Hopefully the MRC ad is just getting an overhaul - it needed it. Don't know the connection the guy in the ad had to the company (founder, president?) but they couldn't have used a worse guy for the ad (IMO). Instead of showing a younger person, designed to related to the younger generation, they chose to use someone who looked old enough to be MY dad - and I'm 71. Of course I am using hyperbole, and the guy in the ad may well have deserved to be honored by being in it, but I can't believe that photo ever made any modeler say, "Gee, I want to be just like that guy - think I get into model railroading, and buy an MRC system as well."Note - I own MRC myself, in spite of the ad.
richhotrain So, Firecrown owns the servers, and the building that they are situated in has to be vacated in 17 days. What happens then? Rich
So, Firecrown owns the servers, and the building that they are situated in has to be vacated in 17 days. What happens then?
Rich
Alton Junction
maxman AEP528 I realized today that the advertising situation has gotten worse: March 2024 was the last issue with an MRC ad. I'm not certain what you think this proves. Last ad for MRC in the other magazine was also March.
AEP528 I realized today that the advertising situation has gotten worse: March 2024 was the last issue with an MRC ad.
I realized today that the advertising situation has gotten worse: March 2024 was the last issue with an MRC ad.
I'm not certain what you think this proves. Last ad for MRC in the other magazine was also March.
It's pretty simple: Less advertising = smaller magazine.
MRC was a full page ad. Now it's gone. If advertisers continue to leave, magazines won't survive.
wjstix richhotrain wjstix To be fair, they're not actually journalists. Ken is a photographer / professional modeller, one of the guys is a chef, another owns a company that buys and sells used model/toy trains. That may be true, Stix, but you don't need to be a journalist to ask meaningful questions. Yes, but it's unfair to expect amateurs to do as good a job as a professional. It's not their job, it's an amateur hobby.
richhotrain wjstix To be fair, they're not actually journalists. Ken is a photographer / professional modeller, one of the guys is a chef, another owns a company that buys and sells used model/toy trains. That may be true, Stix, but you don't need to be a journalist to ask meaningful questions.
wjstix To be fair, they're not actually journalists. Ken is a photographer / professional modeller, one of the guys is a chef, another owns a company that buys and sells used model/toy trains.
To be fair, they're not actually journalists. Ken is a photographer / professional modeller, one of the guys is a chef, another owns a company that buys and sells used model/toy trains.
That may be true, Stix, but you don't need to be a journalist to ask meaningful questions.
Yes, but it's unfair to expect amateurs to do as good a job as a professional. It's not their job, it's an amateur hobby.
rrebell There were no solid plans because it was an opertunity buy. You play with the big stuff you need to be nimble and grab deals as they appear, same in real estate.
There were no solid plans because it was an opertunity buy. You play with the big stuff you need to be nimble and grab deals as they appear, same in real estate.
And now here we are, weeks later, with ZERO COMMUNICATION TO SUBSCRIBERS.
There hasn't even been a marketing email since 5/20. If it wasn't for the video feed showing Cody working I would be questioning if the staff was really still employed.
maxmanIf that's really the case, if that was a true podcast we wouldn't have seen the performers to be able to critique them.
The term "podcast" has come to mean any kind of program not made by a broadcast or cable network or station, but just by "regular folks". As noted, it originally meant sound-only (sort of like radio programs) but now the term is sometimes also used to describe a program just made for viewing on YouTube. There some programs that are available both as sound-only podcasts and on YouTube with visuals.
Overmod These things now have no link to iPods, and the smartphone revolution made the things functionally obsolescent in a variety of amusing ways (the name now survives mostly as the pun on it for tablet-size devices, the iPad).
These things now have no link to iPods, and the smartphone revolution made the things functionally obsolescent in a variety of amusing ways (the name now survives mostly as the pun on it for tablet-size devices, the iPad).
I get a good feeling about this, his body languge says alot.
lets be honest it was a slow funeral procession
before the sale
but i think this bodes well
maxmanMaybe a little off topic, but I wasn't sure what a "podcast" really is.
hon30critter Watching the hosts performances were difficult for me, to the point where I nearly turned the video off.
Maybe a little off topic, but I wasn't sure what a "podcast" really is. I did find this definition: " For listeners, a podcast operates like an on-demand Internet radio show. You can listen to episodes on a podcast app or subscribe to podcasts online".
If that's really the case, if that was a true podcast we wouldn't have seen the performers to be able to critique them.
Hi Bear,
I agree that the podcast hosts deserve a lot of credit for organizing the interview, but that doesn't change the fact that the podcast was poorly done. Watching the hosts performances were difficult for me, to the point where I nearly turned the video off.
I hope they see the comments and take them to heart. If they want to expand their audience they simply have to up their game.
Cheers!!
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
That was my question. A lot of positive thoughts. Yes they are going to improve the paper quality, and have lots of great photos. Subscriptions to MR have been slipping for years, no secret there. However in all the threads on multiple forums about why people stopped subscribing to MR, paper quality and lack of photos was never mentioned as reason for not subscribing anymore.
Popp said there had been some frustration of the staff but never went into details and the podcasters never followed up with any questions. It would have been interesting to know what the staff wanted to do that they couldn't and whether the new publishers were going to let them do whatever it was that they were prevented from doing by the previous publishers.
Do they know why they lost subscribers? What have they done or plan to do to recapture the subscribers they previously lost? What are their plans to attract new subscribers?
Dave H. Painted side goes up. My website : wnbranch.com
Forum by Bear, on Flickr
Because the entire interview was marketing speak - "Trust me, we're going to make everything better! (But check back in a year.)" As Ken even noted, it was all the right answers.
