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The end of MG World

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Todd16

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As some of you may or may not know, CHPublications LTD has decided to cease publication of MG World, this month being the last issue. I personally have been a loyal subscriber since 1998. While the cover price for us poor slobs here in the US was roughly $9.00 w/ shipping, it was a great to have something with my beloved brand hitting my mailbox every month. It’s truly sad to see another MG publication disappear. I had originally signed up with Greg Perego and MG Magazine of which I never received an issue due to its demise. Soon after taking it in the shorts on that, they joined up with MG World, I see a pattern. Well it will be interesting to see if they swallow my two year subscription I just renewed, or if I’ll get it back. They did offer to transfer it to Triumph World, over my dead body!!!!

So I obviously need a new outlet, any recommended publications?
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I wonder if "Triumph World" is next?

I certainly hope not, I hope this isn't a sign of things to come but I have heard that there is some weakness in the publishing market be it magazines or books, it would be a shame if we started losing magazines titles related to specific makes but maybe the market can't support them. I buy the occasional Triumph World off news stands, usually only when there is an article about 2000's.

BTW - I'll take that Triumph World subscription they offered you...
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[ 12-06-2003: Message edited by: Sherlock ]</p>
 
&, what's stupid about the whole thing is that they decded to kill it right after making it a monthly magazine....oh well, that leaves 1 supscription: "MG Enthusiast"
 
I'm always happy to put in my 2-cents worth for the cause!
 
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I hate to admit it, guys, but Websites like this one are helping to kill low-volume, specialty magazines. Websites are cheaper, more easily edited and updated, can include many more photos, and are much more interactive.

Maybe someone could volunteer to publish a monthly LBC enthusiast magazine on this or a similar Website. How about it, Basil?
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<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> StevenA said: With the brain trust on this web site at hand we probably never need a magazine. But if I had the ability to publish... I would do exactly that. How about a MG/TR/AH Chronicle in newspaper format... easier to publish and could include articles from our friends accross the pond as well as Mr. Barnhill and Basil etc.
The title? LBC Weekly Mirror... LBC Free Press... LBC Today...
Wish I did have the ability and $$$ I truly would do the job and have sections on Tr, MG, Sprigets, Jaguar, etc. The possiblities are endless. Of course the title of "roving reporter" might be tough with a lucas electrical system.

<hr></blockquote>

Hey! Don't forget about the beloved orphan cars, or is that why they're called "orphan cars"
grin.gif


Seriously though... Sign me up, I don't have much cash on hand but I could contribute some writing or ? I've never editted a newsletter before but...
 
Steve, you're absolutely right, now add these factors:
Limited and declining advertiser base -- there's only so many LBC specialists out there, and most of 'em ain't exactly rolling in extra loot.
Limited audience -- there's not that many of us, really.
Limited material -- c'mon, when was the last time any of us saw an MGB or MGA article that told us anything really new, or even told us the old stuff in an interesting new way?
Limited contributors -- slightly better when you're paying for it, but every club newsletter editor knows first hand how hard it is to consistently get good material.

Add it all up, and it's just a no-go situation in publishing. I suspect that's the main reason British Car teamed up with Grassroots. You have to grow or wither... there's no middle ground in publishing.

Could a web publication make it? Maybe. Costs are (or at least can be) low, so it takes less advertising to keep it afloat and the audience is worldwide, with no distribution problems or costs.
That's good. But you still have a problem coming up with well-written, informative copy.

As a side note, I've been looking into a thing called a Wiki, which is sort of a build-it-as-you-go online encyclopedia (or that's how I'm understanding at this point), with simple, easy to use tools so anyone (even non-technical folks) can create, edit, update and crosslink entries and topics.

Now THAT'S an interesting concept for LBCs... A way to well and truly compile all the tech tips, history, info, production changes and cumulative data of EVERYONE...
 
With the brain trust on this web site at hand we probably never need a magazine. But if I had the ability to publish... I would do exactly that. How about a MG/TR/AH Chronicle in newspaper format... easier to publish and could include articles from our friends accross the pond as well as Mr. Barnhill and Basil etc.
The title? LBC Weekly Mirror... LBC Free Press... LBC Today...

Wish I did have the ability and $$$ I truly would do the job and have sections on Tr, MG, Sprigets, Jaguar, etc. The possiblities are endless. Of course the title of "roving reporter" might be tough with a lucas electrical system.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Baxter: I've been looking into a thing called a Wiki, which is sort of a build-it-as-you-go online encyclopedia ... A way to well and truly compile all the tech tips, history, info, production changes and cumulative data of EVERYONE...<hr></blockquote>

Take a look at Tony Barnhill's Website--he has already started that for MGs with his "Tech Tips." If others are doing the same for Triumph, Jaguar, Austin Healey, etc., you could start with those (with permission) and build up from that base. That would allow the mixing of British, US, Canadian, Aussie, Kiwi, etc., LBC experience on a single database. Or maybe you just start with one marque and let others compile the other marques on the same Website.
 
A web based magazine would work quite well IF there were enough people willing the write articles and contribute pictures, etc. I'd happily set it all up and host it if there was enough interest. I could easily do all the computer ended stuff (software developer by profession) but I don't think I'd be qualified to write any LBC tech articles yet.
 
