Magazine coverage question

For Jim A. Yes the turkey has worn off. ;-)

I loved the taildraggers in the before last issue of R&C. It even made me order a subscription. Is there any chance to revisit the topic and show more shots of the cars. It has *****en to have Don Montgomery write the article, but I sure wished for more pix. And as cute as Brizio Jr is, why does he have to be in both shots of the Calori coupe? My pal Mark had a car there and told me there was a media day with less people so the magazine types could get unimpeded access to the cars. Did your fellow miss it? This is less of a critique than a plea for more pix, maybe on the website?

Thanx, chili

PS: If Jimmy White thinks you funny then you funny.

 

No, we didn't go because of the $150 tickets and $500-1000 a night rooms. Also I was told my shorts and flip-flops weren't proper attire. But really, it was worked out before the event that Don would cover it and we didn't have the budget to spend all that money to double up on the coverage. We plan on featuring some of the cars but it REALLY takes some vocal readers saying they would love to see more of those cars rather than the only ones who speak up are the ones that say "I'm bored" or "I hate bubble cars so cancel my subscription".
I've said it before and it here it comes again- let them know there are things you like and would like to see more of OR ELSE you will be left with what the suits think needs to be in YOUR magazine.
Very sorry we don't have more on that event- I would have liked to see more of it myself, but this style of car is already under scrutiny with the suits. If you want R&C to stay true to white wall kustoms (not big-inch billet rimmed "custom rods") SPEAK UP or don't complain when that door closes. This is not just to you Phil, but to all the others who made the "Best Kustoms?" post one of the longest and best posts ever on the HAMB. I know custom guys don't speak up most of the time, but there are definitely a ton of them on here so please speak up and be heard.
We have had more "traditional" kustoms in R&C lately than I can think of and the difficult part is no one has spoken up to say they like them in there. Without some of you speaking up don't be surprised if things change.

 

Well, Jim, since I went and subscribed and all, I guess I'm invested in R&C now. Shall I send my comments via email or do the suits value writen correspondence more? I used to read R&C back in the early sixties in high school and the Custom coverage was what set it apart from Hot Rod. Then and now.

Jim, I WILL write to the mag. I like to make comments, sure, but I really like to be effective even more. And I am a fiend for old style customs. If I can see them in print without all the "Lyfestyle" BS, then I'm made very satisfied. I will refrain from slagging Custom Rodder also, though it pains me to do so.

Phil

 

Thank you. You would be amazed how many people won't take the time to write a note when they like something but will write a 10 page essay when they do not like the content. We love early kustoms too and would like to continue covering them as Rod & CUSTOM should.

 

So, what carries more weight? Email or US Postal?

And I love to give compliments when I can sincerely do so. Wish it was possible more often.

Phil

 

E-mails are easier to p*** around. Send them to the boss kevin.lee@primedia.com and he will get them to the proper people. Thanks Jim

 

Lord, I don't envy you, Jim A.... It made me shudder, I remember having the same internet conversations with people when I worked at Primedia, and all the "I hate custom cars, and that's all you ever have, so I am going to cancel my sub" and the next guy says "I hate Vintage stockers, and that's all you ever show, so cancel my sub" and every now and again, it would be "there are too many ads.. cancel my subscription" or "you don't have girls in the photos anymore, so cancel" and "How DARE you put girls in the photos? Cancel my sub!" ad nauseum. Then, you have to go and do battle with the suits and the bean counters over a pissed off advertiser because he feels that he didn't get the royal treatment in the last issue, and he pays good money to be treated like a king every time, and get rave reviews on his new muffler bearings the instant they are on the shelves for sale. The bean counters don't give a damn about the cars, they want to know how many beans it takes to get the book into the reader's hands, and how many beans come back from it. The suits, at least in my case (I don't know who Jim A has to deal with, but arguing with the likes of Lee Kelley, John Stewart, Greg N. Brown, or Steve Stillwell can be an exercise in futility)- *some* of them didn't really seem to know that much about the subject matter, in my case a specific make of car; they were business men, and as such, weren't necessarily "car guys"... They wanted the bottom line, they wanted it yesterday, and they wanted a better one each and every month.
That all being said, if YOU, the reader, want to see more of a certain type of car, send a polite e-mail or letter (I found that where I worked, a letter was actually given more credence, as someone had to take the time to type it, print it, address and stamp the envelope, and send it, whereas an e-mail can be in the hands of the end user in less time than it is going to take to read this long-winded diatribe), and DON'T say "YOU **** !! MORE TAIL DRAGGERS!!!" or "YOU GUYS WOULDN'T KNOW A ROD OR CUSTOM IF IT RAN OVER YOU!!" as that will only hurt your position, and your voice will not be heard and counted.
I know what a fine line it is, being an editor for a car magazine in a giant conglomerate based out of New York (yeah, I know, get a rope...) because I've been there, done that, and don't want to go back. Some of it I miss, sure, but some of it, like the political tap dance that goes on each and every month, like clockwork, without fail, and all the while you are expected to have your stuff shot, written, spell and grammar checked, and chock-full of new, late-breaking, insightful, sometimes humorous, sometimes pointed, information, and all ready for the Art Dept to take over, and then they screw it up, and it's Blue Line day, and Quark goes down on the Art Dept's computer, and it's Ship to Print day....

and then, in a few days, it starts all over again.

