I agree, and if my print magazine subscription helps in some small way to keep the concept of a monthly publication (print or otherwise) and access to these forums going, then I’ve accomlished what I’m after.
And have been for some years - that is far some something new. Of model train publications, we’ve lost Model Railroading and Rail Model Journal quite some time ago; those were magazines I enjoyed reading.
FWIW the October 1991 MR - which wasn’t a special issue or anything - was 202 pages.
It’s maybe a bit like TV. Years ago there were three networks, if you were watching TV you were watching one of them (or perhaps “National Educational TV” which became PBS). Now you have many cable networks to choose from which has segmented the viewing population from three large groups to dozens of smaller viewing groups. “Star Trek” was cancelled by NBC in 1969 because it was ‘only’ getting about 25% of viewers in it’s time slot. Now that would be like a Super Bowl’s ratings.
Similarly, since MR and RMC primarly focus on HO and have done so for many years, there are separate magazines now for Z scalers, N scalers, two for O scalers, one for S-gaugers etc. Kalmbach themselves now have magazines for “large scale” garden trains, and three-railers (Classic Toy Trains). At one time, all those things would have been in MR.
That’s a good point Stix. Not only would all of them at one time been in MR, all are something I would embrace seeing in MR again. I personally don’t care if a layout has two rails or three, pizza cutter flanges or ones closer to scale, fits in a briefcase or barely fits in your yard. If it’s well done, has a unique feature, or is novel in it’s approach to something, seems beneficial and worthy of inclusion. Some may disagree, but they could simply skip those pages. My [2c].
We have the same challenge here in the UK. I am told by magazine owners if I ‘went digital’ there is more content than a paper edition. I prefer to hold a paper edition in my hand. Something to pick up and look at when I want.
At the moment there is plenty of articles in the magazine. If they do cut back it will them that lose my custom. I have plenty of books to read. [:)]
David
So instead of having X pages devoted to HO/N we would have 1/2X pages devoted to stuff I would have no interest in that I can skip over?
Thanks, but no thanks.
Back in the 70s, an adult friend lent my teenage self every issue of MR from 1947 on.
People were already complaining about MR going downhill in 1947.
Le plus ca change, le plus c’est la meme chose, which is French for “Oh bugger, here we go again.”
Much of this statement is incorrect. Kalmbach accepts material completely via the Internet. Not too tough: graphics need to be high-resolution, of course, because of readers’ expectations of a print magazine. Kalmbach pays on acceptance, even if it’s a while before it’s printed. I’ve never waited more than a year to see something published.
There are one or two horror stories about years passing before something is published, but I think that they are the exception, not the rule.
Paid magazines (paper or online) are facing challenges, of course. But some of the stuff in this thread is just uninformed conjecture. (Par for this particular course.)
Byron
Further to my comment above.
My local model shop used to advertise in most magazines. Now he is selective as some magazines are ‘going digital’.
David
Lots of good points, and may I add…
I’ve been a reader/subscriber since the December 1955 issue. The fall/winter/early spring issues have always been bigger than the summer issues. After all, the hobby has traditionally been much more active in the non-summer months.
Still, MR - and many other mags - are thinning out these days for reasons mentioned earlier. And some mags have just disappeared, and another result is like my beloved “Car and Driver” mag, which has suddenly gone from 12 issues to 10 per year.
I hate to think it, but I imagine many of our favorite mags will go to digital or just go away, and there is nothing we can do about it.
I read most of the ads in the print magazine. I find it refreshing that I am reading a magazine that focuses on my interests. No cigarette ads, no car ads, no deodorant are, just train ads.
Online, most of the ads are train related, but not all. And, they repeat. An ad in a once-a-month magazine isn’t annoying, but I frequent the forums enough to see the same ads over and over, sometimes for months, and they get in my way when I’m trying to post. This may be an aspect of online magazines that’s not given the importance it should have.
All well and good but if ad revenue isnt enough plus subscriptions to maintain the magazine, then it’s only a matter of time before shop shut.