More Magazine Closures

David Freiburger made this announcement today:

"Today is a day we’ve all dreaded. With the exception of Motor Trend, Hot Rod, and Four Wheeler, TEN Publishing will cease the print products of its magazine brands. These titles will continue as web sites and social media accounts, and the editors may keep their jobs to continue with that content. As a lifelong fan of print who made his career as a magazine editor, this is a devastating heartbreak of a day—but not a surprise. 19 magazines will stop being printed. I am impressed at the offers that Discovery has made to the remaining magazine editors, as this closure of print was not a decision made by Discovery."

Yeesh, that's a huge blow. Not unexpected in this internet day and age, but still a huge bummer. Personally, I prefer having a physical copy of a magazine in my hand over reading a website. More and more, I feel out of touch with the times, and I'm not even 30 years old.

Wow. This blows. 

Makes me treasure Grassroots even more.

While it makes me sad, I also have to think about when the last time I bought a magazine at a store... it's been awhile. So I am part of the hammer that drove the nails into the coffin.

This is when you pay someone for the peoples names who used to receive those mags and send them GRM subscription letters.

Also, really, do this right before Christmas? That's pretty rotten. 

If anybody is reading this and just lost their job at TEN.... We're not going out of business anytime soon, we're growing, and we're hiring:

https://grassrootsmotorsports.com/employment/

In the good days I think Motor Trend has 1 million mags a month printed......

What are the 19 magazines?

EDIT: They are listed here. Looks like that website will let you read a paragraph about how great each magazine is and there is a subscribe button. Looks like no content online. I wonder why they died.

Googled the list, a lot of mags I used to really love ( and at one time have subscribed to) got the axe. Truckin, Lowrider, Automobile... RIP.

I just read a MotorTrend article this morning about Duff McKagan.  Online link from MSN. A bit light but I enjoyed it quite well.  

The digital age is here, Autoweek has become the “digital and experiential brand"

That's not great. I didn't realise they now own Lowrider as well (which I'll admit to occasionally buying at airports).

That's the third and fourth magazine subscription of mine that's disappeared within a year - Money, Motorcyclist and now Super Street and Car Craft . OK, Money wasn't that great a loss but Motorcyclist was, and I enjoyed Super Street and Car Craft enough to pay for Zinio subscriptions.

At this rate my only car magazine subscriptions will be GRM, CM, R&T and a whole bunch of UK magazines that don't seem to suffer from similar closeritis as a lot of the US magazines.

It is sad. I love digital but also grew up with print. There's something about that tactile feel. Also, nothing blinking while I'm reading. 

A buddy tweeted this yesterday, too:

And, yes, we're hiring. Click the link above. 

I also picked up Lowrider several times at the airport.  Whole different set of advertisers, always found something cool in that mag.

That's a bummer. Can't say I'm surprised though, I think I'm the only person who even looks at the magazine stand at the grocery store anymore. As a kid, I used to spend lots of time reading magazines in the store while my mom was getting groceries. Sometimes I even convinced her to buy the magazine for me. I still have some old truck and Mustang magazines in a box somewhere. Dang, now I'm feeling all nostalgic.

AngryCorvair said:

I also picked up Lowrider several times at the airport.  Whole different set of advertisers, always found something cool in that mag.

Ya, latinas with huge asses and tatas. I'm a "fan" too. 

In reply to Tom Suddard :

Tom, I have plans to die in the arms of a really expensive call girl on the evening of my 100th birthday. That's 32.5 years from now. Promise me you'll keep GRM going until then......please!

Sad... I liked many of those magazines and still subscribed to SS if for nostalgia alone.  Guess will have to embrace our new digital overlords.

I signed up for a subscription to a new, high quality magazine last year. A quarterly that covered the cars I make a living from.

I wanted to support a new publication that was doing a good job and that a fellow I know through the business is writing for.

This new magazine set me back about $120 Canadian per year.

First issue showed up in a plastic mailer pouch and was mangled by the time it got to me, they replaced the first issue. I suggested in my e-mail conversation that The Rodders Journal had the same mailing problems a while back and that their solution was a cardboard mailer.

Second issue arrived in a plastic pouch, damaged again. No reply to my e-mails this time.

Third issue damaged.

Fourth issue damaged as well.

Came time for my renewal and guess what? No second year for me.

I'm not paying that much to have my stuff show up trashed.

Sad times. No joy for me but.. to a former editor of Super Chevy who coached my (then) 8  year old son in baseball...

This feels like karma. Don't be a dick to little kids.

(I have no idea if he was still the editor)

They did this a few years ago, they killed a bunch of niche magazines like MudLife, and a bunch that competed with one another. They kept Street Rodder, but killed Rod & Custom. Popular Hot Rodding got the axe, but it had no chance against Hot Rod.

However then they managed to keep Offroad, Four Wheeler and Peterson's 4 Wheel.

You either adapt or die, and they're trying to stay ahead of the curve. As sad as it may be, it must make business sense.

There was probably a blacksmith at one time who hated cars, and wished he could go back to the time when everyone needed their horses shoed.

The times, they are a changing.

T.J. said:

What are the 19 magazines?

EDIT: They are listed here. Looks like that website will let you read a paragraph about how great each magazine is and there is a subscribe button. Looks like no content online. I wonder why they died.

Definitely some long-time titles there... I was a subscriber to Automobile, Car Craft and 4 Wheel & Off Road at various points during my youth.

So, December is the last ever issue of Hotrod, I take it? Might pick up a few. For nostalgia. 

Appleseed said:

So, December is the last ever issue of Hotrod, I take it? Might pick up a few. For nostalgia. 

No, Hot Rod is one of ones hanging around. Hot Rod, Motor Trend and 4 Wheel & Off Road will continue to be printed, it's 19 others ceasing publication.