Classic Car Weekly

[eddyramrod]

The problem with many, many mags is contributor's faves get way too much column inches

Hence the sudden infestation of CCB with Cadillac content

[chaseracer]

A few years ago we restored a car that both Practical Classics and CCW wanted to feature. CCW and PC share the same office space and it was hoped they'd both end up with a good article in each mag. CCW went to print first, PC saw the article, spat their dummy out, refused to feature it and that was the end of that.

 

Things must be different now.  Over the past couple of months, THREE separate publications have carried interchangeable articles on the same nutter with a warehouse full of origami Lagondas.

[chaseracer]

Hence the sudden infestation of CCB with Cadillac content

 

Can't see a single problem there, Edward... 

[BeEP]

car owners clubs that charge subs are suffering falling membership, thanks to social media and google,

 

Not wanting to start an argument, but I don't like things being stated as fact without evidence.  Admittedly a sample of only one but Allegro club membership (despite fairly high turnover) has remained constant for the last five years (being pedantic one more member now than the same time in 2012).  It frustrates me that statements like the one above are made, as they tend to become self-perpetuating.

[dollywobbler]

Quite. 2CV Club membership has remained remarkably static. Sure, there has been some drop off, but that's more to do with the fact that we've gone from tends of thousands of 2CVs on the road to a few thousand. Per owner, the club is doing vastly better than it ever has. The club remakes parts, has public liability insurance for events and does a ton of things no Facebook group is ever going to do.

[alcyonecorporation]

I agree, but the VOC. 

Er.....

[chaseracer]

Jon!  Step away... 

[Uncle Jimmy]

Anyone reading the current issue of C&SC will notice that Buckley now strongly resembles William Shatner.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Kelsey Publishing have really shown the way to do car mags. It's not how it used to be 15 years ago with a snapper and a writer on one shoot, 40p a mile etc but it's run on a tight budget so it makes a modest profit. When you have lots of car mags making a modest profit, it adds up and is worthwhile.

But car mags are only one part of a publishers portfolio.

 

Take a computer magazine for example. A small number of staff, use manufacturers stock photos (no need to take an iMac out to the Peak District for a moody photoshoot) and massive monthly circulation boosted by pages and pages and pages of adverts. That makes money. It's the exact opposite of a car magazine in other words.

 

Bauer Media do okay having taken over Emap's entire motoring bag portfolio and Haymarket do just one (?) car mag (Crassic and Sportscrap) but own Pistonheads.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

 Car Mechanics went downhill as soon as he left them.

 

 

 

No it didn't, it moved with the times.

[The Reverend Bluejeans]

Anyone reading the current issue of C&SC will notice that Buckley now strongly resembles William Shatner.

 

 

He'd probably fit in on AS as well. Unless he is already amongst us..............

 

MB, that is, not William Shatner.

[They_all_do_that_sir]

I like magazines, I like the medium of print. I dont subscribe to any as I dont like having non essential financial commitments.

 

I tend to buy on whim, and ill generally judge a mag by its cover. I love MGs and minis etc but they are a turn off unless its something mega different - I've read it all before.

And I'll struggle to justify the purchase price for maybe only 3 or 4 pages that interest me.

 

"Our cars" sections infuriate me. Whats the point? I can go online and read build threads etc from start to finish, whereas a paragraph or two about your car then "tune in next time" cant compete.

 

Autoshite isnt really big enough to morph into the pistonheads model but thats the future - online content with articles, videos etc, active forum and maybe a limited run very high quality magazine produced every 6 months?

 

A couple of decent mags I've come across recently (which arent strictly classic related) are BUILT and SIDEBURN, both fairly niche and focused on the growing custom bike scene. But both wonderfully written and beautifully produced - worth the extra couple of quid as they are something nice to have on the table.

