OGR gets a new boss

[Anonymous]

I read both mags, but I have to disagree with those that say OGR is on the way down. In fact I feel that way about CTT. They seem to be getting thinner and thinner each month. I also feel that the articles are superior in OGR. I almost fell of my chair laughing when I saw the CTT article on restoring old train cardboard boxes. Is this the best that they can do? I would be very worried if 2 out 3 of the majors didn't spend any money in advertising if I were CTT.

[Anonymous]

I'm no expert in the advertising side of publishing, but I agree that the loss of ad revenue from some of the leading manufacturers and dealers in the industry has to be a bit of a tough pill to swallow, and a difficult malady to cure in light of changes that are taking place, especially in the O gauge segment of the hobby, but also in virtually all scales to some degree. When a firm like Lionel, which is supposedly the standard bearer of the hobby, either elects not to advertise or is unable to do so for financial reasons, that is most definitely not a healthy sign. Heck, they're not even doing a good job of communicating with their customers--existing and potential--in ANY way these days. Not a great way to keep a business afloat!

Ditto for K-Line, although they are in deeper financial doo-doo than Lionel at the present time, which somewhat justifies their tightening of the reigns. Still, you can't grow, or even continue, a business if your potential customers don't know about it and aren't aware of what you offer. And a lack of advertising even further deteriorates confidence among your existing customer base--something none of these guys can afford in the current competitive marketplace.

But as far as the magazines are concerned, at least CTT has options available to it that are not available to its competitor--especially now that the O gauge segment has peaked and is obviously on a downward slide (and a steeper and faster one than I originally anticipated). I'm fairly sure those options are being actively explored, and I fully expect that CTT will be able to ride things out by capitalizing on their larger circulation; looking at ways to enhance their editorial reach; and examining some creative approaches for catering to the needs of their advertisers.

[Warburton]

Allan -- what you say makes sense to me. My only take on it is that there has been an obvious reduction in the space advertisers are buying in each issue of CTT, not that they can afford to bypass print advertising altogether. Full pages have become half pages, etc. That has to sting a bit! Plus Lionel and K-Line have stopped buying space in CTT for the time being, too. I enjoy CTT very much (I'm a charter subscriber) so I hope things pick up all around!

[Anonymous]

No question about it: Ad revenue is a concern for every magazine that relies on advertising as a primary source of revenue (which includes nearly all general circulation publications). The problem isn't unique to toy train magazines, of course, and everyone in the periodical publishing business faces such challenges today.

But even with the Internet, formidable presence that it is, manufacturers and dealers still need exposure via other more traditional means. The Internet is a HUGE place, and everything in the world is out there somewhere, if a person knows how and where to look for it--and has the time available to do so. But the Internet is not the be-all and end-all for advertising and promoting a product because an ad or announcement in cyberspace tends to be lost in an overwhelming quantity of available information, and its impact is diminished, to some extent, because what can be presented is generally limited to what can easily be seen on the smallest computer monitor or screen (that's how savvy web designers intentionally design the content pages). And comparison of multiple ads becomes especially problematic unless the reader is willing to go to the time and trouble of printing the web pages for retention and later study.

Because most of us here are very familiar with the Internet and know our way around, we most often (but certainly not always) know where to look for the information that interests us. But where would a new prospect for the hobby look? Would he or she know where to even start looking? Would he or she be able to separate the reputable from the fly-by-nights? Would he or she know that Lionel still exists, or that there is such a thing as MTH, K-Line, Atlas, or any of the others? This is where a printed publication--a souce of information that is known, easily visible at well-attended newsstantds, and can be trusted--has an advantage over the Internet, and that advantage becomes even greater as the Internet grows.

So even though magazines face some challenges in terms of their long-term future, those that have been around a while, and that are willing AND able to adjust to changing trends, will most cetainly be with us for a long time to come.

As I noted in my previous post, in the world of toy trains, CTT enjoys a decided advantage in that regard. Unlike its competitor, it is not so sharply focused on one area or aspect of the hobby--a niche, if you will--that it cannot rather seamlessly adapt to changes that arise, and it is backed by the resources of a considerably larger parent organization. CTT also covers the spectrum of toy trains (or can do so) without so much as a title change or a change in its edtorial formula, and it can easily attend to both collector and operator interests, as it sees fit. Again, OGR does not enjoy that advantage because it is, by its very name and editorial focus, pretty much restricted to O gauge and O scale, and it has adapted an operator-oriented structure. Far more difficult for them to break out of the mold than it would be for CTT to make adjustments. That even applies to their ability to attract and hold advertisers, since there is a greater range of prospects available to a publication like CTT.

Both publications serve the hobby well, in my opinion. Both can be expected to do well in the future, but it will be far easier, again in my opinion, for CTT to not only hold on, but prosper, than it will be for OGR to do the same. And that, I suspect, in large measure accounts for why they wisely decided to infuse some new blood into the organization at this point in time. Perhaps I'm wrong about that, but I really don't think so.

