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Sadly I think Practical Performance Car magazine's days are numbered.
Will Holman wrote in last month's edition that they were struggling and I have just had a notification that my subscription direct debit has been cancelled by Blockhead Media.
Shame. They always seemed to have a laugh with their projects and produced some fun articles. Plus it introduced the world to Charlie Bloomfield and his Meteor powered SD1, not to mention Will Holman's V8 Capri (RIP) and the £999 challenge.
Plus they featured my Midas which was a lovely surprise. I shall miss them.
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Sadly I think all magazines days are numbered. I personally haven't bought any magazine in ages, and at one point I probably bought maybe 25 a month. I gave up because I thought the magazine's were getting expensive, the page count was going down, the amount of adverts was going up, and at one point in a couple of magazine's the pages with adverts outnumbered the pages with articles. Not only that, but I found that the photography, and writing became quite poor in a lot of the magazine's I bought. Added to that, everything is on the internet for free, so why splash your cash on something you'll be throwing away in a week or so? Lastly, YouTube, and other stuff like that. Reading takes more effort than watching something on the screen, and the pictures don't move. So people who read for fun are getting less and less as there's more enjoyment to be had watching some sort of show in my opinion.
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Sadly I think all magazines days are numbered. I personally haven't bought any magazine in ages, and at one point I probably bought maybe 25 a month. I gave up because I thought the magazine's were getting expensive, the page count was going down, the amount of adverts was going up, and at one point in a couple of magazine's the pages with adverts outnumbered the pages with articles. Not only that, but I found that the photography, and writing became quite poor in a lot of the magazine's I bought. Added to that, everything is on the internet for free, so why splash your cash on something you'll be throwing away in a week or so? Lastly, YouTube, and other stuff like that. Reading takes more effort than watching something on the screen, and the pictures don't move. So people who read for fun are getting less and less as there's more enjoyment to be had watching some sort of show in my opinion. Pretty much what I was going to say, as well as using lots of paper. It's a shame but with Internet use like it is now mags are simply something I don't need when I can find stuff on my phone.
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Practical classics is still doing very well I think some mags will survive as they have big audiences, other specialist ones will sadly fall I have bought a few more recently classic retro modern is a great new one The only thing with mags I hate is the insurance “expert” telling me what I should buy as they know so much about them……I don’t even bother reading there input now
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Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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Dez
Club Retro Rides Member
And I won't sit down. And I won't shut up. And most of all I will not grow up.
Posts: 11,714
Club RR Member Number: 34
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Jul 27, 2022 10:27:26 GMT
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Let’s be honest ppc has always been a third rate publication, and it’s prime purpose seems to be to massage the egos of some of its contributors rather than to help people build performance cars.
Custom car is also going through the wringer at the minute too, from the posts I’ve seen.
Print media can still work, but not in the format most publishers try to present it. The monthly magazine is as long in the tooth as it’s readership, and just doesn’t work in an internet based world. As noted above the quality has been slowly eroded over the last two decades, to the point where you’re average single-car hobbyist could do better.
If print media wants to survive, it needs to be in high quality, in depth, exclusive periodicals, like the rodders journal. Once or twice a year but a proper event to get it, and actually have content worth reading and that you can’t get elsewhere.
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Last Edit: Jul 27, 2022 10:29:12 GMT by Dez
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goldnrust
West Midlands
Minimalist
Posts: 1,872
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Jul 27, 2022 11:09:33 GMT
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If print media wants to survive, it needs to be in high quality, in depth, exclusive periodicals, like the rodders journal. Once or twice a year but a proper event to get it, and actually have content worth reading and that you can’t get elsewhere. I agree. Print media needs to stop trying to be what it was, and to realise where it can add value in the 21st century, just as vinyl records has done and film photography is trying to do. It needs to harness its nostalgia, and find out what it can offer that digital does not. If it can do that, as vinyl has, people will pay though the nose for it. To me that means thick high quality paper stock, large photos learning towards the artistic rather than the functional and interesting layouts. Page layout is one of the areas that digital mostly fails compared to print, as we are so limited by the formats that social media allow us to work in.
