Folks Of Interest Rob gone from Rod & Custom

Magazines are a dying breed, I bought my first hot rod mag in 1975 or there a bouts , the problem with some off them is, they are driven by advertisement sales first and quality of reading second , I've bought and read them all at one time or another, but for me some of the editors get stuck I the shit they prefer over the masses, cheeseburger over at hotrod did an awesome job when he took over , but gradually kept putting own pet projects in there all the time , car craft used to be a great mag , but IMO hasn't been for years, r +c is ok , there will come a time when all of them will be gone from lack of support . Will be sad not to able to go the OFFICE (shitter) and read car mags anymore ! And that's the reason not to buy used mags boys !

 

What an opportunity to start a new publication (online or paper). Bring Kirk, Rob, Eric, Jeff, and Kevin together and let them create something "new" that kicks the sh** out of the existing publications.

Just my 2 cents.

 

A lot easier said than done, I feel for the guys who lost their jobs/income but if car guys don't buy the rag mags , this is what happens , crap happens ! It's life nothing they can do about it except buy more mags, hell I sure bought my share of them (threw out over a thousand of them when I moved last time) over the years, and still buy 50 or so a year !

 

Good one ..........Had to clean my screen off!

 

Crap. Rob is the reason I subscribe to R & C. Don't know the guy personally, but I really enjoy his writing and the direction he had the mag going. No renewal here, I'm thinking.
And I'm one of the dinosaurs that love the printed page.

 

I agree about Rob,might have to let it go from now on...

 

It wasn't just the car guys who kinda think like us that took a hit, the guys into small trucks lost their whole magazine from what I'm reading around the interwebs.

See how I went out of my way to keep from offending anyone by saying minitrucks?

 

Kevin is a good friend of mine and loves traditional hot rods and kustoms , and I am sure he will do a great job,

 

I used to subscribe to the "Big 3" (Hot Rod, Car Craft and Popular Hot Rodding) along with Circle Track, Stock Car, Open Wheel, Bracket Racing USA, SS&DI, Street Rodder, Drag Illustrated and a few others. Over the years the racing magazines all went corporate, then the drag racing titles got dropped, and the rest of the mags all became glorified ads for sponsors products disguised as tech articles. I haven't renewed anything for about ten years and all of my subscriptions have long since run out. Even without the 'net, I don't miss what remains of the magazines. I still pick up an occasional Hot Rod Deluxe for the old pictures, and I look at the rags on the newsstand to see if there is an article that is worth reading. Usually there isn't and I pass them up. Seems like the bean counters and corporate managers have sucked all of the life out of them. I think I bought 4 car magazines all of last year.

 

I know absolutely nothing about the publishing business but as with any business in tough economic times cut backs and thinning of the herd are a norm,especially when cutting cost verses survival is the goal.

With the advent of the internet the old stand by magazines of our youth are in a slow and spiraling decline and like many of you I have stopped subscribing to the magazines that I once looked forward to seeing in the mail box every month,now we get our hot rod fix at any hour of the day & night,24-7 right here on the hamb.

These individuals that have lost their positions have chosen their occupational field and will land on their feet with another publication, due to the changing of jobs they may not be with hot rod or custom magazine.

I wish these guys luck with their future endeavors. HRP

 

When I as about 14 an older cousin (car enthusiast, very artistic, excellent fabricator) gave me a couple of his 1961-63 car magazines. A Rod and Custom or 2. I think Car Craft was his favorite.
Changed my life completely. They still have green xmas tape book marks on the pages I liked. WELL worn, tattered at the edges and brown as parchment.

To this day I think Car Craft is the best name for a car mag. The current magazine ( I subscribed a year or 2 back) is kind of pale, or maybe I'm just sMarteR now.

 

It's always been that way. New subscriber offers being better than resubscriptions. In the early 70's, I had a "cheap" friend who used to toggle back and forth each year, placing the new subscription in his name, then his Wife's every other year.

Its that way in many lines of businesses. Like any other loss leader promo, the product is sold at or even below cost, to get you in the door - and hopefully keep you in as a repeat customer.

The "new" gym membership, etc.
I work in the Cable TV industry and the "free HBO for 3 months" to new customers promo always has current customers calling in and wanting free HBO...

 

I get what you're saying, in spite of the major exaggeration. Yes, all magazines have ads. It seems to pay the bills. That might be what caused the layoffs at R&C. People always say there are too many, then they hop on the HAMB and asks, "Who sells this or that?" If a person actually READ a magazine, they'd probably find some info that they need.

 

I have no problem with ads, I do enjoy "window shopping" once I've read all the articles in a mag. My issue with the volume of ads is due to the space it takes from features. I personally would pay more money each issue to have more articles. They can cover their costs and I can read more tech and articles.


