Hot Rods Car Kulture DeLuxe and Ol' Skool Rodz demise???

Yeah I have a buddy on the coast that supposed to hook me up with a full run of "honk!". I already have the first two years of car craft (formerly "honk!") Lol

 

So this evening I decided to go to Barnes and Noble to look at the car mags while I was on my way home and to shoot a few pictures of for this thread. Anyways there are still some car mags but only one pre 1949 type car enthusiast magazine and it is definitely not HAMB friendly (in my opinion it is an abomination). Anyways I took a few pictures of the magazine rack and it's titles. Hot Rod magazine is still there although it's pretty thin. Old skool rodz car kulture deluxe are definitely not to be seen. Here is the three shelves of magazines. If you look closely a lot of magazines there is two months on the stand making it look fuller then it really is.
Also as an owner of a ton of vintage car magazines from the 1940s 1950s 1960s 1970s the modern magazines inflation corrected for their cover price all seem pretty overpriced. It seems to me as the price goes up less people would buy the magazine. I think I said that the other day in a previous comment what I mean is for example Collector Automobile that you see in the front row of one of those pictures is an excellent restoration type magazine showcasing American restored cars but at $12 it's pretty hard to justify buying it. Hot rod is $8- and as I said a moment ago with how thin it is to me it doesn't feel like an eight-dollar magazine it feels like a four to five dollar magazine. I think vintage truck (a cool restored American pickup and light truck magazine if you never have seen an issue) is $9- bucks now. I buy vintage truck on occasion and if I could find a good traditional hot rod / Street Rod magazine I would probably buy it too but...i think magazines are going away.
On a related subject on the dying magazine industry about 15 minutes ago I came across this article now I know it is not a car magazine but probably every one of us have read popular science at one time or another and I was a bit shocked that it died but then I remember buying it at the O'HARE airport 7 or 8 years ago and I was really disappointed with what was in it so I threw it in the trash can when I got off the plane so I never picked up another issue again. The same goes with national geographic anyways 8ish years later popular science is officially dead
https://www.theverge.com/2023/11/27/23978042/popular-science-digital-magazine-discontinued

 

Before I saw this post, I had emailed OSR and got a standard response that they would get back to me. That was a month ago. A while ago, I called the subscriber's contact number and got a message stating that due to financial constraints they could not answer the phone and asked that I leave a message. I did. Then I did a search and found this post on the HAMB. Too bad, I liked they magazine. Unfortunately, I had subscribed for three years and now will not get any refund. This is the second magazine that has gone belly up that I had been subscribing to. I know people are going digital but I still like to read a magazine while doing my business or reading in bed. The last issue I got was the May/June 2023.

 

I quit buying it when it was Murphos Wife everywhere and his cars in every mag.

 

There is no mention of the magazine going belly up on any of their sites that I could find.

 

OK folks, I guess it's time to weigh in on this subject, since my knowledge is a bit more than an "opinion", though slightly less than 100% in the know.
My name is Dale Van Zant. I have been a freelance Feature Editor and Columnist for Car Kulture DeLuxe and Ol' Skool Rodz magazines since around 2005... like, 18-19 years or so. I've written car features, show coverage, artist interviews and had 2 long-running columns- "The Boulevard Crawl" in CKD, and since Murpho's took the reins, "On The Throttle With DVZ" in Ol' Skool Rodz. I've pretty much been published in one or both of these mags every issue since '05-ish.
For the record, the people at Murpho's Publishing, every one of them, have done a tremendous job with the mags since they purchased the enterprise. Under Murpho's, the quality of the photography, the car features, the overall content, has gotten better with every issue. The Murpho's Publishing mantra since the beginning has been a VERY sincere "Keep Print Alive!", a sentiment that is near to my heart. I have made a career of the printing industry for over 40 years, and to me there is nothing online that can substitute that brand-new mag showing up in your mailbox. Holding it in your hand, smelling the fresh ink, turning the pages and maybe even seeing your buddy's or even YOUR own car in PRINT. No substitute for a quality, printed magazine. Analogous to dropping a needle on an LP versus compressed Spotify listening. It's quite simply a high-quality tactile experience, vs. quicker access but lower quality.
Writing is a side-hustle for me, something I've done not for the money, but simply for my love of all things Hot Rod and Kustom. In my day-job I managed printing and print budgets for my entire career, and I can tell you unequivocally that greed or high profits have NOTHING to do with the ridiculous rising cost (and disappearance) of print magazines. Publisher profits have withered. Paper prices have been skyrocketing for over 20 years. Many, many paper mills have gone out of business due to the high cost of manufacturing paper. And, the fewer mills producing the paper, the HIGHER the cost to the publishers, and newsstand prices. This is why we've seen literally dozens of print publications fail in recent years.The reason for the magazines disappearing off the stands is simple... not enough magazines being sold. The publisher eats the cost of producing unsold mags.
In an effort to keep these two fine publications alive, Murpho's recently made the tough decision to abandon newsstands, and offer subscription only. Even then, mailing costs continue to increase. I know that they have taken a pause, likely to determine their path forward. I am hopeful they'll return. To get my fill, I've been spending nights in my shop working on hot rods and listening to Murpho's "Custom Kulture Rodcast" on Spotify. Great interviews and discussions to listen to while wrenchin'.
In closing, this post is not at all an official statement from Murpho's Publishing, as I am not a full-time employee, just a freelance contributor who cares deeply about Hot Rods, Kustoms, and the future of Print Publishing. I just wanted to address some of the comments on this thread with the actual facts. And again, I have the utmost respect for the folks at Murpho's Publishing, and their unwavering efforts to Keep Print Alive against some very high odds. I'm still hopeful... I can't imagine a world without busted knuckles, papercuts, and Hot Rod mags.
DVZ

