Anyone notice something missing from the new MR? NO ADD FROM TRAIN WORLD just a liitle 3 by 4 inch ad about their online store. The end of another era has come. How long can MR go without the big one or two whole advertisers in it ?
I don't suppose people notice, unless it happens to be the hobby shop they order from. I ordered from Standard Hobby Supply for years and years , untill they called it quits and they always had a large ad . I would think MR could pursue other advertisers from different fields. We don't just play with trains ya know, we drink beer too. The other alternative would be increasing subscription rates again, but in this economy you can push that envelope only so far.
Philip
Recently the trainworld ad has been running on a single page. I don't know if that is an indication of availability/on-hand stock or of their interest in soliciting revenue via printed publications. There is so much of this enterprising world run on the web these days that maybe it doesn't make economic sense for them any more.
Crandell
Just received an order from Trainworld, they do have lots in stock, package came in just two days. They did include three pages of ad materiel in the box. The lack of revenue for MR may be important but like the above said the "web" is ruling all now.
Jerry SP FOREVER http://photobucket.com/albums/f317/GAPPLEG/
The lead time for a printed advertisement versus updating a web site is significant. An item listed in the printed magazine may be sold out through on-line sales by the time the magazine hits the street.
If I were running a business and wanted to have an advertisement printed in Model Railroader, I would probably have to prepare the copy 3 months in advance. To update a web site takes mere hours if I do it myself or only minutes if I were to pay someone else to do it.
If you compare the list of advertisers in the back of the magazine to the list of advertisers from a few months ago, you'll also notice that the advertiser base is shrinking.
Note that we as modelers are seeing a lot more 'on-line' advertising' here in the Kalmbach web site. There is a Digitrax & Smartinc ad on the right panel, and that 'pop up' with the MRL SD70ACe for starters - This is the current trend for advertising, as well as e-mail announcements.
Model Railroad Hobbyist is all 'on-line' and has an impressive list of advertisers as well....
Jim
Modeling BNSF and Milwaukee Road in SW Wisconsin
That is a very interesting question!
I hope the MR people have the ability to adapt to a changing revenue environment. I would hate to see them go under, espescially if they take the forums with them.
Dave
I'm just a dude with a bad back having a lot of fun with model trains, and finally building a layout!
There is a certain irony if MR is seeing less ad revenue because advertisers are now taking small box ads saying 'see our website' versus pages of material that they pay for -- the irony is that MR itself does that with some articles: "online extras" that sometimes are pretty important parts of the article.
But in the bigger picture, this is actually consistent with a very long tradition in the hobby -- that the summer months would see a considerable decrease in the release of new products, as well as decreased advertising. I remember for example an annual announcement that Red Ball, a pretty important supplier well into the 1960s, was simply shutting down for the summer. Don't even bother sending them letters or money or questions.
Speaking of the new MR did anyone else notice a flaw in picture reproduction -- a series of vertical stripes -- that occurs in both feature articles and advertising in the center of the magazine? It almost looks like that old trick of simulating a picture taken in the rain by photographing through a sheet of plexiglass through which vertical stripes have been scribed.
Dave Nelson
I have subscribed to MR for many many years and continue to do so. I am an older modeler, I guess I am at old "faxx" level, but I still like the magazine. I take copies with me when I travel to read in hotels, etc. I keep a few copies in the throne room at home, I even keep a few in my minivan to read while the wife shops. I am 75 years old, have had two careers often going at the same time: computer field and ministry, and both encourage me to read more.
But I also order most of my HO equipment from the retailers on line because I can "talk" to most by email, and I do, I would prefer to go into a shop, look at the item and then choose to buy/not buy, but that has become "old fashioned" in todays society. So I believe that the more we buy off the web, mail order, etc. the smaller number of retail stores will be the norm.
On a personal note, I hate the idea of buying products made in other countries and exported to us, because we are becoming a slave society to those countries, but that is the trend today and I won't be around long enough to be totally affected by it.
The internet has become the new medium for impulse buying, how many times do you browse on line, see an ad, see a product in that ad and key the order and CC nbr in. So don't cry about losing shops, as Pogo said "we have met the enemy and he is us."