Anyway, be quick, concise, and reasonably polite.. they want to sell you the magazine, believe me, they do.That's part of what keeps them in business...and the editors from having to go out and get a REAL job.
Tell 'em what you want, and if there is enough of you, you'll get it. The editors need the ammo when they go into the staff meeting, and telling the bean counters and the suits they are going to mess with the tried-and-true formula, and do something different, because the counters and suits are NOT going to want to mess with the formula. I went to battle with a radical departure from the norm, on the magazine I worked for, had the ammo from the readers, got my (and the reader's) way, and guess what? It was one of the best-selling issues of the entire decade, which took me from "zero" to "hero" as soon as the numbers came in...
This is just my opinion, and my observations during my years in the car magazine business, and do NOT reflect the opinions of Jim A, Primedia, Rod & Custom Magazine, or anyone or anything else, except my feeble ramblings. Your mileage may vary, no animals were harmed in the typing of this, and *** is better than drugs (if you have the right pusher).

 

I would never let my R&C sub. slip. The one thing I really like is that every issue you guys mix it up. This past issue was somewhat of a tribute to Roth, the prior some nice customs, and wasn't the one before the one with Royce Gladers/ Pinkees car. I personally enjoy all genres of the R&C scene, I have my favorites, as well as the ones I can admire the creativity, vision, etc. but don't really like, such as the Roth cars.
Keep it up, and keep mixing it up. Don't get complacent.

The different covers a while back was a good example. Keep us on our toes, and we'll keep subscribing.

 

I have been a subscriber since '00 and my subcription is paid up untill '07.

If I did not have my current subscription,I would not subscribe or buy it off the newstand.
Not even worth taking out to the garage anymore,it makes it to the restroom, then straight into the trashcan.

 

Well, I'm going to send an email this week and print it out and send it by the US Snail. Ya, know, I found the HAMB from the cyberroddin' column a few years ago, so it sort of comes full circle. Jim A is a fellow HAMBer and has the stones to come on here and let us poke at his scabs, we should support his play at R&C. Join me in writing why we like the traditional cars in the mag and why we buy it instead of Street Rodder, Custom Rodder or other mags. Be polite, use spell check and don't make us look like idiots.

Now, Jim A, do something funny so I can see why Jimmy thinks you're funny.

chili

 

but the art work has been killer latley.

 

WOWWW!!! That makes it all so crystal clear why YOU don't like the magazine! Look for changes IMMEDIATELY! In fact those changes have ALREADY been made!

 

Hard to see the red rubber nose and big floppy shoes on the internet.

 

the car show coverage all looks the same each month,small 1.5 X 1.5 pictures of the cars. it's kind of hard to get excited reading about a show when its been in 3 other mags that same month and on the hamb 4 months before that.
you are the jouranlist ,if you can right worth a damn then you can make a great story about some SMALL cool get together or hangout or what have you that everybody and the brother hasnt already posted pics of or wrote about somewhere else. the only magazine that did any coverage on the national hot rod reunion was ol skool rodz and we all now they ****.that would have been a great show to do coverage on,but instead everymonth i have goodguys show coverage to look foward to.

the tech is pretty boring(maybe because i dont have the cash to shell out for the items you are doing tech on.)

the feautured cars (while, YES they are traditional) are big dollar cars for the most part,and as beautiful as they are and i can apreciate all the work and time gone in to them, they all seem so sterile.

nothing personal,your writing is always pretty good .
it's just that alot of mags are pretty boring nowadays.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turd Burgler
Not even worth taking out to the garage anymore,it makes it to the restroom, then straight into the trashcan.


WOWWW!!! That makes it all so crystal clear why YOU don't like the magazine! Look for changes IMMEDIATELY! In fact those changes have ALREADY been made!
__________________
Jimmy White thinks I'm funny.

And now I know WHY Jimmy White thinks you're funny.
I think I came in first, with the post telling these fine folks that an e-mail saying "YOU **** !! MORE TAILDRAGGERS!!" etc etc isn't going to accomplish a damn thing, and then, exactly on schedule... synchronize your watches...

 

Mmmm Hmmm... Don't know what to say. If you prefer the cars that are more "attainable" and resemble something a little closer to something just bought in pieces at the swap meet I can appreciate that. We already have those piles of parts and want to be inspired by cars that make those piles into auto art. We often use the ******* ****ogy that guys feel more comfortable with the "flawed" girl they think they have a shot with rather than the airbrushed perfect goddess' they could never hope to have a shot with. Well, ******* is still going strong after 50 years and "Crackhead Ho-Bags" has yet to put a dent in the market.

 

Quote:
Originally Posted by JimA
I know what you mean- we have tried REALLY hard to stay away from cars with *****in' firewalls, four bars and Torque Thrust IIs that claim to be "traditional"- good luck with 'Ol School Rodz and a few of the others because they don't seem to care as long as the pomp matches the cuffs.


