R/C Car magazine is dead!
11-24-2010, 06:15 AM
#31
I don't agree that review honesty and possibly negativity are directly linked to advertising. If these honest reviews earned a bigger readership (one would hope they would) then this readership number would be the main reason for the magazine to be attractive to the advertisers.
I really think it's more down to it being a very tough climate for any business that prints on paper. With the internet we know whats happening and coming to market long before a printed magazine can make it into circulation. News papers and other magazines are all having a tough time too.
I really think it's more down to it being a very tough climate for any business that prints on paper. With the internet we know whats happening and coming to market long before a printed magazine can make it into circulation. News papers and other magazines are all having a tough time too.
But I agree this is more a sign of the times than anything. Print media is a dying breed, period. They are starting to not even print the telephone books!
11-24-2010, 06:20 AM
#32
Tech Regular
Reminds me of that song by the Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star accept the internet killed the rc car magazine......Sign of the times I guess. Unfortunately it's likely going to be a similar story for our local hobby shops which is a real shame in my opinion. It's a sad fact that you can get parts etc faster and cheaper on-line than you can in your LHS.
11-24-2010, 06:22 AM
#33
call me crazy, but isnt this the print media fault for putting there stuff thier stuff on the internet they had to know that it was going to hurt them.
11-24-2010, 06:24 AM
#34
Reminds me of that song by the Buggles, Video Killed the Radio Star accept the internet killed the rc car magazine......Sign of the times I guess. Unfortunately it's likely going to be a similar story for our local hobby shops which is a real shame in my opinion. It's a sad fact that you can get parts etc faster and cheaper on-line than you can in your LHS.
na as long as lhs sells planes and helis there will be broken parts more than r/c cars i think they will be ok.
and catering to bashers they will be somewhat ok.
11-24-2010, 06:35 AM
#35
Internet sites the same, for sure when they have the testing stuff sponsored by a supplier. Last year I was busy with a review about the HPI Formula Ten car for a magazine and I wanted to know what other articles were saying about the car. The one thing what was disturbing me about the car was the body in several parts sticked togeather with dubble sided tape faling apart and no other review I found did mention that.
11-24-2010, 06:38 AM
#36
Going internet
I have a collection of magazines since I have been subscribing from back in the 90s. I have all of them.
It's nice to see the change in R/C products.
I think going solely internet is a gamble. Your reader subscription will drop IMO. I don't want to carry a laptop with me everywhere to read the magazine when I can carry the magazine. Not to mention, did the online system allow you to go back and read the magazines you previously purchased/subscribed to?? Unless you were able to download the magazine, those who bought into the internet now have nothing to show for it.
Example...
Remember reading that article online about....
No, but, I do have the magazine article from this magazine right here..
Heck. I'm not taking the laptop to the bathroom with me to read some
online magazine.
Speaking of which. I'm going to the bathroom with my magazine..
I know.. Too much information.
It's nice to see the change in R/C products.
I think going solely internet is a gamble. Your reader subscription will drop IMO. I don't want to carry a laptop with me everywhere to read the magazine when I can carry the magazine. Not to mention, did the online system allow you to go back and read the magazines you previously purchased/subscribed to?? Unless you were able to download the magazine, those who bought into the internet now have nothing to show for it.
Example...
Remember reading that article online about....
No, but, I do have the magazine article from this magazine right here..
Heck. I'm not taking the laptop to the bathroom with me to read some
online magazine.
Speaking of which. I'm going to the bathroom with my magazine..
I know.. Too much information.
11-24-2010, 07:22 AM
#37
It's really a shame to see them go. I really liked RC-Car for its more honest reviews, vintage section, and long-range vehicle tests.
Now all I have is XRC to look forward to every month. I still get car action, but it's just a formality and I only look through each issue once. And I won't subscribe to RC Driver, because it is so boring that it puts me to sleep.
I have a few old issues of RC Competition Plus, and they were great as mentioned earlier in this thread.
Now all I have is XRC to look forward to every month. I still get car action, but it's just a formality and I only look through each issue once. And I won't subscribe to RC Driver, because it is so boring that it puts me to sleep.
I have a few old issues of RC Competition Plus, and they were great as mentioned earlier in this thread.
