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Letter to subscribers from Firecrown Media owner

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Posted by maxman on Saturday, July 20, 2024 1:37 PM

richhotrain
That was May 1st. The OP started this thread on July 1st when he received the August issue of Model Railroader magazine. I stand by my earlier comment that Firecrown is missing an opportunity by not posting that recent letter here on the forum.

Fine.  Now it is posted.  Can we move on?

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Posted by richhotrain on Saturday, July 20, 2024 6:27 PM

maxman

 

 
richhotrain
That was May 1st. The OP started this thread on July 1st when he received the August issue of Model Railroader magazine. I stand by my earlier comment that Firecrown is missing an opportunity by not posting that recent letter here on the forum.

 

Fine.  Now it is posted.  Can we move on?

 

It is? Where?

 

Alton Junction

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Posted by maxman on Saturday, July 20, 2024 6:35 PM

Obviously you didn't bother reading my post above.

So for the lazy:

I am thrilled that Firecrown is expanding into the railroad and space media sectors by acquiring Kalmbach Media’s Trains and Astronomy media groups. This acquisition opens up exciting new possibilities for our company. 

The Kalmbach portfolio is highly synergistic with Firecrown. 

Firecrown proudly stands as one of the leading transportation media providers, serving the aviation, boating, and logistics industries with renowned brands such as FLYINGBoatingYachtingSalt Water Sportsman and FreightWaves

The acquisition includes TrainsModel RailroaderClassic Toy TrainsClassic TrainsGarden Railways, and Trains.com, the space enthusiast brand Astronomy, as well as FineScale Modeler, Kalmbach Books, and their digital e-commerce stores.

The rail titles fit perfectly in the Firecrown portfolio and the breadth of experience of our staff. 

Trains.com is the world’s most trafficked railroad news and entertainment website, and the print magazines in its portfolio are the most read in the category. In recent years, Trains.com has built an extensive video portfolio, tailoring content around the love of trains and model railroading. 

Kalmbach has deep ties in the railroad community, having published magazines and books about railroads and model trains for over 90 years. There isn’t a deeper connection in the rail enthusiast community than the one that Kalmbach built. The Firecrown staff will work diligently to continue and build on that connection moving forward.

Additionally, the rail and aviation communities have a great deal in common. Besides the obvious — both being transportation modes and having similarities in business models — the enthusiast audience is vast in both categories. We believe that “railfans” and “avgeeks” are kindred spirits. 
With the acquisition, Firecrown plans to invest significantly in Trains’ business editorial coverage, increasing the cadence and depth of coverage of the rail industry. FreightWaves, one of Firecrown’s brands, provides a playbook to help achieve this.

There will be a substantial increase in daily update videos, news content and analysis, virtual events and business analysis for the rail industry, modeled after the FreightWaves media brand’s success covering the logistics industry. 

Firecrown also becomes the new owner of Astronomy, the largest magazine serving the space community. Published for over 50 years, Astronomy has become the go-to source for amateur and professional astronomers. 

Firecrown plans to retain all of the editorial and content resources of the former Kalmbach Media brands and open a new office in Wisconsin to accommodate the teams currently working on them. 

“We are excited to have found a new home for these storied and well-respected brands,” said Dan Hickey, CEO of Kalmbach Media. “While these are always difficult decisions, it is great to know that their stewardship moving forward will be under the guidance of a company and leader dedicated and passionate about their continued growth and expansion.” 

An exciting time for astronomy

The emphasis on space exploration has created massive interest in all things space. This is expected to increase as private companies and government agencies accelerate the second “space race.” 

Amateur astronomy is also experiencing a renaissance as new digital telescopes come to market. Telescope and astrophotography manufacturers are introducing smart telescopes that make the hobby more accessible and enjoyable than ever. 

These new technologies have enabled even the most inexperienced astronomers to take photos of deep-space objects such as nebulas, galaxies and clusters — all with a button on an app. 

