Ya just can’t please folks these days…
Wendell, I agree the cover price of GR has gone up a bunch since I first started purchasing the mag about 8 or so years ago, but then so has a loaf of bread, gasoline, and my home owners insurance. And I am sure they will continue to rise just as GR will. The difference is most of us can’t do without the other products/services, we can do without GR. Unfortunate for the magazine.
I agree with Todd in that I think ANY product/service that is tied to the ‘disposable income’ of the purchasing public has been having a more difficult time every year as disposable income dries up more and more. Combine that with lost income from the advertisers that are also adversely affected by the diminishing disposable income and the problem is compounded. Power comes in numbers and the numbers of folks buying model trains, especially large scale, is miniscule next to the number of folks interested in home improvement or decorating.
Bruce also makes a very good point regarding the cost of content. ALL CONTENT here is free. No one is forced to pay an entry fee to read the forums, and there is a wealth of information available here and on the other large scale fora. Not to mention that the subject matter of the information is much more highly controlled on the reader’s part here than in the magazine. If I ask a question here I usually have ‘an answer’ (not always the one I want to here) usually within 24 hours. Add to this the ‘real time’ interactivity of the chat room and this format is hard to beat. IF you get an answer to a specific question in the magazine, it will be at best the next publishing cycle. As for timely publishing of articles, I guess that a five year wait tells a lot about how many articles are in the pipeline to be published (quality not indicated). I don’t envy Marc or Kalmbach in their decision making on what or when to publish articles or advertising. It is a tough crowd they are selling to.
Greg, it is hard to provide ‘how to’ articles, especially in the high tech end of things when by the time the article is chosen, and put into the publication schedule, the technology is already obsolete. As for specific produce maintenance (dis-assembly and failure fixes), I would like to see the manufacturers step up and do that. It is after all their product. For folks like yourself and George S. to have to put web sites together to aid the new/inexperienced modeler in ‘how to’ repair their defective product is fortunate for us, the hobbyist, but not particularly your responsibility. I would take this opportunity to thank you for your efforts, they are appreciated.
As for ‘glowing’ reviews, I would expect no less. I am sure no manufacturer is going to PAY for advertising to have the magazine highlight the product’s flaws. That is what you and George are for. (http://www.largescalecentral.com/externals/tinymce/plugins/emoticons/img/smiley-wink.gif)
As John eludes to, it’s all about the money. It costs a fixed amount to publish a magazine in print. That funding is going to be found somewhere or the publication will cease publication. If anyone has any questions of that, just look at Carstens. I am hoping the RMC mag will survive, not sure yet.
Just my tuppence worth.
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