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Jul 27, 2022 11:42:43 GMT
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Confirmed by their Faceache post: As Dez states, PPC wasn't the highest quality publication and certainly had its faults (god-awful proof-reading a particular lowlight), but some of the articles were good, and Dave Walker's column was always worth a read. As we like to modify, there were numerous feature cars right up our street, as well as some utter horrors. I looked forward to seeing what crazy things somebody had built in a garage. As a business it hadn't moved with the Times and was obviously not making enough cash. I hope they haven't lost too much money as they seemed genuinely nice guys.
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fogey
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,593
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Jul 27, 2022 16:24:21 GMT
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Sad to this mag go as it was actually run by enthusiasts rather than some publishing company just cashing in the hobby.
The recently launched 'GO Classics' magazine has been conspicuous by its absence - latest issue according their website was back in February and I've not seen anything since then - unless, of course, you know different. . . .
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Jul 27, 2022 17:42:22 GMT
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I recently had a re-shuffle of my mountain of magazines, mostly Practical Classics dating back yonks (the only magazine I subscribe to); they more or less fill an entire wall of my flat!
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droopsnoot
Posted a lot
Posts: 1,443
Member is Online
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Jul 27, 2022 17:55:48 GMT
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I like a nice glossy car magazine, but I don't like the prices now. I used to get "Octane" because it was printed on lovely glossy paper and had great quality photos in it, but I'd buy it at shows when there were offers like "three issues for £3" or similar. They used to phone me and ask if I wanted a trial subscription, and I'd usually do it, but remember to cancel before it rolled over into a proper subscription at a proper price. Just before my last trial sub ran out they switched over to matt paper and it lost a lot of the quality appearance in my opinion.
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Jul 27, 2022 18:02:09 GMT
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I feel a bit guilty, I was buying it from the beginning. Just been using one of the screwdrivers I got from Kev at an Autosport show one year for renewing my subscription.
I have saved and then binned many times my own height of car mags. Must have spent thousands of pounds on them, maybe tens of thousands!
But as said, the Internet is free, and takes up no space in your house! As such, it's considerably more wife friendly!
Had my FRST in the PPC "Readers Cars" section...
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Jul 27, 2022 18:31:24 GMT
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Still like a magazine myself and get Custom Car and American Classic every month. Had subscribed to the relaunched Street Machine which went on break at the start of covid and doesn't look like it's comimg back any time soon.
Got my dad a Classic Cars subscription for christmas last year and he is really enjoying that. They then come to me and I have been enjoying it to, not a mag I would normally choose to read.
I personally like the feel of a magazine in my hands and being able to flick through.
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Jul 27, 2022 19:16:06 GMT
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I didn't even know it was still in print. Maybe thats part of the problem. I used to buy it an enjoy it but it quickly fell off the list of magazines I had to buy. I think a lot of Dez's points are spot on. I used to buy a ton of magazines. Probably literally. I used to joke I was keeping American Auto Mags in business single handedly. Slowly they lost their appeal. Most of them are no longer in print. Its sad, there used to be a joy in passing on a pile of old car mags to a mate, or a local kid, and being given a bunch of mags by a mate and discovering something different, or finding a cache of ancient mags from way back and revelling in the nostalgia Sad that this won't be a thing for future generations maybe. But hey, will cars even be a thing for future generations? I bought Practical Classics recently for something to read on a plane. It was OK. I was reading it because I was bored not because I was excited by the content When I was young and knew no better, magazines were my source of info and truth. I grew up. The content seemed contrived, advertising driven and often innacurate. I found forums and folk at events and so on seemed to be a more authentic source. Now facebook groups and sometimes YouTube too. Although a lot of phoneys and nonsence on there too.
