Which is better?

[Michael GilliganParticipant @michaelgilligan61133]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 14/08/2018 17:15:43:

It's fairly clear what the solution is, we should become like Radio 4 Extra and just reprint old articles…

Neil

.

Don't push it, Neil

MichaelG.

[RevStewParticipant @revstew]

Jon Lawes, you are of course correct. Whingeing will do the square root of bugger all to change anything. I need to crack on and get making, and that may give me enough material to provide a contribution of the type of thing I want to see more of.

Gandhi said 'Be the change you want to see in the world'

Or was it Michael Jackson?…No. Definitely Gandhi.

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Going by the cover of 271 I though Neil had already started on the repeats

[BazyleParticipant @bazyle]

Posted by Neil Wyatt on 14/08/2018 17:05:11:

If you don't buy the mags, they'll disappear…

Stage one should be contraction or amalgamation of the multiple magazines to what ME was. I'm not sure I will be able to afford two mags when I retire.

It is worth bearing in mind that there are English language modelling equivalents in USA and Australia plus other language ones elsewhere. Sadly rather than import these mags the publishing houses started their own new ones.

Hint to Neil. how about instead of reprinting old ME articles find ones from Australia. There must have been a construction series on the Puffing Billy line locos and a model built to AU specs would then pass their boiler requirements so we can all emigrate to get the summer weather we have become used to.

[Mike PooleParticipant @mikepoole82104]

At one time I used to buy Model Engineer, Bike Magazine, Classic Bike, Classic Racer, Electronics Today International, Sounds, New Musical Express and Melody Maker. My sole subscription now is MEW.

Mike

[JasonBModerator @jasonb]

Baz, I think Diane and Martin are already there, couple of engine build articles I can think of that were previously in Maschinen im Modellbau which is a German ME mag, shame I had already seen them but the english text was useful.

[V8EngParticipant @v8eng]

Removed by V8.

Edited By V8Eng on 14/08/2018 20:48:26

[Fowlers FuryParticipant @fowlersfury]

I am pleased not to be in the business of magazine promotion and marketing !

Thinking some online research might be interesting……no circulation data for EIM, ME or MEW emerged viz. "Model Engineer – Nexus Media Communications – No longer registered"

**LINK**

Quote ~ “..latest consumer magazine reports show a continued overall decline for print. To end 2017…..overall print circulation across the entire market fell 5%, while digital purchases grew by 3%….online readership for consumer magazines jumped by 37%”.
(Understandable I suppose but then like all percentages, questionnable).

Elsewhere an intriguing article from 10 years ago:-
“Magicalia’s magazine Formula revealed”
For its magazines with websites, 30% of revenue comes from online, compared to around 15% for most consumer magazine publishers. The company is keen on any hobby that involves buying kit, which explains why it owns titles like Model Engineers’ Workshop. A quarter of the group’s online money comes from customers who read a review and then click through to a retailer’s site to buy the product. The company receives between 5 and 10p of the sale price for any purchases made. The company ensures every review is matched with a product for sale. Each title bought from Gardens Monthly to Model Engineers’ Workshop is linked into a community website where enthusiasts swap photos and news, shop for kit and trawl through the product review archives. Enthusiasts’ comments and reviews make their way into the print title.”
(Companies House shows Mytimemedia was called Magicalia from 2006 until 2008).

Neil has posted “If you don’t buy the mags, they’ll disappear”.
Conversely if the mags are worth buying they won’t disappear !

True there’s no longer regular contributors such as Geo Thomas, ‘Geometer’, LBSC, Radford, Harold Hall, Bill Hughes etc and my opinion on what format & content would induce me to buy a hard copy is worthless in isolation. Instead market research and product differentiation is surely needed (a flavour of which is evident in this thread) or the magazines will go the way of Homebase, Maplins etc and countless defunct periodicals where the owners thought they knew best.

No criticism of Neil is implied; this forum is one of the best for frank exchange of opinions with little or no abusive response. I'd pay to access it if ever required.

[Neil WyattModerator @neilwyatt]

Posted by Fowlers Fury on 14/08/2018 20:49:16:

“Magicalia’s magazine Formula revealed”
For its magazines with websites, 30% of revenue comes from online, compared to around 15% for most consumer magazine publishers. The company is keen on any hobby that involves buying kit, which explains why it owns titles like Model Engineers’ Workshop. A quarter of the group’s online money comes from customers who read a review and then click through to a retailer’s site to buy the product. The company receives between 5 and 10p of the sale price for any purchases made. The company ensures every review is matched with a product for sale. Each title bought from Gardens Monthly to Model Engineers’ Workshop is linked into a community website where enthusiasts swap photos and news, shop for kit and trawl through the product review archives. Enthusiasts’ comments and reviews make their way into the print title.”
(Companies House shows Mytimemedia was called Magicalia from 2006 until 2008).

?????

Can't have been a particularly effective magic formula. I've been using the site for years before becoming editor and I've never seen a review you could click through to the retailer's site from.

I think it may have been wishful thinking… all our income these days comes from ordinary online advertising.

Neil

[DMBParticipant @dmb]

Andrew,

I can go one ( or two) better; my first ME purchase from newsagent was in June, 1962. Been taking it ever since, as well as every copy of MEW and EIM. Have collected second hand copies of ME from 1962 back to 1930, every copy and a few very early vols.

John

[Author]

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