 

^^ Thanks for some detailed info on what is happening to the print world also, Thanks for you contributions. Murpho's should at least post something on their web site as to what is going on. no communications, like with others, is not good for anyone.

 

Just saw on FB they officially announced ceasing publication

 

Well sheeit, another one bites the dust.

 

Exploding costs and a declining audience/senior readership. A poor combination and very sad.

 

The loss of magazines (not just automotive but all kinds) shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. People don’t read anymore, school kids don’t use text books anymore and very very few read books or magazines for enjoyment. If it can’t be viewed in a text or a video or on social media they are not interested. People only read enough to get by.

In between Christmas and New Year my grandson who is 21 and I were putting together a Blackstone grill and I asked him if he read the directions and he said no “I looked at the picture on the box” I had to get some paper work filled out by my doctor, got all the forms (5 pages) in order with sticky notes where important information or signatures were required. Put a cover note on the pages, paper clipped it all together telling what was needed and asking the information be faxed to the number I included and dropped it off at the office. A week later got a call saying my paperwork had been rejected because it was incomplete. Went to the doctors office and the young nurse said “Oh I fill this stuff out all the time and I guess I didn’t read all those notes”

Think about it. Reading scores are at all times low. Kid’s graduate from high school not being able to read. They no longer teach cursive writing skills. Look at any group of people and probably 90% are looking at or fiddling with their phones. There is no desire to read. My opinion your mileage may vary.

 

It's a sad deal for me also. I have mags going back to 1963. I find that I don't look at them much anymore unless I'm researching something. I'm pretty sure that my collection will be in the dumpster when I'm gone. That's ok. They served their purpose in my life. Not everyone got to share in the magic of the past or appreciate it.

 

Why I'm proud of my own personal small collection. I have nearly every hot rod magazine from 1953-1964, a bunch of rod and custom from the same era, complete first year of car craft after it stopped being honk, and a bunch of random other titles from the same era.

 

Thanks @dvz that was an inciteful and informative post. I have read your work and am a fan. I'm guilty of not fully supporting the print industry. I haven't had a subscription for quite a few years. I would occasionally buy off the rack. I have a small "collection" of car magazines, but not many that would be considered "collectable." And definitely not on par with most on the HAMB. I rarely look back at them, but when my wife asks what I am going to do with them, I have no answer. Maybe when I can't build anymore cars, I'll sit and look at them. Are there any good traditional hot rod, or custom car mags left in print? I think somebody needs to post a list of what, if any, are still in print. That might generate some sales. I'd be interested.

 

Honestly I'm not as bummed as you'd think. Went about a year without being able to see or buy either title. When I was able to start getting them again I noticed a change in cars featured. While they generally looked nostalgic at a glance upon closer look there wasn't much vintage aside from the shell. Tilt columns, mustang II, air ride, new aftermarket seats, some even had digital dash. Like a paint job and a set of foose wheels and steering wheel away from being in street rodder magazine. A few here and there didn't bother me as before they'd have other cars in the same issue that were nearly pure time warp cars. I honestly wasn't sure why I kept buying every issue last year or so

 

Welp. Just don't go getting a lifetime subscription as nothing is forever.

 

Absolute truth here. Well said pirate.

 

I have quite a collection, send me three dollar personal check, and I will send you two old ( like New condition )
random early magazines you will enjoy.

verde742,
742 e palo verde st.
Gilbert, Az. 85296

 

Can I pick what I would like to have?

 

I have a collection of Street Rodder magazines from issue No.1 to last issue printed. I tried to sell all of them a while back and had no response. I guess this tells the story. When I go I hope they at least recycle them. Still miss my Hot Rod Deluxe. JOHN

 

There is one sad fact about looking through old magazines. All the advertisers are out of business.

 

I kind of like that you snuck some political discourse in.

 

Thank you @dvz for your insight.
Too bad for all of us

 

Some of the ones pictured are in name only. Bought out by conglomerates, moved off shore etc. My point was that there were hundreds of small adds selling products or services. Just sad to see them gone. Kind of like a greatest generation guy thumbing through his year book.

 

Glad the H.A.M.B. Journal is still going strong. I have some recent back issues if someone is looking.