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1937 Austin Street Rod - 1941 Wolseley Not Rod - 1956 Humber Hawk - 1957 Daimler Conquest - 1966 Buick LeSabre - 1968 Plymouth Sport Fury - 1968 Ford Galaxie - 1969 Ford Country Squire - 1969 Mercury Marquis - 1970 Morris Minor - 1970 Buick Skylark - 1970 Ford Galaxie - 1971 Ford Galaxie - 1976 Continental Mark IV - 1976 Ford Capri - 1976 Rover V8 - 1994 Ford Fiesta
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Jul 27, 2022 19:41:50 GMT
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Can’t say it’s a mag I’ve ever read. I have a subscription to Classic Car & Sportscar mag & imo it’s the best out there. Great writing & some excellent pics with plenty of content. Granted there are a fair few ads, but it’s a very thick mag with loads of pages, so there is lots of articles. I must have had it drop through my door for more than 15 yrs & I prefer it to internet reading & YouTube. Everything has its place & I do use all of them, but you can’t beat ‘proper’ paper.
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elfman
Part of things
Posts: 394
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Jul 27, 2022 19:46:13 GMT
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Ive read it for the past 5 or 6 years and yes its been up and down but I'm going to miss it, i know it got hit really bad by Covid. Sad to see it go, but like most things these days so much info now on line... but its not the same as reading a mag in peace and quiet with a beer in my hand..
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Jul 27, 2022 20:21:14 GMT
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Hard to add much to that which has already been said, the printed media has reached a tipping point. Once the primary source for information and inspiration it's simply usurped by digital content, lots of it free.
Consider Readers Rides(not the ooh err kind), 4 page spread of the glossy finished project... or here viewing 20,30 or more pages detailing the journey of the build, the highs and lows and evolution of a build, all for free. Beyond that the choice isn't dictated by the unconscious biases of the editorial team every option is there for us to peruse and filter at our leisure. It's hard to compete economically with that sort of offering.
Then it's about interaction, printed media is a statement, a marker in time, not a place for comment or debate. Sure that allows a few bottom feeders to agitate matters, but broadly most forums are healthy if managed appropriately.
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2014 - Audi A6 Avant 3.0Tdi Quattro 1958 - Chevrolet Apache Panel Truck 1959 - Plymouth Custom Suburban 1952 - Chevrolet 2dr Hardtop 1985 - Ford Econoline E350 Quadravan 2009 - Ovlov V70 2.5T 1970 - Cortina Mk2 Estate 2007 - Fiat Ducato LWB 120Multijet 2014 - Honda Civic 2.2 CTDi ES
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Jul 27, 2022 20:26:47 GMT
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I’ll just add I will go in buying practical classics as I have done since I was 14 years of age I subscribe to classic and sportscar And classic and vintage commercials And I’m really enjoying classic retro modern As said above nothing beats sitting reading a decent mag or as I’m doing right now thumbing through classic car weekly paper
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Fraud owners club member 1999 Jaguar s type 1993 ford escort
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Jul 27, 2022 20:31:13 GMT
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As said above nothing beats sitting reading a decent mag or as I’m doing right now thumbing through classic car weekly paper ...in the loo
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Jul 27, 2022 21:13:04 GMT
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I subscribed to it for many years, but not for a long while now. Began to feel like I’d seen it all before, it was getting expensive and I discovered Internet forums, so I could get my fix from RR and Old School NZ…..
Nick
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1967 Triumph Vitesse convertible (old friend) 1996 Audi A6 2.5 TDI Avant (still durability testing) 1972 GT6 Mk3 (Restored after loong rest & getting the hang of being a car again)
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Jul 27, 2022 23:27:33 GMT
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I subscribed to it for many years, but not for a long while now. Began to feel like I’d seen it all before, it was getting expensive and I discovered Internet forums, so I could get my fix from RR and Old School NZ….. Nick Same story here. I used to buy every issue but lost interest 5 years ago, it was fun but started to get a bit boring. Found a few good forums and rarely buy any of the magazines now. The only magazine I really did enjoy recently was Modern classics (sadly now finished), I've yet to try classic.retro.modern.
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1988 Mercedes w124 superturbo diesel 508hp 1996 Mercedes s124 e300 diesel wagon 1990 BMW E30 V8 M60 powered! 1999 BMW E46 323ci project car
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