I dont know who Jimmy White is but he probably is the only one that thinks your funny. I never claimed that my A was traditional only that I like to read traditional. What is traditional is that I do the wrenchin and paintin myself. Hope that helps. I guess that is a writers editorial twist. Perhaps my 55 would be traditional enough for you. It is uncut or molested in any way and time blasted back the way it rolled off the line BONE STOCK complete with a six banger and TUBE radio. Thats right I like to wait for it to heat up. I met Tim Bernsau on Americruise and he did a lifestyle shot and comments on my buddy and I a few years back. I did not say that I did not like R & C only that it has become boring, maybe a reinvention would help? Now Street Rodder is another story. EECH! I guess you know that the money goes in the same pot.
Dont get defensive. PS no cuffs or pomp in my life.

 

why bother asking for opinions and suggestions,if you are going to personally attack your subscribers if they dont agree with you???

why get so deffensive?

 

Does this sound like an opinion, or an attack, to you?

Quote:
Originally Posted by Turd Burgler
Not even worth taking out to the garage anymore,it makes it to the restroom, then straight into the trashcan.


Now that REALLY helped show the staff at R&C *right* where the problem, in your eyes, is. You really pinpointed it for them. I'm sure they are having an emergency staff meeting, and making the changes as we speak, or type.

I don't think Jim A was being "Deffensive" at all.

I think the ******* ****ogy fits perfectly..

Again, my opinion, and mine alone, and I am not, nor have I ever been, employed by R&C Magazine. Hell, I wouldn't know Jim A if he came up and stepped on my feet, but I will say I'd like to meet him- He has the 'nads to come in here, and tell it like it is, and for that, he has my respect.

 

I like Rod & Custom,I think it has much improved over the last couple of years.
The time at which I almost gave up on it was the Jeff Tann era,that was the low point.
No magazine is going to have 100% of the content that you like. The only thing I hate in any magazine are"tech articles" that are nothing but installation instructions for someones kit. That is why I just let my Custom Rodder sub lapse after about a gazillion years, plus I was sick of looking at pretty much stock 60's and 70's cars with big wheels and airbags.
The Rodders Journal is still the ruler though,although I don't really think that it's a fair to compare it to the monthly mags.......

 

who really ****in cares,like i said in my first reply, i wouldnt be getting the mag if i hadn't already subcribed till dec 07.

JimA then replied ,then i replied back stating WHY i thought it is getting stale and he jumped me ***UMING i like pile of **** ratrods.

big ****in deal,im going to go work on my ****,you guys can defend magazines all you want.

 

Ouch, wow, that really hurt.... 8=)

A little on the "deffensive" side, aren't we?
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/images/icons/icon10.gif

 

Did you pick THAT name on purpose, or is it a lifestyle choice?

 

Your point? Or just showing off that you can combine two SEPARATE posts into ONE??? Amazing!

 

I never JUMPED you or made reference to a "**** rod" although your name rings that you have some experience there. What's wrong- you pissed that "Rusty Nail" "Dirty Sanchez" "Bone Smuggler" and "*** Pirate" were all taken?

 

Jim, you guys at R & C put out a first cl*** magazine.I take my hat off to you for trying to personally take on board the critisim thrown at the magazine. You will never please all of the people all of the time in any sphere of life. Just my opinion for what it's worth.

 

. . . . okey dokey. . and back on topic

The coverage of pebble beach customs was really great. . . now I am crossing my fingers hoping that TRJ will cover the event and all of the customs like they have covered previous hot-rod events at Pebble Beach. I will be really bummed if the next TRJ doesn't cover them.

Thanks to R&C for covering it. . .

 

Don't know why I bother. I usually think I put up a good defense and then get a pie in the face when the post gets locked along with some jab at what an idiot I am. Somebody please remind me next time this broken record has been played too many times- I have short term memory problems. Funny the guys that don't want things to change never speak up (are there really any?), but the one guy that doesn't like it for ambiguous reasons will start a ****** war.

 

Remember the "word", Jim.
Hats off to you, and Tim, and everyone @ Rod & Custom. Sure there are months that don't have as much as others, that appeal to me personally (Hey! Couldja feature more '26-'27 unchopped T Tudor Sedans, full-fendered, with a flathead engine, Magnum 4 inch drop, 40 Ford brakes, split bones... I'd REALLY like the magazine then!!..lol) but, all things being equal, I personally think it's gone from being mediocre at times, to where it is now, and that's a 1st-cl*** magazine. As I said before, I have R&C back to the Tom Medley/Stroker McGurk days, until right now, so I've seen some good ones, and some maybe not-so-good ones, but the ones in the last year or so, to me, aare some of the best, for what I personally like to read.
Okay, gents, I've got my fire-retardant suit on... flame away....

 

I've always liked Rod & Custom Mag. I've never written. Guess I should let 'em know when I see something I like. Any plans on some HAMB Drags coverage?