Interesting change to Crankshaft Magazine---

[Twisted Shifter]

 

I just received an email stating the following:

"Starting with Issue #9, Crankshaft will become a large 224-page softcover book without any advertising. It will be published twice a year. More details to follow…"

[TAKerry]

Yes, there was an email survey a few months ago with this information. Not sure how I feel about it.

[Phillip Cole]

Well, the majority of subscribers voted for it, and Richard seems excited about it. The original magazine seemed more like a soft cover book --at least to me.  And it is very well written.  If I remember correctly a separate blog may come along, as well.

Now, if more of us will subscribe to keep it going....

[joe_padavano]

After 75 years, Hot Rod Magazine went to a quarterly "coffee table book" format this year. Allegedly more content in fewer issues. BS. When I first started reading Hot Rod in 1969, it was regularly over 200 pages. The most recent monthly issue delivered last year was barely 70 pages. The new "more content" quarterly issue was still under 100 pages. The claim is that on-line content will be more timely and make up for this, but 75% of the online content published by Hot Rod is recycled articles from the archives that I've already read. I'm not optimistic. Autoweek pulled this same crap, going from a weekly to a bi-weekly format. The first few months did have more content, but this rapidly dwindled and eventually the print version blew away. Now they are online only. Don't hold your breath.

[NewOldWood]

I have been a subscriber to Crankshaft from the first issue and as long as the content doesn't change I really don't care what the format is. I told Richard that in my response to his survey.

 

I have been reading Hot Rod for decades. I read the last two issues, the first two of the new format, and didn't spend more that 15 minutes on either one. I am all done with that subscription. Even before the format change I was getting tired of the content. The whole thing has evolved into mega dollar crate engines bolted onto mega dollar custom chassis. "hot rodding" aint what it used to be, and I'm all done with it. Or maybe it's more accurate to say that it's all done with me.......

[Shootey]

1 hour ago, joe_padavano said:

After 75 years, Hot Rod Magazine went to a quarterly "coffee table book" format this year. Allegedly more content in fewer issues. BS. When I first started reading Hot Rod in 1969, it was regularly over 200 pages. The most recent monthly issue delivered last year was barely 70 pages. The new "more content" quarterly issue was still under 100 pages. The claim is that on-line content will be more timely and make up for this, but 75% of the online content published by Hot Rod is recycled articles from the archives that I've already read. I'm not optimistic. Autoweek pulled this same crap, going from a weekly to a bi-weekly format. The first few months did have more content, but this rapidly dwindled and eventually the print version blew away. Now they are online only. Don't hold your breath.

Likewise Road & Track. 

[Gtjoey]

Whatever Rich does, I’ll support!

He is a car guy through and through

gtjoey1314

[Terry Bond]

Crankshaft lis one of a few industry leaders in content. Like our Antique Automobile magazine, it's got real stories about the cars and people who own them. Other mags have degenerated to canned syndicated stuff that's much less interesting. Old Cars has also done well with original content and interesting stories. I look forward to continuing to see the quality Richard delivers.  If you are not a subscriber you're missing out.

Terry

[Pfeil]

The only one I subscribed to is Collectible Automobile.

It's a weird feeling jettisoning some of the other magazines that you and your friends have had cars featured in too, but instead of feeling like I've betrayed them I realized some time ago they had betrayed me.   

[STEVE POLLARD]

2 hours ago, Terry Bond said:

If you are not a subscriber you're missing out

I agree with Terry's statement, I'm a little bias since my SS Monte Carlo was in issue #7, but I've known Richard going back to Hemmings and the Concourse shows that they had....everything that Richard is associated with is top notch !

 

Steve

 

[Dave Wells]

IMHO, print media is and has been a hard sell for the past 20 years. I credit Richard with the courage and stamina to pursue this path. He is no doubt doing an outstanding job.  However the market is unfortunately dwindling: younger generations prefer not only non-print media but their automotive tastes are far different from the current "boomer" crowd, which is on the decline.

Crankshaft attempts to appeal to most every old car enthusiast, save those in the "modified" camp. It features classics, antiques, popular and obscure cars, everyday cars from base to deluxe, mundane to "one off" examples, sports cars, luxury cars, economy cars, museum pieces, and drivers in most every body style ever available.

I am a former print subscriber having started in the 1950's with Hop Up, Car Craft and Rod and Custom magazines, published conveniently to fit undetected inside a school book. Hot Rod, Motor Trend, and Mechanics Illustrated also littered my bedroom floor and resided in my tool box and work bench. I have not subscribed to print media for the past 25 years, except for the first four issues of Crankshaft. I found it interesting and well done, but inclusive of such a wide range of subject matter that the expense did not warrant the few articles I was genuinely interested in. I have no interest in sports or foreign cars, or the "art" photos taken in half-lit museum basements. Some historical articles were interesting, but with some "googling", most of those subjects can be found on line if one were inclined to look.

Such a situation exists with my specific old car interests. Pictures, descriptions, specifications, original road tests, historical data, technical and maintenance information are mostly available with the help of the internet. No single book or magazine can hope to be that inclusive.

Most print media these days, with the possible exception of specific hi-tech journals, if they even exist (I wouldn't know) face that diminishing market, as mentioned above, and as evidenced by the shrinking book and magazine racks in stores and the disappearance of major chain book stores.

I feel it's just another fact of this changing world. More power to those who struggle on to preserve a part of the past, be it a tradition, something in print, built with bricks and mortar, or setting on wheels. 

