I am famous

[New POD]

At least any money that journalists spend of their cars, will be tax deductible.

[barrett]

I wish that was true

[dieselnutjob]

This thread is crying out for pics of the car!

 

Damn you.  I had to stop working on the Rover 620D diagnostics protocol for an hour to find shrink and upload these.

 

You need to buy a Rover diagnostic tool to compensate.

 

I took these last year for the agreed value insurance policy, and never sent them to the insurance company.

Lucky I didn't crash...

 

 

 

 

[Jim Bell]

Holy shit, that's amazing.

There are no better Browns.

[dugong]

At least any money that journalists spend of their cars, will be tax deductible.

Yeah..............er......what?

 

So far I have learned:

 

That people currently in the biz are non-entities but slightly lesser arseholes than the other arseholes because they're established, wealthy arseholes.

I feel like I should be in the Corbyn \ Aston keying threads.

[Lacquer Peel]

I'm glad car journalists are a martyr to their cause so we can read about how Ford Granadas were used in The Sweeney and other trivia.

/trolling

[michael1703]

We've now got 3 people claiming to be journalists, anymore on here?

 

I had an article published in the riders digest in 1998, can I throw my hat* in to the ring?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* I don't own a hat, I'm not wealthy enough,unlike journalists who own several hats

[dollywobbler]

We've now got 3 people claiming to be journalists, anymore on here?

 

I had an article published in the riders digest in 1998, can I throw my hat* in to the ring?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

* I don't own a hat, I'm not wealthy enough,unlike journalists who own several hats

 

Ok, I must admit. I do own several hats. 

[Bear]

We've now got 3 people claiming to be journalists, anymore on here?

 

I had an article published in the riders digest in 1998, can I throw my hat* in to the ring?

 

If you've got the ISSN you can probably claim DACS.

 

I know that the other two people claiming to be writers/journalists actually are. I've been in publishing for a horrifying 28 years - I started when I was 12 sub-editing/copytyping articles and doing news pages for the family publishing company, then moved into technical writing and reviews, interviews, studio photography, catalogues and so forth. Also did layout, advertising selling and copywriting/design, typesetting and repro/scanning, retouching... best time was when we did our own output on an AM Varityper 4990 then Panther; it felt like we were really producing something tangible, and I had to race to Red Star at silly times in the morning to get the film to the printers.

 

Automotive press is new to me, having rejected the idea of moving to Peterborough in the '90s when opportunities arose at PC. I've done a couple of bits outside the photo press, like an article in 2004 on a drum machine of all things, but when you've started young, and know all the people, you do end up feeling confident with what you do. Never underestimate how willing people are to help young people who are working hard, too.

 

Print media has a difficult time ahead of it, but at the same time we've been saying that now for a decade or more and it's still here, newsagents are still standing, people are still advertising in print. The right titles will always find a ready market - just look at Hungry Eye to see minimal advertising, high cover price, potentially niche market yet successful, sustainable business model.

 

I see Practical Classics from the perspective I had as a reader in the '90s. The cars don't change, because for the most part, MGBs, Audax/Arrow, PA Crestas and lower-end Fords have been at the forefront of affordable classic ownership since the '80s. Like the VX1800 I had in '95 - that car was only 18 years old. It was the same age as my SLK is now. But, it was seen as a classic or a banger, FEs featured in PC then too. The role of PC was to inform, so the restoration articles were the big draw.

 

Now if you subscribe to PC it's a bit like Gardeners World. The stories do change, but ultimately you've got some basic areas to cover in restoration - welding, painting, rebuilding, electrics - and promoting the support networks for each given marque. The marques with the best support networks, like MG, will inevitably provide easier access for parts and cars for restoration, with known areas to focus on and reach the readership. You don't pick it up and go "hey, I want a DIY on how to restore an MG", you pick it up and go "I want to know how to weld my classic car" - and there'll be an article with some tools from Frost and some tips on using joddlers and cold front to make seamless repairs, and it'll look dead easy, and you'll have a go and end up with welds like birdshit and a panel that could serve as modern art sculpture, but you tried. And eventually you'll get it right.

 

And maybe after two years of subscription you'll find that a very similar article about welding new arches onto a Mk 3 Capri is run, and it feels repetitive a little, but it's okay - you then slip into reading for the columns and features, and maybe, eventually just buy it in the newsagent when the cars you like are featured or you want to prod the classifieds.

 

The classic market isn't stagnating per se, but as the benchmarks for what is a classic move at a glacial pace as cars are less rust-prone, sold in larger numbers, and are fundamentally less interesting technically and more intimidating to repair, supporting the market for the established classic marques and models is the best approach, with features on cars that should be recognised to promote some forward motion. Hot Hatches are getting the right attention now, 205 GTi in particular.

 

Personally I figure it's necessary to embrace both the web and print media. There are some awesome technologies out there for augmented reality where your smartphone can recognise an image and play a movie effectively overlaid, so it looks like the picture in the print edition has come to life. You can then view it as a normal video. To my mind, that should be something that brings DIY technical articles to life - you want to see how the step from cut panel and clamps to welded panel progresses? Simply hold your phone over the picture and watch. The same tech could bring advertising to life, of course.

 

The costs and skills in producing media of this quality are not trivial. And in many creative industries, wages have not moved since the mid-80s to early '90s. Anyone who knows a time-served professional photographer will tell you, the reduction in costs from moving to digital is pretty much wiped out by the double whammy of clients unwilling to pay a day rate (we were running £800/day in the '80s and it's still tough to crack that figure now, but think what £800/day was worth then by comparison!) and the ease of access afforded by digital resulting in a shitload of "Bob in the office will just do the shots" and passable-but-mediocre images that of course, cost nowt or very little.

