Register now to get rid of these ads!

Hot Rods Print isn't dead yet

Discussion in 'The Hokey Ass Message Board' started by denis4x4, Nov 2, 2019.

  1. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,196

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    Publications using the mail are required to publishing circulation numbers once a year. Quite frankly, I was surprised that HOT ROD had a paid print circulation of a little over 400,000 copies. More surprising was the number of deeply discounted subs at only 25,000. Finally, paid online subs were 25,000.

    While these numbers are certainly down, it appears that print is not quite dead yet.

    BTW, Bonneville coverage in the current issue is excellent with a HAMB friendly car on the cover.
     
  2. lake_harley
    Joined: Jun 4, 2017
    Posts: 2,153

    lake_harley
    Member

    Personally, I like magazines. Pick it up, read an article, or part of one, put it down and eventually it's still right there to refer back to if you hold onto them.

    I get a couple related to interests other than hot rods, Sport Aviation and Speedway Illustrated. I haven't perused a magazine rack recently so I don't know of a current, monthly hot rodding magazine. I'm not interested in some trendy hype magazine, just a magazine like the Rod and Custom from the days of old.

    Lynn
     
    OLSKOOL57 likes this.
  3. Of those 400.000 printed copies, it might be more telling if it was broken down into age groups. I suspect more print subscriptions are being read at the breakfast table with a side of prostate medicine than are being read in high school study hall. Personally, I don't recall ever reading a "magazine" online. But then, on my birthday, more money is spent on candles than on cake. This old dog only does old tricks.
    For now, the print numbers do look good, though. :cool:
     
    alanp561, raylloyd, vtx1800 and 4 others like this.
  4. BamaMav
    Joined: Jun 19, 2011
    Posts: 6,689

    BamaMav
    Member
    from Berry, AL

    I wonder what the highest number of paid subs was, and in what year? Of course it was pre internet, but was it in the 50's, 60's, 70's ,80's, 90's, 00's? My guess would be 60's or 70's.
     

  5. Roothawg
    Joined: Mar 14, 2001
    Posts: 24,502

    Roothawg
    Member

    I prefer print, but they have gotten so bad, I let all my subs lapse. I am
    Sure it is hard to compete with digital media.
     
  6. error404
    Joined: Dec 11, 2012
    Posts: 383

    error404
    Member
    from CA

    When my father passed away, my Mom tried to cancel his various motorcycle and car magazine subscriptions, she said it was actually hard to do, they kept sending them even though she had stopped paying and said she didn't want to continue the subscriptions. I suspect they do that to keep the numbers up... haha!
     
    Tim likes this.
  7. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,196

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    The best selling issue was the 50th anniversary with Pete sitting on a stool surrounded by every cover on the floor. Over a million copies. During the sixties and seventies, circulation was in the high 700,000 and low 800,000. MOTOR TREND was usually over a 1,000,000 during that time.
     
    Driver50x likes this.
  8. Kiwi 4d
    Joined: Sep 16, 2006
    Posts: 3,561

    Kiwi 4d
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    On a recent visit to the US we swung by a couple of Barnes and Noble stores and the hot rod mags we very sparse. Even the hard bound books were very limited , a bit disappointing. So where do you go to get your magazine fix.?
     
  9. 34Larry
    Joined: Apr 25, 2011
    Posts: 1,690

    34Larry
    Member

    Just this morning picked up the November issue of "Hot Rod Deluxe" but wouldn't put "hot rod" itself in the can for ass wipe. Stopped Street Rodder subscription also after 30+ years, but would put it in the can for ass wipe, there's no Sears catalog any more. Have subscribed to "Hot Rod Deluxe," as of this morning.
     
    OLSKOOL57 likes this.
  10. BadgeZ28
    Joined: Oct 28, 2009
    Posts: 1,163

    BadgeZ28
    Member
    from Oregon

    I still take Hot Rod. I also take magazines related to my other hobbies. I am old school also. Like to physically hold it and turn pages.
     
    deucemac and gnichols like this.
  11. Mr48chev
    Joined: Dec 28, 2007
    Posts: 33,822

    Mr48chev
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    I had a subscription to Hotrod for over 40 years and let it lapse when the car coverage didn't have enough of what I was interested in. I usually thumb though the issue on the magazine rack now and see if there is enough there to warrant buying it.
    I pretty much do that with the rest of the rod rags now too though. Where I used to just toss them in the cart and buy them now I check to see if there is something I want to buy it for and I'm not a big fan of the ones that are primarily photos and no decent event coverage or how to articles.
     
    Turnipseed likes this.
  12. Had a subscription to Hot Rod since 1957. Did not renew this year. I'm not into Camaros.
     
  13. lake_harley
    Joined: Jun 4, 2017
    Posts: 2,153

    lake_harley
    Member

    It seems that the magazines are structured to appeal to people with attention deficit disorder. Instead of 2 to 4 page articles that actually have information, so much of magazines are what I'll call "sound bites" but in print. Three or four short little blips per page that mention something....but don't really "cover" anything.

    Lynn
     
  14. I recently picked up a copy of Hot Rod at the airport. I quickly put it back after thumbing through it. Nothing in it for me! Getting like many of the cruise nights. All new stuff.
     
