400 channels digital cable and the last generation that grew up without internet and social media. I have an amazing old edition of Encyclopedia Britannica. All the toms in mint condition. It is utterly useless and it does nothing but waste space. Fact! I can find everything I would ever want to know about every single Riddler winner and pictures of it that I can get printed in poster size and delivered to my door in less than a week, with just a few clicks. Nowadays I can not only read and see pictures of every car, dog, boat, bike show, but a numerous live videos too. And I can do it at my finger tips at any time I chose any place I am. And I'm sorry to bring it up, but if the hobby doesn't wake up and get with the program too, it's headed in the same direction. Because at one point, when that same last generation that is slowly but surely disappearing is gone, the industry would be left with piles of useless plastic that nobody buys, because no kid our days gives a hoot about '60s Novas and '70s Demons. They care about what they see on the net and what is hip and makes people turn their heads. And 95% of the current kit selection ain't it. Japanese companies notwithstanding. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted July 11 Share Posted July 11 You might be glad of your Encyclopaedia Britannica when targeted missile attacks or terrorists could take out those vast computer hubs serving all those electronic devices and set us all back to the 1800's ! Joking apart, that appears the way things are going as Mozzi says. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 13 hours ago, mrm said: We are living the last days of the last generation that grew up without cell phones that take better pictures than pro cameras from 10 years ago, not to mention videos. The last generation that grew up without 400 channels digital cable and the last generation that grew up without internet and social media... And the last generation that can cook a meal, change a flat tire, plant a garden, tell time on a round clock, find anywhere on a map, do much of anything without an app, knows much of what used to be considered "common knowledge" (including non-revisionist history), or say "thank you". Brave New World indeed. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 5 hours ago, Bugatti Fan said: You might be glad of your Encyclopaedia Britannica when targeted missile attacks or terrorists could take out those vast computer hubs serving all those electronic devices and set us all back to the 1800's ! Joking apart, that appears the way things are going as Mozzi says. It wouldn't even take all that. A civilization that's entirely dependent on relatively vulnerable technology is just a few pull-the-plug events away from being no civilization at all. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mrm Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 7 minutes ago, Ace-Garageguy said: It wouldn't even take all that. A civilization that's entirely dependent on relatively vulnerable technology is just a few pull-the-plug events away from being no civilization at all. I’m on board with everything you say. Couldn’t agree more. But it doesn’t change the fact that in the world we live in, paper magazines are an outdated nuisance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ace-Garageguy Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 10 minutes ago, mrm said: I’m on board with everything you say. Couldn’t agree more. But it doesn’t change the fact that in the world we live in, paper magazines are an outdated nuisance. I disagree. I collect particular paper magazines because much of the info I want has never made it to the interdwerbs. Not everything has, you know. And much of what IS there from the distant past (like the '60s) is so abridged and/or dumbed down as to be useless. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tabbysdaddy Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 Yea, go ahead and search your stuff on Google. I'll refer to my paper copy of The Anarchists Cookbook. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bartrop Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 16 minutes ago, Tabbysdaddy said: Yea, go ahead and search your stuff on Google. I'll refer to my paper copy of The Anarchists Cookbook. For your own safety, don't actually try any of those. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard Bartrop Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 If civilization ends, I suspect a lot of the people with Mad Max fantasies playing in their head will get a rude shock, but you don't need Armageddon to lose info from the Internet. It should be pretty obvious to anyone who's spent any time online that anything is there only as long as somebody wants to keep it there, so if you do find something useful, you'd better save it to your own machine while you can. That anyone can post to the internet is simultaneously the best and the worst thing about it, as people either through ignorance or outright malice seem determined to bury us in baloney. We are in an age where idiots are arguing over the shape of the Earth. The internet is handy, but we still need someone to hoard info in some kind of relatively permanent form. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rattle can man Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I will keep my collection of old magazines and books. They are correct about how to do something more often than the internet. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bugatti Fan Posted July 12 Share Posted July 12 I think that I will get my Cyberdyne Systems 100 to dig out some of my old pre internet copies of Scale Modelling magazines to browse through along with a nice glass of Talisker Whisky ! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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