Hearst Magazines bought MotorTrend Group, so Hot Rod has new owners, maybe good, maybe not, we shall see.
Man I didn’t even know that they still were in existence. This is going to show my age but the last time I remember seeing that name was when Patti was “kidnapped”
Thanks, I did, It all looked like magazine covers on a newstand/bookstore. NONE I'd bother to flip through.
I see they already have Road and Track, and Car and Driver. Both of which I had forgotten about completely.
They must figure there is some market, maybe the archive? or they wouldn't have made the investment paid the ransom?)
Most, if not all, of us on the HAMB are locked in a time warp. We're into hot rods, customs and muscle cars like they were back in the day. The rest of the world has moved on. TRJ is our publication because it follows the same groove. Nothing wrong with either group but it's wrong, foolish and frustrating to expect current taste will accommodate our tastes. I'm very satisfied with where I am and have zero inclination to change.
When a long established business goes into free fall, someone might be doing something wrong. When that free fall, coincides with major changes in ownership/management, who is to blame ? Has the world changed ? Yes. Can random corporate suits, and Financial Bros, run absolutely any business equally well ? Absolutely not. "Leadership can only be provided through profound knowledge." W. Edwards Deming.
Well said, Hambers are a small segment of people that have a narrow field of vision, Hot Rod magazine has always focused on the latest modifications and newer builds, nothing wrong with that it just doesn't interest most of us,. Looking at the new off topic heading here on the Hamb and looking it over, there are some Hambers that are not as hard core traditional builders and that's ok, HOT ROD MAGAZINE has survived this long and I hope it continues for many years to come, I will pickup a issue occasionally just to see where the focus is but I have finally dropped my subscription, I first subscribed in 1962, and honestly believe I'm stuck in thar era while the magazine moved on. HRP
Hot Rods already a quarterly , will they make it an annual? Maybe in light of their current popularity Hot Rod will ride off into the sunset like so many other car magazines?
I don't see how it could have, this was just announced. Motley Trend bought the TEN (the misnamed 'The Enthusiast's Network) magazine lineup primarily as a vehicle to promote the TV shows & events. They then dropped all of the titles that wouldn't fit that agenda, even some of the titles that were profitable or breaking even. It didn't work. Now that the parent company merged with Warner Brothers, the suits are cutting costs and selling off assets that aren't in line with WB's main products. Hearst has a whole division aimed at 'Specials' and 'Bookazines', which tend to be the most profitable publications on the newsstand. Our best hope may be an occasional (or annual) edition of Hot Rod Deluxe put out by that division. Anyone @ Hearst listening?
The deal had to be worked on for a bit; these things do not usually happen overnight. Get rid of overhead, cut costs. Make the deal look very appealing to the buyer. Leaving it up to the new company to figure out what to do afterwards. Hearst is a large media company, doubt they care
I recall the days of her and the SLA? I think it was. I seem to recall a “Hearst mansion” as well. Hearst owned a newspaper as well?
you may know the story of william randolph hearst and the spanish-american war. he dispatched an artist to havana and said to send pictures of the war. the response was, "there's no war here." hearst told him, "you furnish the pictures and i'll furnish the war!"
These merger/buyouts seldom seem to benefit subscribers. There are some other comments about this in another forum: https://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/threads/current-state-of-print-media.1328083/
When was the last one ? Cover reads "Winter 2024" A quick search here shows the last issue came out late November. Assuming it stays a quarterly, maybe late Feb ?
Since Robert Peterson departed from the scene many, many years ago, Hot Rod seems to have passed to new owners every five or so. There’s not much staff to cut. They’re probably down to a staff of a couple of people. Just hope the archives don’t disappear.
It sold in '97 while Petersen was still alive. Maybe he saw the writing on the wall? Noticed in the GNRS coverage quite a few "Rod & Custom" placards for ex cover cars; now THAT would be a Welcome annual! John McGann is almost a one man show, with a few freelancers. I continue to support the mag as well as Hop Up and others.....Time will tell, but you have to wonder at Road & Track, Car & Driver and now Motor Trend in the SAME empire! That's A LOT of the same coverage for THREE ......
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