    Last edited: Nov 27, 2019
  15. Fordors
    Joined: Sep 22, 2016
    Posts: 5,360

    Fordors
    Member

    For probably 25 years I would visit a cigar store/newsstand on Tuesdays like clockwork, that was the day for new magazines to hit the shelves in the Chicago area. That store had a very large selection with just about any topic you could think of. When they closed the store I found a different store with a great selection but that one has been gone for a while too.
    As far as B & N or other chain booksellers go I think they gauge the market for magazines in their stores and will only carry transportation related titles that sell. In you visit a store in what would be considered the “high rent district” it’s doubtful you will find anything other than Motor Trend or the like.
    For hard cover, at least where I live online sales are the best for both availability and price.
     
  16. jimmy six
    Joined: Mar 21, 2006
    Posts: 14,768

    jimmy six
    ALLIANCE MEMBER

    Just received a monthly copy in my name. Didn’t subscribe or paid. Called Florida, they said it was real. Gave me the phone # of a promo company who did indeed give me a 1 year subscription hoping I’ll reup in 11-20. Not going to happen, but I thanked them.
     
  17. goldmountain
    Joined: Jun 12, 2016
    Posts: 4,437

    goldmountain

    Stopped buying the magazines but sometimes I miss all the ads from the parts vendors. Maybe they have come out with something I could use.

    Sent from my SM-T350 using The H.A.M.B. mobile app
     
  18. nothing better than a 30 minute shit with a good magazine.
     
  19. I used to love getting my mags in the mail but after a while I realized I was done in 15-20 minutes and would go through it one more time looking for what I missed for another 5 minutes. Then I noticed that the tech articles were just long paid advertisements. That when I quit.
     
    alanp561, jimmy six and impala4speed like this.
  20. partsdawg
    Joined: Feb 12, 2006
    Posts: 3,500

    partsdawg
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Minnesota

    8,000 car magazines and the newest is from 1971.
    When I need to read about traditional hot rods I open a bin and read magazines from before they were tagged traditional
     
  21. hudson48
    Joined: Oct 16, 2007
    Posts: 3,108

    hudson48
    Member

    I like print. Read some of it, come back and finish and maybe read a second time.
     
    gnichols likes this.
  22. gnichols
    Joined: Mar 6, 2008
    Posts: 11,340

    gnichols
    Member
    from Tampa, FL

    I like print, especially books. I can't imagine not having good stuff around to read over and over. Besides, good or bad, how ya going to share your ideas when there is no electricity?
     
    Montana1 and jaw22w like this.
  23. GTS225
    Joined: Jul 2, 2006
    Posts: 1,244

    GTS225
    Member

    *******************************************************

    This is what I find the most dismaying. You see a "low budget build" touted on the cover, and when you skim over the article, they're farming the car out to some shop, and buying the so-called "low budget" parts from some outfit that happens to also do mail order. There is no longer any experimentation, or finding salvage yard parts and improvements that are truly low budget.
    I suspect this is a big reason that the subscription numbers are down, along with real expense in print media.

    Roger
     
    loudbang and scotty t like this.
  24. joeycarpunk
    Joined: Jun 21, 2004
    Posts: 4,446

    joeycarpunk
    Member
    from MN,USA

    Not dead yet, but well on it's way. Sad really. I'll thumb through mags when at Barnes & Nobles but rarely buy anymore.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  25. OLDSMAN
    Joined: Jul 20, 2006
    Posts: 2,422

    OLDSMAN
    BANNED

    I stopped subscribing to Hot Rod years ago, then stopped Street Rodder a couple of years later. I recently started subscribing to Street Rodder again, but the cars in the magazine are more to my liking again.
     
    loudbang likes this.
  26. ramblin dan
    Joined: Apr 16, 2018
    Posts: 3,608

    ramblin dan

    I find guys buying the old hot rod, truckin, and street rod books I bring to swap meets to sell. They tell me it's the cost of the new books that is the problem. I always found the old books had more how to articles without having to buy parts from the magazine's advertisers.
     
  27. denis4x4
    Joined: Apr 23, 2005
    Posts: 4,196

    denis4x4
    ALLIANCE MEMBER
    from Colorado

    03421BA7-DE6E-44E8-A79D-242C57F05A19.jpeg

    January 2020 issue
     
    Speed Gems likes this.
  28. The staff of the magazines back in the 19++'s were guys with genuine patina under their fingernails and full contact experience with the subject matter of the articles. They knew the business but probably weren't educated beyond their intelligence at a college. It's safe to say those guys are retired, have washed their hands of digital publishing but are most likely still doing what they love, tinkering with old iron. The current "publicists" are more likely to be products of the college system and have been employed at cooking/workout/home decorating/etc. magazines and catalogs in the past. I'm sure they are trying to feature articles of interest but don't really have the chops to nail them.
    The day is coming when somebody is going to build an electric-powered '32 and someone else will publish it without a cringe. o_O
     
    Montana1 likes this.
  29. Fordors
    Joined: Sep 22, 2016
    Posts: 5,360

    Fordors
    Member

    I agree @The Shift Wizard, but then the fault lies with the people hiring dullards with little or no mechanical aptitude, much less any idea of our hobby.
    There has to be a few, if not more, of a new crop of Gray Baskerville’s, Tom Senter’s, Jim Jacobs and the like out there. I still like print but most of what is available isn’t worthy of the bottom of the bird cage.
     
  30. You must be self employed the guys I work with take at least 45 minutes.

    I like magazines I read and reread them. How are you going to work and read the tech on a laptop at the same time?
     
    alanp561 and tb33anda3rd like this.

Share This Page

Register now to get rid of these ads!

Archive

Copyright © 1995-2021 The Jalopy Journal: Steal our stuff, we'll kick your teeth in. Terms of Service. Privacy Policy.

Atomic Industry
Forum software by XenForo™ ©2010-2014 XenForo Ltd.