 

Sent from my SM-A510F using Tapatalk

[HMC]

^ Conversely I love the staff cars bits! I grew up reading the John Pearson era PC and have had a soft spot for the title ever since. Before I could buy and own older cars, I lived my obsession vicariously through it and I suppose the staff car bits especially. I always thought Peter Simpson was ace at those serialised restoration project pieces. I also like C&SC as a counterpoint contentwise. Sorry to contribute to the thread drift- but my point is that the challenge I guess content wise is to try and have a fresh perspective on familiar subjects. I seem to have more of a leaning to cars 10-25 years old these days and stuff from the pre war period does nothing for me.

 

Funnily enough I haven't had a mag subscription for a little while and am tempted to again.

[bramz7]

I quite like the current crop of car magazines, I suspect not everyone here likes it but Modern Classics is a good example of an evolving landscape within classic car publications. My parents were newsagents from the year I was born until 2015, the benefit being I could pretty much borrow any magazine whenever I wanted, I still remember picking up PC in 2001 (?) and the photos of abandoned cars in various places pretty much started my old car obsession. C+SC was always one of my favourites, and the fact the format has remained the same is testament to how well it works. 

 

I know a lot of people on here work (and have worked) on various magazines over the years and I appreciate their output. In my opinion, whilst the numbers probably aren't as strong as they were a decade ago, the quality has improved. Yes the internet hasn't helped but a well sorted magazine tends to focus more on opinion rather than recycled (and oddly error ridden) wikipedia entries. 

 

There is obviously still some absolute dregs being released each month, obviously. But people still buy rubbish newspapers, so..... 

[Felly Magic]

Not wanting to start an argument, but I don't like things being stated as fact without evidence.  Admittedly a sample of only one but Allegro club membership (despite fairly high turnover) has remained constant for the last five years (being pedantic one more member now than the same time in 2012).  It frustrates me that statements like the one above are made, as they tend to become self-perpetuating.

Social media has largely replaced the paying car clubs already, groups that aren't on there will wither and die, plain and simple. You just look at numbers of members on social media offshoots of these clubs, vs paying subscribers, and in many cases it is a ratio of several hundred to one, as social media is worldwide, and free to use. The time has long since passed for the subscription club, and even many former hard to find parts are being manufactured via 3-D printing, the cost of this is now falling as the technology is getting cheaper, it won't be that far off that affordable machines are available for the D.I.Y user. Take ECR as a case in point, started for shits & giggles by Trigger and his mate Roo, this has now got to be one of the biggest car club in East Anglia, and it was all done via social media, no paying subs, and has a broad spectrum of members, who always seem to muck in for nothing, the subscription clubs are usually very slow to actually move with the times, and seem to be scared of progress. This is especially true in the classic commercial side, and borderline coups have to happen to make progress, the problem with a lot of the one make clubs is one of those in charge often being scared of change, and not being very technology savvy, thanks to the internet, finding what you need to know is often just a few mouse clicks away, within an hour, I had sourced everything a mate needed to restore his car, when the UK club drew blanks, and what they could find, I got cheaper as I cut out the 'middleman', sourcing the complete microfiches for the entire product range for free in PDF from a Latvian site helped, but again only took half an hour to find. As the hobby is getting progressively more expensive, people look at any way they can to save a few bob here & there, subscriptions being one thing to knock on the head if they have facebook, this is the way of the world, like it or not. Also there is the instant response of social media, when in old style clubs you could be waiting weeks, or even months for a response

 

Your comment about membership staying roughly the same proves my fact, far from the club growing, it is stagnating, and I can guarantee if they have a social media offshoot, membership will be far higher on that than those still paying in, and I know many clubs are barely covering overheads, so subs go up, and people think 'hang on, I'm paying more, for no more benefits', so stop. 

 

Many trade journals are moving on to free subscription services too, especially the weekly ones, cheaper to send out a PDF of the mag to thousands, than to have hard copies made, also cuts the cost for advertising space, and is easy to insert hyperlinks direct to company websites, making contact easier. 