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Kirk is trying to do that...and yes that's a great plan

 

The problem is not the number of ads per say, but the advertisers (dollars) dictate the content. Look at the past and see the correlation. See how each trend is taken to the level of over the top in aftermarket parts. Crate drivetrains. One off wheels. A handful of interior names (shop/kits) gauges, steering wheels, and paint systems. It is not doomsaying in that the printed media is slipping away to a fraction of what is was. Hopefully the people that have been kicked to the curb after such long term loyalty (look at the TIME Jeff Smith put in he been there) will be picked up for their valuable input that comes from DOING and then writing about it. PS All of them should be give a stack of real cash as a form of severance/gratitude pay, but as you see in todays selfish world only crooked CEO's are rewarded. Back on topic, another ~thank you~ to the fellas that put the pen to paper and fought to make the pages of car magazines better, good luck to you gentleman.

 

Yep and bean counters have killed off more businesses than one can begin to count.

I'd have to think in almost all enthusiasts magazines no matter what the subject advertisers tend to dictate the editorial content of the magazine and if you sway away from what their current products are for long the big cheeses hear about it from the advertisers.

The old "you showed two cars with painted wheels made in 1940 on a production car but didn't show a car with the wheels in our new add on page 10 even though we directed your editor to a car with those wheels." Thing.

 

Yep and bean counters have killed off more businesses than one can begin to count.

I'd have to think in almost all enthusiasts magazines no matter what the subject advertisers tend to dictate the editorial content of the magazine and if you sway away from what their current products are for long the big cheeses hear about it from the advertisers.

The old "you showed two cars with painted wheels made in 1940 on a production car but didn't show a car with the wheels in our new add on page 10 even though we directed your editor to a car with those wheels." Thing.

 

Having owned an advertising agency that specialized in the speed equipment industry, I find posts like this lacking in knowledge on how the car magazine business really works. I've never met a magazine writer that wasn't ready to trade some "ink" for a part going on a project car; personal or for the magazine. The claim that advertisers call the shots is bullshit. Sure, there will be pressure, but not to the extent that some here think. I'd rather get info on a new part for a SBC reading a feature written by Jim McFarland in HOT ROD, than depend on three pages of opinions posted on the web by people that have never even held the item in their hands.

Magazines are a business and businesses have to make profits to exist. Referring to CEO's as "greedy bean counters" is counter productive. Maybe the reason these books are not making any money is the cheap basterds that read it on the rack at Barnes & Noble instead of supporting the business with a purchase.

If it weren't for 65 years of car magazines, what would you use as a reference to make sure your next build is really "traditional"?

 

Print will always be around, its just going to change. Online is great, and video is great too but I'd much rather hold a printed piece of art than look at it online. Not everyone is online believe it or not. Speed & Chrome is going to print again in April because of demand for it but we also have a great website with features and DVDs. Something for everyone.

 

Sad...on both counts. I still subscribe to both because I enjoy them and they are cheap. I sure hope that whomever is making these decisions knows what they are doing.

 

I still subscribe to Hot Rod, Car Craft, Street Rodder, Hemmings Muscle Machines, and Speedway Illustrated. Everytime I get the new issue,it is like a little present someone sent me. I enjoy them, read them cover to cover and will continue to as long as they are around. I thought we were all car people.............

 

Hate to hear about Eric Geisert. Hope things work out for him. He has shot a few of my cars and did an outstanding job. He has always been good to shoot the shit with and treated me well. Again, hope all goes well with him.
Chris Staneck

 

Re: Rob gone from Rod & Custom
<HR style="BACKGROUND-COLOR: #e5e5e5; COLOR: #e5e5e5" SIZE=1><!-- / icon and title --><!-- message -->I get them because the subscriptions are dirt cheap (Car Craft-3 years for $15) and they still have some good stuff from time to time. I'll always like books and magazines over the internet.
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x2 you can't beat the value, gaining 1 idea or product you learn about a year would be worth it

 

It would either be the coolest thing ever or explode!

 

I was the one who brought up BEAN COUNTERS not the CEOs. I have no issue with many CEOs. Do you really think Ryan could have built this board/s if he had an accountant telling him no advertising did not make sense? See? So it CAN be done. How about Steve and the guys at TRJ? See? So it can be done.

I wish the best to RF, Eric, Kirk! and anyone else cut loose from the magazines. I consider a few of them to be long distance friends. I know what it is like to have the rug pulled out from under you, it can be a freeing time. Go for it guys. Trent

 

Maybe this'll light a fire under HOP UP. Talk about a magazine that got it right, I'd love to see it relaunch.

 

It is very possible that these guys were dropped for financial reasons. There are hundreds (including some here on the HAMB) that would work at CC or R&C for minimum wage. I was doing a byline column as a freelancer for a Source Interlink book and was asked to cut my price by a third. I said no, and was told that there was plenty of talent out there that would write a column for free. I was told that my services were no longer needed and my column was done by an OK writer for free.




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I hate to see anybody lose their job... When they invented the light bulb, it put the candle makers out of business. Damn internet! LOL