[wrmcclellan]

I agree with most of the OGR and CTT supportive comments above. I subscribe to both magazines. I appreciate the fact that to me and others, the magazines are complimentary. I hope it stays that way so we have access to two healthy forums for this hobby.

I think some miss the fact that OGR's roots are scale O vs tinplate or toy. It seems natural to me that OGR bends towards the scale or semi-scale side of the hobby.

I also appreciate the CTT stance towards OGR as a respected and worthy competitor.

Regards,
Roy

[Warburton]

I am in agreement with the comment regarding OGR's slant recently toward hi-rail vs. traditional tinplate. But OGR was a 2-rail mag long before it accommodated 3-rail as well, so that makes sense. The big problem I see for both CTT and OGR (sort of the "800 lb. gorilla") is the cutback in ad revenue. You can see this in every issue of either. The way I see it, the internet we are now on is really behind this: instead of listing all the items a dealer has up for sale (which may be sold out long before the print issue reaches the customer), retailers are running smaller ads directing cutomers to visit their websites for up-to-date availability. Instead of running 2 or 3 pages in the mag, they run a 1/2 page ad at a lot less cost. The challenge, therefore, is for CTT and OGR to figure out a way to rebuild ad space, and I for one sure don't know how they will do it! The alternative is for hefty increases in subscription rates for the rest of us...

[lionelsuperotrack]

I could not agree more. Focus on those areas of which you have intimate knowledge.

Mike Spanier

QUOTE: Originally posted by Ogaugeoverlord

I think the Colonel needs to focus more on frying chicken and less on trying to sling mud.

[Bob Keller]

I think the Colonel needs to focus more on frying chicken and less on trying to sling mud.

[brianel027]

I've always felt the way John (csxt30) does: that both magazines in some odd way enhance eachother and enjoy getting both. Though I will have to say that with recent issues, if it came to a choice of only getting one, my choice now would unquestionably go to Classic Toy Trains.

I've noticed a decidedly slant recently with OGR towards higher end, more scale stuff. Probably their hardcore readers like this. I recall when they have done tinplate stories, reviews of starter sets or beginner types of stories or issues, they get loads of complaints over on the OGR forum. Comments like "why are you wasting valuable editorial space on this low end stuff or reviews of starter sets?" Recently the product reviews there have all been on high end engines. I for one would like to see reviews of the low end products, even if we know the features they have. Even short summary type reviews as to whether the product worked out of the box and how well paint was applied.

Balance is a key point in the success. I think CTT does a much better job at being balanced and covering both higher end trains as well as the traditional non-scale proportioned, non-command ones.

[csxt30]

He also holds a commercial pilot liscence. I think the 2 magazines enhance one another. I like & always buy both. Thanks, John

[Anonymous]

Sounds like you've been eating a few too many sour grapes, Kentucky Colonel! If you don't believe Rich Melvin is involved in a whole lot of activities aside from OGR, you don't know Rich Melvin. Bringing in someone else with a fresh perspective to grow the magazine and related product lines may or may not be a good thing--only time will tell. But there's sure nothing wrong with giving it a try.

I know what I would be doing to improve my market situation if I was OGR, and it will be interesting to watch over the next couple of years or so to see if they follow any of the approaches I would take. This has to be a rather difficult time for both magazines, and I imagine things will get even tighter over the next few years as the industry itself, including dealerships, consolidate or fade from the scene. CTT, being not necessarily specific to O gauge/scale has a decided advantage in that regard because they can more easily adjust to changing trends in the hobby. OGR does not enjoy that same advantage.

Thinking outside the box is what is definitely needed throughout the specialty publishing industry these days. Perhaps bringing in someone not intimate with the hobby is a good idea, and perhaps it will prove to be a disasterous idea. As I noted earlier, only time will tell! In the meantime, I wi***heir new honcho the best of luck!

[Kooljock1]

Col.,

In case you didn't know, Rich Melvin along with his publishing duties also works as a real locomotive engineer, is a major part of the re-building effort of a Nickle Plate 2-8-4, and of course if the voice-over announcer on many, many train video productions.

There comes a time when a product needs to be kicked up to the next level. Rich understands this. I am a loyal and long-time subscriber to CTT (back to issue #1 with *** Kughn on the cover), and OGR going back to the days when you might or might not recieve 3, 4, of 5 issues a year.

They've both come a long way baby. And I for one, am thankful!

Jon [8D]

[Anonymous]

Rich Melvin threw in the towel and brought some guy in to jump start OGR mag.
They gave the guy the title of CEO and I guess Melvin is a figurehead publisher or whatever. Then melvin posts on the forum that he has too many irons in the fire and gladly gave up the job. Yeah, right. they have a long way to go to catch up to CTT.