Amer. Magazine "Motorcylist" Stops Print after 108 yrs

[sign216]

The magazine Motorcyclist, has stopped printing the paper copy after 108 years of publication.  They cite a dearth of advertisers.  The mag is moving to digital-only style.

Sad. 

I like a tangible product.  Reading in the conventional (old fashioned?) style.  I feel sad, just like when MGNOC stopped printing their newsletter too.

Is this the new world?

Joe

P.S.  I'll be keeping my copy, the last one, as a memento. 

[sdcr]

I have been working in the print business (newspapers) for over 30 years.

The demise of print media products have been forecast for many years. I believe that the future is upon us.

[yogidozer]

They saw it coming long ago....

[John Ulrich]

The content had been declining for years.  I let my subscription lapse.

[Seventy One]

This was news to me. Then I picked up the last issue I got (which has been laying here untouched for a week) and then read all about on page 10.

I used to read them cover-to-cover the day I got 'em.

Sad, but not surprised. 

[LowRyter]

They've been giving me notices for years that my subscription had lapsed.  I never renewed it and continued to get it.

The magazine is completely unrecognizable from what it was 5 years ago, for better or for worse.  I suppose there are few new motorcycles to road test now, so it's turned into a lifestyle and picture magazine.  Road & Track has done the same and Car & Driver isn't far behind. 

[John Croucher]

What's the deal?  Save up to $67 on a 2 year subscription or Save up to 70%  on a 2 year subscription?  Both renewal cards fell out of my last copy. 

Always read the fine print, you may be asking for a refund that never shows up. 

[Testarossa]

It looks like the only "traditional" monthly magazine remaining in the U.S. is Rider. The rest have gone to digital-only or have morphed into coffee-table quarterlies, heavy on photos and light on text. We'll see how long rider can last in this format. They run a skeleton staff of just three paid editors plus three or four regular (freelance) columnists/road testers. Maybe a third of the material consists of road-trip stories contributed by readers. The July issue runs 46% advertising which should be sustainable unless they're giving the ads away.

In my field, skiing, the same has happened. Since the advent of the web, US print magazine paid circulation has declined from about 1.3 million (combined circ of four major magazines) to about 70,000 for the sole survivor, now publishing just four issues per year. The internet isn't the only culprit -- corporate consolidation means there are only about half a dozen major advertisers with significant budgets, whereas in 1990 there were 30 or 40 companies capable of buying half a dozen full pages a year.

[Daleroso]

Similar changes with dealerships. A conversation with a GM with Eurosport Reno, Vegas & Sonoma confirmed their emphasis now is internet sales vs marginal in house accessories/apparel/inventory costs. Ship it or order it & ship it. Not that interested in riders gathering on Saturday morning for a coffee & doughnut before leaving with a farkle purchase of some kind that they didn't know they wanted before seeing it.
They do have a large inventory of multi brand bikes.

PS. LOL- I was in one of their store's on Tuesday late morning & picked up 1 of 2 doughnuts left. Went to break it in half. The icing shattered & the doughnut snapped in half. I laughingly asked an associate if it was a Saturday doughnut. "Yep" 4 days old left on the counter.
Is it just me expecting to much?

[sign216]

It looks like the only "traditional" monthly magazine remaining in the U.S. is Rider. The rest have gone to digital-only or have morphed into coffee-table quarterlies, heavy on photos and light on text. We'll see how long rider can last in this format. They run a skeleton staff of just three paid editors plus three or four regular (freelance) columnists/road testers. Maybe a third of the material consists of road-trip stories contributed by readers. The July issue runs 46% advertising which should be sustainable unless they're giving the ads away.

In my field, skiing, the same has happened. Since the advent of the web, US print magazine paid circulation has declined from about 1.3 million (combined circ of four major magazines) to about 70,000 for the sole survivor, now publishing just four issues per year. The internet isn't the only culprit -- corporate consolidation means there are only about half a dozen major advertisers with significant budgets, whereas in 1990 there were 30 or 40 companies capable of buying half a dozen full pages a year.

Testa,

I'll take a look at Rider.  My only other cycle mag is Motorcycle Consumer News, which is still holding onto a print format.  I might shift to British bike mags, which are much more expensive, but still have good content.

All, any other mags out there that are keeping to real paper?

Joe

[cookiemech]

There's RoadRunner, which is heavily touring oriented. Nice thick, well-photographed magazine that is bi-monthly.

https://www.roadrunner.travel/

[Testarossa]

My only other cycle mag is Motorcycle Consumer News, which is still holding onto a print format.

I read MCN on line. They're a different animal, because they don't sell advertising. The subscription is therefore expensive. The traditional commercial magazine model is that circulation sales is a loss-leader and most of the revenue comes from advertising. Subscriptions are bread-and-butter because advertisers view subscribers as regular involved customers, as opposed to newsstand buyers. Newsstand is horrifyingly expensive -- publishers pay up front for rack space and distribution companies used to be a little mobbed up, or a lot. But newsstand is one of the ways a magazine earns new subscribers. It used to cost about $1 to $1.50 to print a magazine, another, and 50 cents to mail it, so if you buy a monthly subscription for less than about $20/year the magazine loses money mailing to you BEFORE counting the cost of editorial and overhead. But the costs of paper and postage keep going up and up. I think I pay $20/yr for MCN on line.