More impressively, these digital telescopes built for amateurs rival and often exceed the capabilities of professional telescopes, which can cost 100 times more. This is the Instagram generation’s answer to astronomy. 
Astronomy may seem like an outlier to Firecrown’s portfolio, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. The aviation and space communities have a substantial overlap.

Pilots and aviation enthusiasts are often drawn to the cosmos, dreaming of space flight and exploration. Firecrown plans to broaden Astronomy’s coverage of space exploration and anticipates significant collaboration between the FLYING and Astronomy editorial teams. 

Over the past three years, FLYING has rapidly expanded its editorial coverage of space flight and exploration with great success. 

Some of the most trafficked stories on FLYINGMag.com are about space exploration and missions. This is a huge opportunity to make space a core focus of our portfolio. 

E-commerce

Kalmbach has expanded beyond media to include e-commerce in the past few years. It has two media properties, one focused on railroad hobbyists and the other on the astronomy community. As part of this transaction, Firecrown is acquiring both. 

Firecrown plans to expand the product lineup at Kalmbach’s hobby store (which will be rebranded) to include a greater selection of railroad-fan merchandise. 

Firecrown has even bigger plans for the astronomy e-commerce operation, MyScienceShop.com.

This past February, Firecrown acquired the largest e-commerce store for NASA collectibles, the Space Store. The plan is to merge MyScienceShop into the SpaceStore, creating a “space enthusiast superstore.” 
The product lineup of the two e-commerce stores is very different. 

MyScienceShop has focused on products that enable space enthusiasts to explore and express their curiosity about the science and love of space. In contrast, the Space Store provides high-quality collectibles for the NASA and space mission community. By merging two properties and products into a single entity, the Space Store will have the largest selection of space-focused products anywhere in the universe. 

To me, this whole transaction is personal

I love all things transportation — trucks, airplanes, boats and trains. 

I’ve always been fascinated by how people and products move. This is really in my blood. While I grew up around trucks, I also had a deep love for trains. I’ve built my share of model railroad layouts and even had the chance to work around the rail industry — first in intermodal operations at U.S. Xpress and then through my work at FreightWaves.  

But that isn’t even the most exciting part of this whole deal. 

This transaction takes me back to when I was a young kid. My love of transportation is only matched by my passion for astronomy. The first two magazines I ever subscribed to were FLYING and Astronomy. 

Each of the Firecrown brands reflects not only my passions but the passions of each employee. We will work to give our audiences the best reporting, information and merchandise available.

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, July 21, 2024 4:31 AM

OK, Dick, now that you have reduced yourself to name calling, a violation of Forum Policy I might add, this so-called lazy person, as you did directly referred to me, did read the link that you posted.

That article was published on May 1st and while I have not read the letter published in the August issue of Model Railroader magazine, I seriously doubt that Craig Fuller simply included the same identical message in the magazine.

I am continually amazed at the inability of some members on this forum to to read someone else's reply and completely misunderstand it.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by rrebell on Sunday, July 21, 2024 8:30 AM

I now get why he did the buyout, it is a scale play and I bet most of his magazine employees will be remote workers with a few people able to do what used to be called paste ups on all the mags and maybe an editor responsable for a bunch of mags each. etc. They will end up owning the space with no one complaining to the feds like happens with big company mergers.

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, July 21, 2024 10:27 AM

rrebell
I now get why he did the buyout, it is a scale play and I bet most of his magazine employees will be remote workers with a few people able to do what used to be called paste ups on all the mags and maybe an editor responsable for a bunch of mags each. etc. They will end up owning the space with no one complaining to the feds like happens with big company mergers.

You actually read that he's retaining legacy employees and opening up a new office in Wisconsin to accommodate them, and then write this?

For the record, I agree that Mr.Fuller (or someone like Renee) should have posted this letter, or something like it, here on the Forums.  In written form because traffic on the forums is in writing.

But I see nothing that has changed in a meaningfully negative sense from what was posted on FreightWaves the day and hour the acquisition was announced.