Nope, Steve, Tony's is a single user site. He's put a ton of info out there, but what I'm looking at is something completely different.... ALL of us could contribute content, edit content, update content, link content, and generally contribute as much as we wanted. It's a dynamic, growing entity... after looking at it further, the Wiki concept still requires a level of computer and code savviness that would probably make it a poor idea, at this time. But it's wandering 'round the back of my head.
Honestly, there's an abundance of LBC sites out there, all offering a great mix of tech info, stories, camaraderie, and so on... for a new one to succeed, it's going to have to offer something more. Building and maintaining a successful (in every sense of the word) web community is no easy chore.
 
OK - Here comes my latent "curmudgeonhood":

I've been wondering about the impact of the internet, and this thread seems to be affirming what several people have been predicting: the beginning (continuation?) of the big change in how we obtain our information. The loss of specialty magazines may only be the beginning. They are the ones with fairly limited appeal, and probably the ones to go first. It's sort of like when a huge supermarket (which shall be nameless) comes into a community. The first businesses to suffer are the little specialty shops. Like most everyone else, I enjoy going to the big stores and getting good prices. But at the same time, I miss the one on one service from the small stores. It's hard to have both.

The problem with sound-byte information sources is that that's all you get. The good thing, of course, is that if that's all you want, you don't have to sort through all the other stuff.

I've probably already said more than I should, so I'll quit. Just rambling....
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr> Mickey Richaud said: I've been wondering about the impact of the internet, and this thread seems to be affirming what several people have been predicting: the beginning (continuation?) of the big change in how we obtain our information. The loss of specialty magazines may only be the beginning. They are the ones with fairly limited appeal, and probably the ones to go first. It's sort of like when a huge supermarket (which shall be nameless) comes into a community. The first businesses to suffer are the little specialty shops. Like most everyone else, I enjoy going to the big stores and getting good prices. But at the same time, I miss the one on one service from the small stores. It's hard to have both.

The problem with sound-byte information sources is that that's all you get. The good thing, of course, is that if that's all you want, you don't have to sort through all the other stuff.

<hr></blockquote>

Call me old fashioned... but I'd rather do most of my reading off of a piece of paper than a computer screen, but I suspect I am slowly becoming the minority in this preference.

Or maybe it depends on what I'm reading...

I recently read through the Lord of the Rings series (great movies! great books too!) and I can't imagine reading those books, nice and thick, on some small computer screens like book readers I've seen.

Yet when reading technical articles and/or historical articles on automotive topics where it's in smaller bites might be more acceptable, yet even here I still prefer the paper copy.

Curiosity poll - how does everyone usually read your local/national news? Paper copy or internet?

Being first in line here, I still read the paper copy.
 
Again, going back to that Wiki concept I've become fascinated by: each topic is as large, annotated and crossreferenced as the collective body of knowledge determines it should be. If it merits little discussion, it gets little, if it's a large or complex topic, it expands until eveyrone who has anything meaningful to add put in their tiny bit of info.

I think that would be a VERY useful function for any sort of online LBC site/magazine/community/whatever.

I also think it would be crucial to set it up so that any page prints content only (without headers, navigation or other non-crucial elements) so that you CAN print it off, peruse it at your leisure, take it out to the garage, whatever. That's easily done with a simple stylesheet. Bone-basic web technology.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sherlock:

Curiosity poll - how does everyone usually read your local/national news? Paper copy or internet?
<hr></blockquote>

Electronic for me. I haven't read a paper in probably four years.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by 78Z:


Electronic for me. I haven't read a paper in probably four years.<hr></blockquote>

both here, I glance at it on the web in the morning and read the hard copy at lunch. I read a bunch of other papers, including Kim's, on the web
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sherlock:

Curiosity poll - how does everyone usually read your local/national news? Paper copy or internet?
<hr></blockquote>

Both. Most national news from the net, local on paper.

Re LBC oriented magazines, I've dropped all my subscriptions except for one, a UK based monthly newspaper format pub called Classic Motor Monthly. I keep that one because it's so different, I guess (& a friend is one of the writers). I get one other car mag but it covers all countries.

I also look at Bolide on line frequently.

See https://www.bolide.co.uk/

They do an outstanding job, although it's heavily (classic) motorsports rather than historically oriented.

I found the rest of the paper classic car mags were becoming very repetitive.
 
<blockquote><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><hr>Originally posted by Sherlock:

Curiosity poll - how does everyone usually read your local/national news? Paper copy or internet?

<hr></blockquote>

Electronic Only...the time and effort saved recyling newspaper is well worth it.
I've let some of my magazine subs go too (I still get get some "automatically" with certain memberships, such as AMA, EAA, AOPA)

As far as “Webzines”:

I offered to help out the guys doing the MG Midget and Spitfire Webzines a while ago….they seem like decent fellows but I think the workload became too great for them and it appeared that they were failing on deadlines.. The sites are still up but I’m not sure if they are truly active anymore (some of the stuff looks like it’s been unchanged for a while). Links to these sites:


https://www.triumphspitfire.com/

https://www.mg-midget.com

[ 12-09-2003: Message edited by: aeronca65t ]</p>
 
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