 

Oh, yeah, to be clear, I don't write for Practical Classics, I just mention them because of the original subject matter!

[Bear]

I can confirm that DUGONG is independently wealthy as I saw him paying FOUR POUNDS (!) for a burger once.

 

Where the fuck do you get a burger for £4? A McKing Whopper Royale with Cheese is like, £8 on the motorway. Fairly sure they're found on the motorway before serving, too.

[RoadworkUK]

We've now got 3 people claiming to be journalists, anymore on here?

 

 

"Claiming to be"?

 

I didn't think journalism was something people admitted to in public.

[dugong]

I'm glad car journalists are a martyr to their cause so we can read about how Ford Granadas were used in The Sweeney and other trivia.

/trolling

Consul GTs, love. I know you like to be accurate. /alsotrolling

 

You're good value, Len. Crack on, kid.

 

"Claiming to be"?

 

I didn't think journalism was something people admitted to in public.

I claim nothing.

 

Except I'm mickey0101.

 

GREAT!

[chaseracer]

Dugong's rag kindly printed 250 words I threw together last year on a pub meet in Brownhills.  That was nice.  Been a bit busy since, saving public services and being a general lefty arsepain.

 

I have two interesting hats.

 

[dugong]

Dugong's rag kindly printed 250 words I threw together last year on a pub meet in Brownhills.  That was nice.  Been a bit busy since, saving public services and being a general lefty arsepain.

 

I have two interesting hats.

 

Y U NO SUBMIT MOAR

[chaseracer]

Y U NO SUBMIT MOAR

 

C ABOV.  WIL DO DIS ASAP.

[Jim Bell]

I had a poem published in the big issue.

 

I don't like to brag about it though.

[garethj]

Back to the thread, congrats for the article, a brown 604 is clearly for life's winners.

 

I love reading about cars but I rarely buy the magazines any more.  Firstly it's the space they take up, it doesn't take long before you've got a bookshelf-full and in my house there isn't much space.  The other problem is the cost, a regular magazine habit is an expensive thing when you can find more specific subjects to read on the web.  Want to read about the 1953-57 Volkswagen Beetles but not interested in any of this modern '60s stuff?  You'd never find a magazine that would stay profitable to write about it but there's loads of websites about it.

 

You could probably fix the space issue by offering downloads and some magazines do this, but only as an annual subscription.  I don't want that kind of commitment but I don't think you can buy and download individual issues?

 

Who knows where web technology will take things for magazines, TVs seem to drag more people in via Twitter comments to make them feel more involved and that works for X Factor.  It's probably the modern equivalent of the readers' letters page that car mags have had for decades.

[Bear]

Who knows where web technology will take things for magazines, TVs seem to drag more people in via Twitter comments to make them feel more involved and that works for X Factor.  It's probably the modern equivalent of the readers' letters page that car mags have had for decades.

 

But with less green ink and spittle for whoever opened the letter to deal with...

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Some poor car scribes driveways, is one of them someone on here?

[dollywobbler]

Aye. We're all lording it up in a life of luxury.

[Lacquer Peel]

You could say owning multiple cars and the land to store them is a privilege of sorts.

[xtriple]

I have also claims to be a journo! But, only for Bike mags (Superbike, Real Classic and a couple of others) and I wrote fiction for a while and had a fair few short stories printed (one in Granta! Posh!!!!) but even though I wrote four books, no one had the vision to see my brilliance and publish the bastards!

 

Did quite a lot for RC a few years ago, I was almost a regular but they paid shit and took forever to cough up (a year once) and I just lost interest in doing it. Doesn't help that I can't actually ride a bike anymore which sort of limits you a bit

[Jim Bell]

I can confirm that DUGONG is independently wealthy as I saw him paying FOUR POUNDS (!) for a burger once.

 

 

Bullshit.  It was more than once.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

I have also claims to be a journo! But, only for Bike mags (Superbike, Real Classic and a couple of others) and I wrote fiction for a while and had a fair few short stories printed (one in Granta! Posh!!!!) but even though I wrote four books, no one had the vision to see my brilliance and publish the bastards!

 

Did quite a lot for RC a few years ago, I was almost a regular but they paid shit and took forever to cough up (a year once) and I just lost interest in doing it. Doesn't help that I can't actually ride a bike anymore which sort of limits you a bit

Another Bentley driving hack !

[Bear]

Bullshit.  It was more than once.

 

 

In the same meal, or on different occasions? 'cause being able to afford TWO £4 burgers in one sitting is like, super-hedonistic.

[Jim Bell]

Aye. We're all lording it up in a life of luxury.

 

Check out Little Lord Fontleroy with his garage and his fancy european car!

Bet hes got an inside toilet and everything.

 

 

 

Quite aside from all the Journo baiting and poverty boasting, this thread is still totally worth it for the pics of that lovely Brown Puggernaught.

 

I'm even gonna buy the mag that its in.  That'll keep Dougong in £4 meat sandwhiches.

[flat4alfa]

I hope they don't HDR the photos and ruin the whole article

[DodgyBastard]

 

My 2 page article in Retro Cars Magazine each month almost covers rent on this place...

 

Sent from my D6603 using Tapatalk

[dugong]

You could say owning multiple cars and the land to store them is a privilege of sorts.

Yes, renting a unit we all pay for with no help from the company is a massive privilege.

[barrett]

I think he means that being in a position to own one or more cars and have enough money to run them and store them is a sign of privilege when most people in the world do not have enough money to make unnecessary vanity purchases like stupid old cars.

 

Anyway, if anyone wants to know what a magazine made by very poor people, that will never kowtow to its advertisers OR readers and will never ever feature an MG of any type looks like, this should be in the shops by Friday