Bob
dknelson Speaking of the new MR did anyone else notice a flaw in picture reproduction -- a series of vertical stripes -- that occurs in both feature articles and advertising in the center of the magazine? It almost looks like that old trick of simulating a picture taken in the rain by photographing through a sheet of plexiglass through which vertical stripes have been scribed. Dave Nelson
Hmmm, my copy isn't like that at all -- you must have one that got messed up in the press.
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Bob,I think there is much more behind the slow death of the hobby shop so,we may not be the enemy-just one of the enemy allies.
One the bright side one can subsribe to MR's e-magazine..
Frankly I may not be quite ready for that but,a electronic MR beats no MR at all.
Larry
Conductor.
Summerset Ry.
"Stay Alert, Don't get hurt Safety First!"
cacole dknelson: Speaking of the new MR did anyone else notice a flaw in picture reproduction -- a series of vertical stripes -- that occurs in both feature articles and advertising in the center of the magazine? It almost looks like that old trick of simulating a picture taken in the rain by photographing through a sheet of plexiglass through which vertical stripes have been scribed. Dave Nelson Hmmm, my copy isn't like that at all -- you must have one that got messed up in the press.
dknelson: Speaking of the new MR did anyone else notice a flaw in picture reproduction -- a series of vertical stripes -- that occurs in both feature articles and advertising in the center of the magazine? It almost looks like that old trick of simulating a picture taken in the rain by photographing through a sheet of plexiglass through which vertical stripes have been scribed. Dave Nelson
Mine isn't like that either. Sounds like yours had a printing error like perhaps the heads were running out of ink or something.
If you're a subscriber I'd contact Kalmbach / MR about getting another copy, otherwise take it back to the retailer for replacement.
hon30critterThat is a very interesting question! I hope the MR people have the ability to adapt to a changing revenue environment. I would hate to see them go under, espescially if they take the forums with them. Dave
An even more interesting question is has anyone noticed that MR has shrunk from 175+ pages four and five years ago down to less than 100 on this latest issue? This can only be the result of a decreasing number of advertisers and the resulting decrease in advertising revenue. The printing costs even for a less-than-100-pages periodical are still going to be pretty high which means that MR may have had to raise their advertising rates which could account for the disappearance of some of those multi-page advertisers.
Whatever the case might be it does not harbinger well for the future if this economy doesn't pick up soon.
From the far, far reaches of the wild, wild west I am: rtpoteet
In the mid 50's MR shrunk down from 100+ pages to only 68 through most of the summer months. It's not time to panic yet.
I'm debating keeping paper and addign digital or goign to strictyl digital when my renewal comes up. It reads quite nicely on my Touchpad with Zinio, and I can read on my larger computer monitor as well. Only 'complaint' I can say is that since MR is a print publication first and digital second, it doesn't work as well on my widescreen computer monitor as a digital-first publication like MRH. But I can say the same about the other magazines I have digital subscriptions to through Zion. On a tablet at least you can orient the device in a portait format and have the right proprotions to display a book or magazine (yes I know they have computer monitors that can do that as well). In fact, but for a few games I have ont he tablet, I'm always using it in the portrait orientation - probably because my #1 use of it is to read books and magazines.
--Randy
Modeling the Reading Railroad in the 1950's
Visit my web site at www.readingeastpenn.com for construction updates, DCC Info, and more.
Train World used to run four pages (two spreads). Then went down to one spread, but also opted for color, it used to be just B&W. Then just one page, and now...
I always looked for their ad even if I did not buy but once in a while. The are the only ones that have good prices on basic supplies AND have plastic subway equipment. The price of the subway cars went from $100 to almost $200 for a four car set. (Well more than $200 if you look at the Walther's catalog.
LION runs six car subway trains, and so needs two sets to make one train with two cars left over.
I keep looking at their ad to see if there are special prices or new releases.
I'll probably e-mail them about this, but the LION is guessing that they are spending $X.00 for their ads, and that money is just buying them less and less in each issue.
ROAR
The Route of the Broadway Lion The Largest Subway Layout in North Dakota.