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Posted by richhotrain on Sunday, July 21, 2024 10:02 PM

Thanks to the generous efforts of a veteran forum member, I have been able to print below the actual letter from the August, 2024 issue of Model Railroader magazine. Contrary to what some would have you believe, the letter in the magazine is not the same as the May 1st announcement published on freightwaves.com.

Welcome to Firecrown Media

By Craig Fuller

My company, Firecrown Media, has acquired Kalmbach 's esteemed railroad magazines and media properties, including renowned titles such as Model Railroader, Classic Trains, Trains, Garden Railways, and Classic Toy Trains.
 
As the new custodians of these cherished and respected brands, we are committed to upholding their legacy and nurturing their growth.
 
Firecrown Media, a rapidly expanding media company, is dedicated to acquiring and stewarding magazine and digital media brands in the transportation sector. Our portfolio includes Flying, Boating, Yachting, and FreightWaves, among 50 other loved brands.
 
Firecrown Media is young; it has only been around for three years, but it is funded by a billion-dollar family office with a significant focus on media. After acquiring brands, we have invested over $40 million in them.
 
As Firecrown's founder, I drive much of the passion and energy behind our media strategy. I started in media in 2017 when I launched FreightWaves, a digital media company often called the "Bloomberg of freight." In just seven years, it has become the most prominent voice covering the freight industry, with deep news and analysis of the trucking, rail, air, and ocean container markets. FreightWaves is also one of the fastest-growing B2B media companies in the world.
 
While I am a digital native, I love print magazines. My love for print publications began when I was a boy; Flying was a magazine I grew up reading. So, when I had the opportunity to acquire it in 2021, I did. My purchase of Flying began as a passion project; after all, I am a private pilot.
 
My initial plan was to shutter the print magazine and focus on the digital edition. However, I remembered how I felt each month when I received my copy in the mail. Fully understanding and appreciating the power and love of print magazines, we soon realized that print magazines offered an experience for readers that digital couldn't match.
 
Unlike digital apps or websites, consuming print content provides the reader with an undistracted journey. When reading content online, one is constantly distracted by e-mails, Slack messages, and social media feeds.
 
None of that exists in print. Print magazines offer the reader an experience and a journey unparalleled in any digital format. In recent years, we've seen younger generations (the "Zoomers") start to prefer print magazines over digital. For them, print magazines are innovative and tangible, providing a premium experience compared to digital offerings.
 
After our success with Flying (revenues up 5x since we acquired it in 2021), we expanded our portfolio through 20 acquisitions and rebranded as Firecrown Media. Firecrown's playbook for the Kalmbach titles will follow our experience with other publications and digital assets we've acquired.
 
We will invest significantly in print magazines, creating coffee table-worthy magazines with gorgeous photography and stories that engage audiences. Print magazines should be timeless and something that readers want to keep.
 
In addition to creating beautiful print magazines, we will also make significant investments in the digital websites in our portfolio. This will include significant upgrades to Trains.com and all of the affiliated properties.
 
Rest assured, we plan to keep the forums, but our roadmap includes significant upgrades to ensure their stability and functionality with more modern aesthetics and experience.
 
We also have big plans for video products and plan to introduce new podcasts to serve and engage the community. All of these investments will take time, but in a few months, you will start to see improvements in the online products, and over the next year, you will see a relaunch of the print versions. You will also be glad to know that we are committed to the modeling community and the railroad brands we just acquired.
 
I am bullish on the future of modeling and its attractiveness for younger generations. As a father of five children (ages 3 to 17), my wife and I spend much time and effort introducing our young children to hobbies that do not involve screens and devices. We want to find experiences that exist in the physical world.
 
Model railroading offers a four-dimensional experience that does exactly that. For example, I have a small Lionel layout that I have been building with my 5-year-old son.
 
It is an opportunity for the two of us to make something that is limited only by his imagination. Best of all, I can share my knowledge and love of the freight railroads with him as we develop and play with our evolving model railroad. As an entrepreneur, i love building things; he can help me participate in the journey.
 
I would love to hear your thoughts and ideas on improving the Model Railroader, Trains, Classic Trains, Classic Toy Trains, Garden Railways, and Trains.com experience.
 