 

This is progress, and it terrifies many, when really we need to embrace the changes

[BeEP]

Where did I imply I was terrified?  I fully agree that anything which brings like-minded individuals together in support of a common cause should be embraced.  I simply disagreed with your unsubstantaited claim that membership of traditional clubs was falling, and provided evidence (for one club) that this wasn't the case.  You now say that membership remaining constant somehow proves your point!  As Dollywobbler says, constant membership in light of falling numbers of the cars on the road is a laudable achievement, and whilst groups such as Trigger's ECR are great (and I love seeing the photos of their meets), I doubt they're remanufacturing panels, brake components, clutch components..........

[loserone]

My mind is boggled by PDFs being described as progress.

[dollywobbler]

Your point still doesn't make actual sense Felly. Clubs can do things that social media cannot. I don't think there are many clubs that don't embrace social media (though ironically 2CVGB is one that doesn't), but even those that do still exist as an actual club, and merely have an FB presence. FB has been great for some smaller clubs (Honda S-MX Owners for instance) who now mostly have just an online presence, and merely attend other events, so don't need the trappings of public liability insurance etc. 

 

And I still think a consistent membership when the surviving numbers of cars is about a third of what it was 20 years ago is something to celebrate, not start frothing in an OMG TABLOID END OF  THE WORLD manner. Sorry.

[BorniteIdentity]

And I still think a consistent membership when the surviving numbers of cars is about a third of what it was 20 years ago is something to celebrate, not start frothing in an OMG TABLOID END OF THE WORLD manner. Sorry.

That is a real terms increase, and should be celebrated.

 

I can't stand misinformation being passed off as fact either.

 

I'm not a car club kind of guy, but that says everything about me and nothing about those what are. They're undoubtedly a force for good though, and again their work should be congraulated.

 

It's worth reiterating there is a gulf between a group on Facebook and a Club. The Ford Sierra Appreciation Club is a great example of this.

 

Anyway, this is just a stream of conscious from my brain rather than a post making any salient point.

[artdjones]

No it didn't, it moved with the times.

I didn't mind the subject matter of articles moving with the times.It was just that the quality of writing and information went downhill.For example, devoting several pages to promoting one of those snake oil electrolysis/hydrogen set ups. Five minutes on the internet should have spiked that article.

[kadams1970]

I'm out of it now. Maybe it's time to spill about the printed press. Nah, it's good, and there's life in magazines yet. They just need to evolve. And evolve, they must. As someone said way back, Kelsey's mag production model is a sound one in these straitened times. It's not perfect, but it's certainly agile.

 

I know this – I have AROnline, and it allows me the freedom to write stuff like this:

http://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/citroen-cars/axel/oltcit-club-citroen-axel-development-story/

 

Given time, patience, and a little more caffeine, I could do you an Autoshite magazine. I still have Andrew Elphick's Jalopy collection, from which to draw inspiration. Just one thing – would you all buy it?

 

K

[Shep Shepherd]

I definitely would

[scruff]

Some great posts on here.

 

Barrett is spot-on about the big bad publishing giants running some once-glorious titles into the ground, they really are just a means to an end - in this case a source of advertising revenue. Unsurprised to hear of Bauer inter-mag spats and sheer wankerism in recruitment operations. Who is the new editor of CCW?? I used to get it occasionally but gave up in disgust after the most incredibly wank 'saga' on a Series III Landy, written by two heroic staffers who did a daring mission of 40 whole miles along the fucking A47 between Peterborough and Leicester and - get this - lived to tell the tale. I have a feeling the new editor was one of these daredevils.

 

 

 

You're quite right. I worked in the same Teddington office in 1994 with 'Your Classic' (note there was an excellent mag) and nothing has changed except that they are trying to compete with Octane on the 'I've got more wealthy mates than you' feel.

 

 

 

 

Your Classic was a brilliant mag; my very tatty copies have survived several house moves and many junkouts. Now wondering who you are Rev?!

 

I get the Automobile, I love the content because so much of it is completely new to me, there's no regurgitated tripe and pretty much every article is an education for a simpleton like myself. 