11-24-2010, 07:50 AM
#38
It's understandable that they do not write negative articles. Don't get me wrong, there are a bunch of great articles in these magazines that help people out. RC Driver has had some great articles explaining things such as restricters.
The only way to get an un biased RC Magazine I assume would be one who bought the kits outright instead of having companies sending them the stuff for free. I am sure this is almost impossible due to the extra money spent on kits, these magazines arn't making millions. Which is why I said its understandable that they cannot write a negative review.
It is what it is, but I still think some of these magazines still have great information especially for the newer crowd.
The only way to get an un biased RC Magazine I assume would be one who bought the kits outright instead of having companies sending them the stuff for free. I am sure this is almost impossible due to the extra money spent on kits, these magazines arn't making millions. Which is why I said its understandable that they cannot write a negative review.
It is what it is, but I still think some of these magazines still have great information especially for the newer crowd.
11-24-2010, 07:58 AM
#39
Tech Apprentice
This must be some what of a US phenomenon that companies would stop advertising just because a magazine is honest about a product. What kind of BS is that?
If a company does business that way I wouldn’t want to by their products any way.
Journalism should never be bias it is the roll of having them in the first place. Otherwise we could just get or “facts” directly from the companies.
If you have a bad product and receive a bad review – go home do your home work and come back.
In Europe we have a few RC magazines most of which are very open about their opinion and still they sell ads…
If a company does business that way I wouldn’t want to by their products any way.
Journalism should never be bias it is the roll of having them in the first place. Otherwise we could just get or “facts” directly from the companies.
If you have a bad product and receive a bad review – go home do your home work and come back.
In Europe we have a few RC magazines most of which are very open about their opinion and still they sell ads…
11-24-2010, 09:08 AM
#40
Magazines
Hmmm.
I wonder with 50K subscribers at $19.95 per year, That's almost 1 million dollars.
I don't know the staff size or the printing costs, but, I do know a full page ad is several thousands per issue per page. That being said, add the numbers up.
Traxxas is running 30 page ads. Don't tell me they are no paying a pretty penny for those ads.
Not to mention, rear page and inside cover pages are also some of the most expensive places to advertise in magazines. Also, those spaces are held for periods of time and not just a 1 time entry.
I would think this was something that was coming and it was known. It didn't just happen one day.
I wonder with 50K subscribers at $19.95 per year, That's almost 1 million dollars.
I don't know the staff size or the printing costs, but, I do know a full page ad is several thousands per issue per page. That being said, add the numbers up.
Traxxas is running 30 page ads. Don't tell me they are no paying a pretty penny for those ads.
Not to mention, rear page and inside cover pages are also some of the most expensive places to advertise in magazines. Also, those spaces are held for periods of time and not just a 1 time entry.
I would think this was something that was coming and it was known. It didn't just happen one day.
11-24-2010, 10:29 AM
#42
11-24-2010, 10:39 AM
#43
11-25-2010, 06:12 AM
#44
So, only one Rc off-road magazine left? Rc Driver is no more if i'm not mistaken. What a bummer. It was nice at one time to get three different mags a month. Now down to one. This economy sucks. I have my own swimming pool remodeling and repair business, and this was the slowest summer EVER!! Good luck to Mr. Bess, and I hope he keeps it real like Dave Chapelle.
Thanks Andy!!!!!!
AND, I used to write for the 'black and white' magazine - Competition Plus! We had a lot of fun with that magazine and I enjoyed the folks that I worked with in addition to the owners!!!! PLUS, it made me learn to shoot photos in black and white 'cause the color never looked 'right' using their conversion process! And, toward the last it got 'really big' - almost newspaper sized in an effort to reduce costs to more closely match advertising income.
Chris Kovachevich
Lead Contributor
RC Driver magazine
11-25-2010, 06:37 AM
#45
How can you say that bad reviews won't negatively affect advertising? It's been proven. If I review Brand X's long-awaited, much-hyped, RC and it's a POS and I tell the readers that do you really think Brand X is going to advertise with the magazine again in the near future? Companies have pulled ads and support of magazines for bad reviews - fair or not.
But I agree this is more a sign of the times than anything. Print media is a dying breed, period. They are starting to not even print the telephone books!
But I agree this is more a sign of the times than anything. Print media is a dying breed, period. They are starting to not even print the telephone books!
on another note...it was a great magazine stinks that it was close....not much of a fan of the alternative in of car action