Here there be cats. LIONS with CAMERAS
chugg I don't suppose people notice, unless it happens to be the hobby shop they order from. I ordered from Standard Hobby Supply for years and years , untill they called it quits and they always had a large ad . I would think MR could pursue other advertisers from different fields. We don't just play with trains ya know, we drink beer too. The other alternative would be increasing subscription rates again, but in this economy you can push that envelope only so far. Philip
This is something I've actually wondered about before too. Special interest magazines seem to have interest-centered ads only. Which is fine, in its way, but oddly surprising in this world of marketing über alles.
Its most amusing in industry journals. Next time I'm buying some strike fighters, drones, and air defense radars, I'll know who to call thanks to the advertisers in C4ISR Journal, Space News, and so on.
I have saved every copy of model railroader I have ever purchased and frequently re-read them. The current offering is getting thinner and thinner. It seems that by rehashing the few articles into special issues and creating many more special publications we are continually paying more for less. I was looking through an older issue, not that long ago that was nearly 200 pages and contained a great deal more in the way of how to, track plans, etc. I sure hope the trend changes soon or before long there will be no reason to buy the magazine. I for one would pay more to get more, I understand the costs are going up a great deal and would really like to have the old 200 or so pages of material to look at that used to be available.
Model railroader is my hobby magazine of choice along with classic trains. But prior to the advent of Model Railroad Planning, Classic Trains, and Great Model Railroads it seems to me that all of that material was in the monthly issue of Model railroader as well as the features on live steam and garden railroads as well. I no longer subscribe to a great many magazines because they continually down sized and seemed to be letting their advertisers write their copy for them. I hope the folks at MR find a way to reverse the trend as magazines seem to be going down the tubes fast.
Sometimes I think I am subscribing to this out of a sense of loyalty to the organization and in response to the excellent job they have done in the past. The current group of folks seems quite skilled and knowledgeable. I just wish we could get the content volume cranked up to where it used to be.
So MR is going the way of the phone book? I quit using phone books in the late 90's for both look-up's and advertising. I decided this after I created two ads, one web based, and one yellow page. Both had different phone numbers so I could track them. Well, guess what - web based was better by 10 to1! At that time, the yellow page ad ( small ) was costing about 380/month. The web production was under 1K and the internet at that time was 50 month for ISDN. The phone company tried to keep me paying and was setting the ad rate by the number of copies that hit the street. Figures sure sounded good to them, but as you know they couldn't tell me a 'hit count'...
So MR - pay attention. I would be willing to bet that one years worth of Internet, servers and desktop costing would be cheaper than ONE month printing cost. Heck your postage on some 100,000 copies mailed would be a BIG bite of that ... You already have staff that can handle the digital stuff, and you can retrain your paper people ( and probably already have ) to learn new stuff.
I have been a suscriber since 1964; although I missed a couple of years. I have gotten those missing copies by various means, and also prior copies to about 1940. I have been thinking very hard about selling those 900 ish copies one at a time - surely I would be able to come up with a DVD for those ...right?
So MR - get to work!
Oh, and like other posters, MRH is great and I do like the monthly issue vs the quarterly. Would I pay for that? Don't think I will ever have to. I know their advertisers like it - direct links to their websites - what a boon!
ctclibby
Todd Hackett
Libby, Montana 59923
I take only pictures then leave footprints on railroad property that I know is not mine, although I treat it as such...
Back in the 1960s and 1970s, the complaint was that MR was full of "tiny print ads for discount dealers, which cluttered up the magazine, took up space that could be devoted to more articles and pictures, and undercut the local hobby shops that could not afford to charge less than MSRP." MR's response to reader demands that these ads be refused, as some smaller circulations magazines had done, was that, if they accepted any ads, they had to accept the discount dealers' ads, and that the small-circulation magazines would find themselves in legal trouble if their journals got big enough to attract attention of the larger advertisers.
My how times have changed.
As for ads for beer, cars, and the like, I have a feeling these ads have not appeared in railroad hobby magazines because the advertisers of such products don't feel it's worth their time. The markets the hobby press serves are just not big enough. I recall back in the 1970s, purveyors of outdoors gear placed ads in Railroad and Trains but after a while these ads stopped appearing. The disappearance of ads from railroad companies probably paralleled the decline of the railroad industry in that period.
Dan