There were no real plans outlined, no specific actions described, no addressing the lack of advertising, nothing.
Even the question about the MR&T has an odd answer, when he said he didn't know if the whole layout could be kept in Wisconsin or moved to Firecrown in Tennessee. Why would that even be a consideration if the entire staff is staying in Wisconsin?
As far as print magazine readership growing, how? Hobby stores are disappearing, and most stores around me have eliminated the dedicated magazine aisle. That's how I discovered MR years ago. Other than the few Barnes and Noble stores in our area, I don't know where else to find magazines. I guess some subscriptions would come from finding magazines online, but I think physical access is more important.
(This post has been edited and updated)
dknelson MARTIN STATION What I really find ironic is that Flying and Trains are now owned by the same company. I spent 25 years working in aviation and was an avid fan of Flying magazine. There was a gentleman by the name of Len Morgan who wrote a monthly article for them based on his experence as an airline pilot for Braniff Airways and his experience as a pilot in WW2. Len was the brother of David Morgan of Trains magazine. I still remember after Davids passing, Len wrote in his column about his brother's love of trains and his of flying and their quest to understand each other. It was a very wonderful tribute to David, I just wish both could have seen this day where both of their magazines would come under the ownership of the same publisher. Ralph You might be aware that Kalmbach DID publish an aviation magazine, briefly in the 1970s: Airliners International. The title stated the focus so this did not cover military or private planes. Evidently it did not sell enough for Kalmbach to keep it going. That was the same fate as their 1950s Ships and Sailing magazine, and of their Better Camping magazine in the early 1960s. Dave Nelson
MARTIN STATION What I really find ironic is that Flying and Trains are now owned by the same company. I spent 25 years working in aviation and was an avid fan of Flying magazine. There was a gentleman by the name of Len Morgan who wrote a monthly article for them based on his experence as an airline pilot for Braniff Airways and his experience as a pilot in WW2. Len was the brother of David Morgan of Trains magazine. I still remember after Davids passing, Len wrote in his column about his brother's love of trains and his of flying and their quest to understand each other. It was a very wonderful tribute to David, I just wish both could have seen this day where both of their magazines would come under the ownership of the same publisher. Ralph
What I really find ironic is that Flying and Trains are now owned by the same company. I spent 25 years working in aviation and was an avid fan of Flying magazine. There was a gentleman by the name of Len Morgan who wrote a monthly article for them based on his experence as an airline pilot for Braniff Airways and his experience as a pilot in WW2. Len was the brother of David Morgan of Trains magazine.
I still remember after Davids passing, Len wrote in his column about his brother's love of trains and his of flying and their quest to understand each other. It was a very wonderful tribute to David, I just wish both could have seen this day where both of their magazines would come under the ownership of the same publisher.
Ralph
You might be aware that Kalmbach DID publish an aviation magazine, briefly in the 1970s: Airliners International. The title stated the focus so this did not cover military or private planes. Evidently it did not sell enough for Kalmbach to keep it going. That was the same fate as their 1950s Ships and Sailing magazine, and of their Better Camping magazine in the early 1960s.
Dave Nelson
No David, I did not know that, thank you! I was just speaking of the two companies that the brothers worked for now being under the same publisher. It's a shame that Airliners International didn't work out for Kalmbach being that there were a lot more airlines back in the 70's, like railroads then also. And a lot of companies that sold airline model kits so they must have had some kind of following?
nyoandwThose guys doing the interview certainly are not journalists! ...
An yet they scored a 40 minute interview.
"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."
I'm really at a loss how someone could read literally any construction article on the MR&T and think it was modular.
Perhaps now others on this forum will stop blaming the editorial staff for the current state of the magazine?
One thing I found interesting is Ken's liking and promoting of print magazines given that the owner/editor of the online magazine he's closely associated with is heavily anti-print.
richhotrain wjstix To be fair, they're not actually journalists. Ken is a photographer / professional modeller, one of the guys is a chef, another owns a company that buys and sells used model/toy trains. Rich
https://tstage9.wixsite.com/nyc-modeling
Time...It marches on...without ever turning around to see if anyone is even keeping in step.
hon30critter tstage To be honest, I would have MUCH rather preferred David Popp give a solo interview with Craig Fuller. I think the questions would have been more insightful and there would have been far less gushing. I found the latter fairly annoying from the host. Hi Tom, I totally agree! The lack of professionalism on the part of the hosts was really hard to get through. I ended up skipping through the video to watch only the segments with Craig speaking. And, speaking of David Popp, I was embarassed by the way the hosts failed to engage him almost totally. Cheers!! Dave
tstage To be honest, I would have MUCH rather preferred David Popp give a solo interview with Craig Fuller. I think the questions would have been more insightful and there would have been far less gushing. I found the latter fairly annoying from the host.
Hi Tom,
I totally agree! The lack of professionalism on the part of the hosts was really hard to get through. I ended up skipping through the video to watch only the segments with Craig speaking. And, speaking of David Popp, I was embarassed by the way the hosts failed to engage him almost totally.
It's a podcast and one of the most popular ones for model railroading out there. Not a rigorous journal.
Ken sets the perfect tone for a podcast situation.
It was also an extremely fortunate get that Craig and David were willing to go on at all. Kalmbach doesn't exactly have a Podcast to leverage here and running the interview themselves would have looked far more self serving than going over to Ken who is somewhat affiliated with a competitor. It was a gushy interview, but is legitimized by the venue.