With the newswire only available to TRAINS “subscribers” on or after July 12, 2006, purchasers of the magazine at hobby shops will have an incentive NOT to patronize the hobby shops anymore. Is the financial situation so bleak at TRAINS Magazine that they will risk totally alienating non-subscribers and hobby shops, which in turn could make the financial situation at TRAINS even bleaker? Of course, someone among us may perceive some kind of financial opportunity in all this, and will get rich attracting ex-TRAINS readers. Hey, under the circumstances, I will gladly buy a rail magazine that costs a quarter of the price, and has an exciting Internet newswire, even if its editors are in China! After all, a tremendous amount of double-stack trains these days carry cargo from China. Why not an exciting new magazine from China for rail employees and enthusiasts? Surely many American hobby shops will enthusiastically embrace and stock such a magazine. The hobby shops now definitely have a strong financial incentive to do so! And, with new, inexpensive magazines, more and more people would be attracted to those hobby shops. The hobby shops could get the last laugh in all this.
Opportunities always accompanies change. [:D]
I wonder how many Trains subscribers, like myself, actually became subscribers because of the Newswire. Not to receive it, but because I had been receiving it and perceived a greater value to subscribe. [:)]
Perhaps they could offer a “Free” level and a “Subscription” level of service, such as Randy Cassingham does with his “THis is True” e-mail newsletter.
Free editions contain fewer stories, and arrives later in the week - Friday. Premimum (paid) srubscribers get more stories, and it arrives Monday evening. [^]
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I don’t think Trains hates hobby shops, in fact it is just the opposite. It gets the magazine out to people who don’t subscribe, and some of those people might be first timers, who did not know the magazine was around. I have often wondered why Trains was not for sale at “big box” stores like Wal-Mart, but Model Railroader was.
Bert
You know, I wonder just how many of the complainers of the new policy actually do purchase the magazine every month from the hobby shop. I’d be willing to bet that the majority flip through the magazine at the hobby shop, and maybe buy one copy per year if there’s an article that they really like.
If that’s the case(as I believe it is), I hardly see how it’s so bad for Trains.com to implement the new policy. For crying out loud, if the newswire means that much to you, can you please stop whining and just get a subscription? It doesn’t cost that much, plus you’ll be getting a top notch magazine once-a-month in addition to the Newswire service.
There’s no free lunch. Be a sport and support the company that’s bringing you a great website (which will still mostly be free even if you don’t!).
Yes, but the ability to make the non subscribers (who flock to the hobbyshops to read the mag free) “squirm” will more than make up for it, fun wise.
Actually, I’ve seen a number of magazines get creative with special web access perks for subscribers only, and welcome these attempts by Trains mag here.
One magazine I know of has digitized the past 5 years of all 4 monthly pubs it produces, and if you subscribe to any one, you get online access to the archives of all 4.
Now if Trains did THAT, and made the cost savings for subscribing a little more attractive, I’d subscribe.
But what do they offer now? like a buck an issue savings?
If trains did that, I Would buy you a subscription!!![:D]
Thanks for the kind thoughts [:D]
Seriously though, it is a wonderful perk. In addition to having online copies of the past 5 years of each publication, (available to subscribers only) they also put the feature articles and editorials of the next coming issue (just the one you subscribe to) on line as well, typically this means that I can start whetting my appetite 1-2 weeks before the subscribed copy is in my mailbox.
ou soon get to a point where you don’t DARE let your subscription lapse, because you lose so much if you do.
Why? Don’t most of you have all the past issues from 5 years ago? I do!
Heck my subscription doesn’t run out til 2010.
Yes, no, and “sort of”
I read so much, that over the past30 years I had accumulated 4000 Lbs plus of various magazines.
Storing, cataloging, preserving, and being able to access that many magazines gets to be a chore larger tthan life, after so many magazines.
And even if you do decide to slug it out and access an old issue archived in the attic , remembering if the article I am looking for is in Harpers, or the Atlantic,… Discover or Smithsonian, etc etc etc, gets to be a chore.
So, the last time I was faced with moving, I sat down and decided what issues of which magazines actually had articles that I may actually read once again, and abandoned my prideful assembly of all magazines, issue January thru December, XX consecutive years and running, that I once thought so important to do. And pitched the rest.
I filled a 5 cu yd dumpster 3/4 full.
Now, magazines that I buy have a 6-9 month grace period, where after I read them, they sit until I get the energy to pitch and choose.
I realized that no one was gonna look at those mags (in all likelihood) until the day I died, and then be forced to think about what to do with all of them.
Just like all those TV shows I taped with the VCR that I thought were so important to save, many of which I hadn’t watched since the day I recorded…
it’s amazing the things we think we NEED to do, just because the technology is available to make it possible…
Next stop? that closet in the spare bedroom where I’ve been “saving” all those old suits waiting for polyester to come back into style. And the pants with the 3" wide belt loops…gone!!
I don’t subscribe at the moment, But I do buy the magazine every month from the newstand, however, I will ask for a subscription Trains and MR for my birthday.
James
I heard a rumor somewhere that forum members who have 5 stars as of July 13 will continue to be able to access newswire free, even without a subscription [?][?][?]
Hat happens if you have 5 stars + a subscription? [:)]
You get an all expense paid vacation at the Depot Diner & Coffee Shop.