Are print magazines on the way out?
10-11-2012, 11:20 AM
#1
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Are print magazines on the way out?
While checking out the new online version of Sportboat http://www.zinio.com/browse/publicat...970036&csid=cj
i was looking at the other mags available and sure makes for a cool way to have access to a lot of mags without having a big stack on the coffee table.
For people that travel it would sure be the hot ticket. Hell just the drive to the river it would be nice, One ipad and your set.
I still prefer the print but then i still have a collection of cd's so i might be behind the times.
i was looking at the other mags available and sure makes for a cool way to have access to a lot of mags without having a big stack on the coffee table.
For people that travel it would sure be the hot ticket. Hell just the drive to the river it would be nice, One ipad and your set.
I still prefer the print but then i still have a collection of cd's so i might be behind the times.
10-11-2012, 12:34 PM
#2
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i truly hope not!!!
Considering I am in the Printing Ind!!
But there has been a HUGE decline in it
Order them up! best way to have repeat acces to the articles for years to come!
Considering I am in the Printing Ind!!
But there has been a HUGE decline in it
Order them up! best way to have repeat acces to the articles for years to come!
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10-11-2012, 04:55 PM
#5
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I prefer a stack of mags over an online version any day. Newspapers too. From the people gathering the raw materials to the delivery guy dropping it at your door, keeps people employed. See what email did to the postal service?
10-11-2012, 05:13 PM
#6
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I could babble on this subject endlessly as it is obviously near and dear to my heart. I have had my feet in both the print and online worlds for a lot of years. (Before I started speedonthewater.com three years ago, I had already been working for boats.com since 2000.) And I was with Powerboat for 17 years. Now I'm the editor of Sportboat.
The decline in everything printed on paper is undeniable, as evidenced by only two magazines (Performance Boats and Sportboat) being left in the go-fast boat niche. Hard times for sure, but not necessarily a negative if you take a bigger picture perspective. Challenging times are, in the words of my friend Chuck Sprague (C_Spray) who ran Penske's Indy Car racing program for years, "a harsh filter." But that type of merciless filtration leaves you with better end products.
Print is not on its way out, just as radio was not on its way out—as many predicted it would be—when television burst on the scene. But the magazines that make it have to adapt, and part of that adaptation is making online, tablet friendly versions of their content a top priority. And those magazines that make it, like all businesses now, have to pay strict attention to their bottom lines.
So what we have left is Sportboat, a year-old quarterly publications with hopes of going bi-monthly and Performance Boats, which has been around for some time and publishes more frequently. Both are strong products, yet very different from one another—and that's a good thing.
A quick tip of the hat to the publisher of Performance Boats: While other high-performance boating magazines were treating their websites as afterthoughts, or not investing enough for them to be anything more than online space holders, he was building his magazine's online presence with original video content and message boards. That was very forward thinking for the time, and I believe it helped Performance Boats gain its strong position in the marketplace.
Above all else, a consumer magazine's markeplace determines its sustainability. At present, the high-performance powerboat market has two magazines serving it. Nothing would make me happier than having four or five magazines covering the go-fast world because that would indicate a boom market, but for now what the market has is what the market will support.
The decline in everything printed on paper is undeniable, as evidenced by only two magazines (Performance Boats and Sportboat) being left in the go-fast boat niche. Hard times for sure, but not necessarily a negative if you take a bigger picture perspective. Challenging times are, in the words of my friend Chuck Sprague (C_Spray) who ran Penske's Indy Car racing program for years, "a harsh filter." But that type of merciless filtration leaves you with better end products.
Print is not on its way out, just as radio was not on its way out—as many predicted it would be—when television burst on the scene. But the magazines that make it have to adapt, and part of that adaptation is making online, tablet friendly versions of their content a top priority. And those magazines that make it, like all businesses now, have to pay strict attention to their bottom lines.
So what we have left is Sportboat, a year-old quarterly publications with hopes of going bi-monthly and Performance Boats, which has been around for some time and publishes more frequently. Both are strong products, yet very different from one another—and that's a good thing.
A quick tip of the hat to the publisher of Performance Boats: While other high-performance boating magazines were treating their websites as afterthoughts, or not investing enough for them to be anything more than online space holders, he was building his magazine's online presence with original video content and message boards. That was very forward thinking for the time, and I believe it helped Performance Boats gain its strong position in the marketplace.
Above all else, a consumer magazine's markeplace determines its sustainability. At present, the high-performance powerboat market has two magazines serving it. Nothing would make me happier than having four or five magazines covering the go-fast world because that would indicate a boom market, but for now what the market has is what the market will support.
Last edited by Matt Trulio; 10-11-2012 at 05:16 PM.
10-11-2012, 05:35 PM
#7
Registered
I am a huge print fan. I spend too much time staring at a monitor during the day to call it enjoyment in my off time. The boat mag's I used to subscribe to and enjoy are gone but I still subscribe to 1 bike mag, 2 high end drag car mag's and one very high end car race mag (Racer) and all of them appear to be doing very well.
Based on the ones I read that died, you can tell. Smaller, smaller then poof. Gone. All the ones above are not showing any signs of that. IMO, evidence of focusing on one facet and nail it. (business in general)
I just bought and read one issue of each of the two only, remaining perf boat mags and although neither one suit my taste I did, much prefer Matt's SportBoat as far as lay out and content and for sure grammar and structure
Won't subscribe to either one but for the majority on this site I'd think both of them would do nicely.
For me, something special about sitting on the back of the boat w/a drink, a cigar and my favorite boat mag.
Based on the ones I read that died, you can tell. Smaller, smaller then poof. Gone. All the ones above are not showing any signs of that. IMO, evidence of focusing on one facet and nail it. (business in general)
I just bought and read one issue of each of the two only, remaining perf boat mags and although neither one suit my taste I did, much prefer Matt's SportBoat as far as lay out and content and for sure grammar and structure
Won't subscribe to either one but for the majority on this site I'd think both of them would do nicely.
For me, something special about sitting on the back of the boat w/a drink, a cigar and my favorite boat mag.
Last edited by Twin O/B Sonic; 10-11-2012 at 05:39 PM.
10-11-2012, 09:59 PM
#10
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I'm with you 100%. I like print. When it comes to news or reports, you can throw that techno crap in the garbage. I'm old school. I save my magazines. I actually still "tape" things. I have quite a few boat races on tape from over the years. I don't know much about DVR, but I'm pretty sure I can't watch the 1999 Key West world championships on it, but I can with my good old VCR and stack of tapes. I used to get so many boat magazines, ( I mean good ones ), I used to get excited when the mailman came. I couldn't wait. Not so much anymore