[zdillinger]

I love Crankshaft and not just because my 28 Pontiac was in it. It is easily the best, most approachable car publication on the market today. 

[Fordy]

Not quite the Magazine being talked about but there is one I know of here in Australia that pulls 90% of its content from Facebook pages - not good enough my friends.

Steve

[Frank DuVal]

I was late to the party. Anyone have an issue #3 for sale?❓

 

Richard does great work. And he is friendly to the Corvair world, even published a book on them....😉

 

 

[Gtjoey]

Rich has extras

he has signed copies for a dollar more❤️❤️🤣

we are going to have a space at Hershey

His books our British car parts

Sebastian Maniscalco might come by again😁

[Rivguy]

I'm one of those fifty years + readers and subscribers to Hot Rod and Motor Trend. I was losing interest in Hot Rod for the last decade or so. I read the new format and realized that it just didn't interest me. I'm continuing with Motor Trend so that I have some exposure to new models and technology. The most beautiful magazine that I recently subscribed to was Octane. The content was interesting, the photography was superb, and the subject matter was worthwhile, primarily higher end European cars. I also subscribed to Jaguar World, another very well produced magazine. Now that the Jags are gone, I let both subscriptions lapse. 

Monthly magazines are now a hard sell, I find all the on line content to be very superficial, and the same old crate engine stuff, or stupid stuff like trying to start some rusted out junkyard find. How far Frieberger  (Road Kill) has fallen from his great days with Car Craft. I remember when magazine articles would get into a subject in depth, Road and Track, in the late '60's would have pages and pages of nothing but text. No younger person will bother to read that now. 

Hot Rod let their yearly subscription price fall so low that it was a couple of bucks an issue, less than half of the new stand price. Enthusiasts will pay more per issue, Rodder's Journal was quite expensive. Collectible Automobile still produces a quality mag, I'm tired of all the junkyard crap. I guess that I should subscribe to C.A.

[joe_padavano]

I've been subscribing to Modern Rodding for a few years now. The editor is Brian Brennan, formerly of Street Rodder before it became defunct. Not surprisingly the magazine has the look and feel of Street Rodder, and that's not a bad thing. No, it's not AACA-friendly, since it covers modified cars exclusively, but the magazine is monthly, is published on high-quality glossy paper with full color, and encompasses a fantastic mix of both car features and detailed how-to articles. I really live for the latter, as I am trying to improve my skills, particularly in sheet metal fabrication and welding. They also appear to have a wide range of advertisers, which I find surprising, as this helps ensure continued publication.

[TAKerry]

Looking at finished cars in a magazine is all good, however as a hands on person I enjoy seeing restoration profiles. I suppose in the world of instant gratification that the articles that do show restoration work are typically about 8 or 9 pictures and will take a car from bad to finished in 2 pages. I would like to see a multi part article on a restoration with a bit more detail on how to  perform certain tasks. 

[West Peterson]

34 minutes ago, TAKerry said:

Looking at finished cars in a magazine is all good, however as a hands on person I enjoy seeing restoration profiles. I suppose in the world of instant gratification that the articles that do show restoration work are typically about 8 or 9 pictures and will take a car from bad to finished in 2 pages. I would like to see a multi part article on a restoration with a bit more detail on how to  perform certain tasks. 

 

That would be good, but can be very expensive (number of pages) and time consuming (for the person doing the article). I've done several "how-to" articles in Antique Automobile (been a while since my last), and the amount of time it takes to be taking photos while doing the work quadruples the time it takes to finish the task. I think it is much more common to find the how-to stuff online, where the number of photos can be much more numerous... or, YouTube has a lot of how-to videos, but probably less likely on collector cars.

[joe_padavano]

29 minutes ago, West Peterson said:

 

That would be good, but can be very expensive (number of pages) and time consuming (for the person doing the article). I've done several "how-to" articles in Antique Automobile (been a while since my last), and the amount of time it takes to be taking photos while doing the work quadruples the time it takes to finish the task. I think it is much more common to find the how-to stuff online, where the number of photos can be much more numerous... or, YouTube has a lot of how-to videos, but probably less likely on collector cars.

Spot on, West. Unless one has a helper to act as camera person, this is pretty much a non-starter for people who don't have enough time to work on their stuff in the first place.

[Dave Wells]

44 minutes ago, West Peterson said:

I would like to see a multi part article on a restoration with a bit more detail on how to  perform certain tasks. 

I have copies of magazines published in the '70's and '80's that featured articles similar to what you are mentioning. Unfortunately, even back then those magazines did nor survive. As I recall they were Auto Restorer and Cars and Parts, and maybe others. Lots of good, detailed information, but evidently a limited market, poor advertising support, and/or rising costs eventually doomed them. (I know the Cars and Parts editor/publisher passed away, but there was no one who continued his work probably for one of the above reasons). 

How-to's on restoring 100 year old cars would vary considerably from articles on muscle cars, sports cars, '80's and '90's cars, much less the tuner generation of BMW's and their ilk. The market is small and fractured. If a profit could be made providing what you would like to see, I'm sure there would be publications to support it.

 

 

[JamesR]

I wish Crankshaft the best with their new format. It isn't easy to produce new automotive publications, I'm sure.

 

Crankshaft also started out a few years ago when there were (for the first time in my memory) supply chain issues in the USA. Remember that? That's something that few people could've predicted.