You can find me on X: @freightalley.

Alton Junction

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Posted by Overmod on Sunday, July 21, 2024 11:00 PM

At least three significant additions since May 1st:

1.  Commitment to update and upgrade the forums.  We had this from Renee and I believed it, but now we have word directly from the top.

2.  The coffee-table quality.  Frankly if he does this I may well subscribe again.  If he can bring back that magic of combined pictures and words that I remember as a kid in the Sixties, I think he'll get many more 'equally young' new readers...

3.  The contact address.  This is a dangerous thing to put on the forums, perhaps as a number of recent posts in this thread may indicate.  But it does represent a reasonably direct, positive, and accessible way to make constructive criticism.

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Posted by wjstix on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 1:04 PM

BTW it's really not a "letter", it's not like it was mailed to subscribers or something. It's more like a guest editorial that was published in MR and Trains magazines. As I mentioned before, it's not a stretch to assume someone using the Model Railroader magazine forums actually reads Model Railroader magazine, so would see it in the magazine. Plus, a lot of stuff that's published in the magazine doesn't make it to the forums or the MR website.

Stix
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Posted by maxman on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 1:56 PM

I agree that was more like a guest piece, except that the magazine index calls it "A letter from CEO Craig Fuller", which is probably where the letter business originated.

Thinking about this, I don't believe that anyone has actually stated why Mr. Fuller is obligated to inform anyone other than subscribers what's happening.  

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Posted by richhotrain on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 4:05 PM

LOL, you guys just won't give it up. 

The term "letter" is used in this thread because that is the term used in the title and that is because the August issue of Model Railroader magazine calls it a "letter".

As for why no one has actually stated why Mr. Fuller is obligated to inform anyone other than subscribers, that is because no one said that he is obligated to inform anyone.

As I stated at least twice in this thread, Firecrown is "missing an opportunity" by not publishing the letter on this forum. But, that issue has now been resolved.

Rich

Alton Junction

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Posted by York1 on Wednesday, July 24, 2024 9:42 PM

wjstix
it's not a stretch to assume someone using the Model Railroader magazine forums actually reads Model Railroader magazine, so would see it in the magazine.

 

A while back, someone from Kalmbach said that only about one-third of the forum members actually subscribed to the magazines.

This was before all the forum difficulties and the large drop in forum usage.

York1 John       

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Posted by MisterBeasley on Friday, October 4, 2024 1:24 PM

It's now October 4, 2024.  I have tried to log on at least once a day for a couple of weeks now.  I have been met by error messages every time.  Now, in my first successful login in weeks it looks like I've dug up the ancient remains of the forum from last July.

So, guys, I'm saying goodbye.  I'm going to another popular model railroading forum, where I've come across other modelers I've met here.

It takes an iron man to play with a toy iron horse. 

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Posted by maxman on Friday, October 4, 2024 1:33 PM

They said they didn't want people like me.

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Posted by trwroute on Friday, October 4, 2024 6:16 PM

I've also had a bunch of problems signing into this forum.  Even though I haven't posted as much as some throughout the years, I have always felt that this is the forum for me.  The other forum, I don't get that same feeling.

I really hope this forum sticks around.  If it does, I'll definitely contribute more.

Chuck - Modeling in HO scale and anything narrow gauge

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Posted by rrebell on Saturday, October 5, 2024 3:36 PM

Well this is the second forum I used all the time that had died, we shall see if MRH goes too !

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Posted by snjroy on Monday, October 7, 2024 9:55 AM

I hope they fix the bugs definitely. I much prefer the look and feel of this forum compared to others.

Simon

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Posted by "JaBear" on Monday, October 7, 2024 11:08 AM

snjroy

I hope they fix the bugs definitely. I much prefer the look and feel of this forum compared to others.

Simon

 

Yep, my sentiments exactly. 

Cheers, the Bear. 

"One difference between pessimists and optimists is that while pessimists are more often right, optimists have far more fun."

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