[scruff]

 None of my cars are "proper" according to several angry letters. One person said I'd made up having an Amazon, "because it never gets mentioned". 

 

I made a video of me smashing my face into the bonnet repeatedly but I decided against posting it up. 

 

 

Excellent! I must admit I never got a angry letter just a bit of the usual shit online.

 

I had some fella really chomp into me on a Land Rover forum that I'd been a member of for years before I landed a job at Emap on LRO, you know the drill, "you're not a proper enthusiast" and all that shite. Being a mere pleb in the organisation I could only point out that the majority of his biggest complaints against the mag were on things I had zero influence on. Anyway this bellend yakked on with various digs and claims that I was a career journo and then word reached me he'd even been quizzing other forumers (including some long term friends) he'd met in person about my "credentials". One evening he got a bit too personal and I'd been on the Guinness, so I told him to FRO in quite a colourful fashion. However word of this 'somehow' got back to one of my superiors and I got a dressing down and told it was part and parcel of it and to suck it up. 

[Uncle Jimmy]

He'd probably fit in on AS as well. Unless he is already amongst us..............

 

MB, that is, not William Shatner.

Any former cast members of Star Trek are welcome here.

[chaseracer]

Given time, patience, and a little more caffeine, I could do you an Autoshite magazine.

 

 

You wouldn't be short of contributors, Keef... 

[Angrydicky]

Some great posts on here.

 

Barrett is spot-on about the big bad publishing giants running some once-glorious titles into the ground, they really are just a means to an end - in this case a source of advertising revenue. Unsurprised to hear of Bauer inter-mag spats and sheer wankerism in recruitment operations. Who is the new editor of CCW?? I used to get it occasionally but gave up in disgust after the most incredibly wank 'saga' on a Series III Landy, written by two heroic staffers who did a daring mission of 40 whole miles along the fucking A47 between Peterborough and Leicester and - get this - lived to tell the tale. I have a feeling the new editor was one of these daredevils.

 

 

 

 

 

Your Classic was a brilliant mag; my very tatty copies have survived several house moves and many junkouts. Now wondering who you are Rev?!

 

I get the Automobile, I love the content because so much of it is completely new to me, there's no regurgitated tripe and pretty much every article is an education for a simpleton like myself. 

The current editor is David Simister. And the Land Rover thing sounds exactly like something that he'd get involved in. A recent copy featured him topping up the washer fluid on his Ford Puma in Our Classics. And I wish I was joking.

 

The Automobile is a decent mag but I'm afraid to say there's too many 'big money' cars in there for my liking, and not enough written about the (genuinely very interesting) fleet they've got there. I attempted to buck this trend, and even introduce some more technical and hands-on articles but was told this wasn't the direction Douglas wanted the magazine to go in...

[Six-cylinder]

I know this – I have AROnline, and it allows me the freedom to write stuff like this:

http://www.aronline.co.uk/cars/citroen-cars/axel/oltcit-club-citroen-axel-development-story/

 

 

Well that was a surprise to find Oltcit content on what I thought was a BL site!

 

I am just being asked if I want to sell mine but finding this makes me think I don't. 

[tooSavvy]

Any former cast members of Star Trek are welcome here.

We could test the 'universal translator'thinggie they had for new life forms - to destruction on savvy$peak

 

 

TS

[Bear]

Well that was a surprise to find Oltcit content on what I thought was a BL site!

 

I am just being asked if I want to sell mine but finding this makes me think I don't. 

 

 

How is it coming along? Please don't sell it before I've had a go, I'm fascinated by them!

 

If an Autoshite magazine happened, I'd be entirely up for writing for it. Hell, if i had the resources... it's not like I've working in publishing since I was a kid.

 

(But realistically, that means I know how much it costs to put a magazine together with limited advertising and print runs. What Autoshite does in my mind, is help people who are making magazines and involved in the editorial process, recognise the demand for suitable content and include it where possible).