Traditionally the only publications that made money on circ were The Wall Street Journal (people will pay for up-to-date financial info) and Playboy, before porn was free.

Nice thick, well-photographed magazine that is bi-monthly.

True, but I find RR unreadable. It's published by a mom-and-son family company and neither of them can write. The money for expensive printing must come from somewhere, which suggests a tax shelter for someone.

[Guzzistajohn]

What can possibly be said that hasn't been already written about riding a motorcycle? I'm NOT surprised.

[kirby1923]

Where I am I have a couple of riders (pilots mostly) that subscribe to printed stuff  because not available easily on line or at all.
I read'em and the best one and most informative in IMHO is "Motorcycle Mojo" (motorcyclemojo.com) from Canada.
Good fun and better than staring at a smartphone screen. Decent writing, sure better than my ramblings.

They usually have a couple of road tests and a good ride report for some area. In recent issues they have done the Texas Hill Country and NW Arkansas..pretty good.

FWIW
:-)

[Gliderjohn]

Got a post card today from Cycle World group saying my remaining Motorcyclist subscription will be transferred to Cycle World.
GliderJohn

[Guzzistajohn]

Where I am I have a couple of riders (pilots mostly) that subscribe to printed stuff  because not available easily on line or at all.
I read'em and the best one and most informative in IMHO is "Motorcycle Mojo" (motorcyclemojo.com) from Canada.
Good fun and better than staring at a smartphone screen. Decent writing, sure better than my ramblings.

They usually have a couple of road tests and a good ride report for some area. In recent issues they have done the Texas Hill Country and NW Arkansas..pretty good.

FWIW
:-)

I'd rather listen to your ramblings Mike, at least you bring cojnac 

[kirby1923]

Si!

Graicas hermano!!

[jackthebiker]

I dropped Motorcyclist and Cycleworld when they went to the new format.  Not for me.  I enjoy Rider and have since the 1980s.  Also enjoy Motorcycle Classics.  Please support these magazines because I hate to see them go away. 

[flip]

Got a post card today from Cycle World group saying my remaining Motorcyclist subscription will be transferred to Cycle World.
GliderJohn

Ditto

[Testarossa]

What can possibly be said that hasn't been already written about riding a motorcycle? I'm NOT surprised.

Hi, John!  This is a valid point. A lot of specialty magazines are sold to people new to a sport, who want to understand the lingo, culture, technology etc. When they know as much or more than the staff writers (mostly younger folk), they tend to drop out of the audience. Rule of thumb used to be that after three years a subscriber starts seeing old topics recycled, and goes away.

[yogidozer]

[oldbike54]

 Have heard several older motorbike riders say the online writing just isn't of the same quality we saw in the era from roughly 1970 until 2010 in print magazines . From Cook Neilson and Phil Schilling thru Cameron , Egan , and one of my favorites , John Burns , all were talented journalists who honed their craft , and had editors watching over their shoulders . Now it seems we have mostly untrained writers attempting to remain relevant on the internet . No real fact checking , no professional editor steering them , and maybe not being well paid . Ari Henning is writing for Road Rider now , he is a decent writer , and knows motorbikes , he seems to be the only throwback . Cameron is still writing for CW , but he must be winding down . End of an era .

 Dusty

[steven c]

 I work for a small family owned publisher we do calendars and books. 14 years ago we had 14 employees now down to 2 and we are part time now. Print is dying.

[kingoffleece]

I suggest BIKE and Motorcycle Sport and Leisure from the UK.  VASTLY superior to anything from our side of the pond.
And not to be snarky, but Motorcycle Consumer News, since Serle retired as editor, is a hollow shadow of it's former self.  Practically useless.

[bad Chad]

I’m going to subscribe to Rider.

[sign216]

I suggest BIKE and Motorcycle Sport and Leisure from the UK.  VASTLY superior to anything from our side of the pond.
And not to be snarky, but Motorcycle Consumer News, since Serle retired as editor, is a hollow shadow of it's former self.  Practically useless.

I've heard a lot venom towards the new MC News, but I still like it.  I do miss the older writers.

K o Fleece, how about Motorcycle Classics, I think it's the US version of the Brit mag Classic Bike?  Motorcycle Classics is one of my standby mags, and still in print (for now).

[Tusayan]

I was somewhat bemused when the subscription offer cards fell out, right after I read that the print magazine is finished.  Just prior to that I was thinking how much I've been enjoying the new format.  The Internet is filled with factual data and it seemed to me they were doing a good job of capitalizing on the USP that print has to offer - all the pages resting in your hands, easily accessible, put together artistically.  I'm sure the on line version will disappear quickly.

For some reason, the trend away from print media lags in some places - in a German supermarket the magazine rack is filled with bike and car magazines, like 20 years ago in the US.  It's pretty good if you can read it. Things change slower there.

The best English language motorcycle magazine was Cycle in the 70s, that was a cultural phenomenon as well as useful info.

[NC Steve]

I’m going to subscribe to Rider.

Rider is still a good book. 

[Seventy One]

Motorcycle Classics magazine is still available and still awesome.

https://www.motorcycleclassics.com/

[kingoffleece]

Agreed.  motorcycle Classics is nice.