So Roadkill is going to have a magazine now.

http://blogs.wsj.com/cmo/2015/08/04/motor-trends-youtube-series-roadkill-is-becoming-a-print-magazine-aimed-at-millennial-car-lovers/

I would love to have been in the meeting where this was decided. This is the same company that imploded thanks to dying print magazine sales, took a gamble teaming up with YouTube to create videos, had success with said videos, and has now decided to go BACK to magazines as the next step.

Apparently someone wasn't paying attention to the classic blunders.

And the best part? The magazine is supposed to be aimed at MILLENIALS!!!

Dear Roadkill,

Between this, the Ass Monkey garage dealings and the Dodge sponsorship, I'm losing more and more interest in your brand.

$10 an issue?!

Hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahaha

Deep breath

Hahaha hahahahahaha hahahahahaha

I love roadkill, but I don't see this going well.

I see they are having a race at the old Pontiac Silverdome next week as well.

Millenials can't afford and don't want cars. Usually you want to be in a growth market, not a dying one

I like how the link says Roadkill "features a pair of young hosts". Isn't Freiburger in his 50s?

Grtechguy wrote: I see they are having a race at the old Pontiac Silverdome next week as well.

I thought you were joking. But you were not.

Wow.

And how did THEY get permission- we have tried a few times to get that lot, and could not find a soul to talk to.

On the other hand, I'm sure the surface is, well, in not so good of condition anymore.

alfadriver wrote:

Grtechguy wrote: I see they are having a race at the old Pontiac Silverdome next week as well.

I thought you were joking. But you were not. Wow. And how did THEY get permission- we have tried a few times to get that lot, and could not find a soul to talk to. On the other hand, I'm sure the surface is, well, in not so good of condition anymore.

I know Detroit region SCCA has autocross and Starting Line events there.

In reply to BlueInGreen44:

We tried a long time ago. And just gave up. Now I'm not running events.... Oh, well.

Wow, I really feel bad for the people I know who are still left at PeterLinkTEN.

From the announcement:

"Plus, the investment the company is putting into “Roadkill” is relatively small, he said. The company isn’t hiring any new staffers just yet, as Motor Trend contributors will initially produce much of the content."

Translation: we are going to squeeze our current employees til they drop from exhaustion in order to crank out another magazine.

"The debut issue won’t necessarily be loaded with ads, said Mr. Dickey, since the company wanted to have an issue in hand to show advertisers before ramping up its ad sales efforts."

Translation: we won't flood this first issue with ads, but the following issues will be so slammed with ads you will need a GPS to find real content.

In reply to alfadriver:

Chrysler has been renting a large chunk of the Silverdome lot for storage since last year. Im sure it just took a few phone calls. Of course they could be using the part that is already rented and fenced off.

slefain wrote: The company isn’t hiring any new staffers just yet, as Motor Trend contributors will initially produce much of the content." Translation: we are going to squeeze our current employees til they drop from exhaustion in order to crank out another magazine.

"Contributors" often means freelancers who are paid by the article.

MadScientistMatt wrote:

slefain wrote: The company isn’t hiring any new staffers just yet, as Motor Trend contributors will initially produce much of the content." Translation: we are going to squeeze our current employees til they drop from exhaustion in order to crank out another magazine.

"Contributors" often means freelancers who are paid by the article.

I know, but they won't be adding staff to coordinate any of those contributors, or copy edit, or do graphic design. Those are in-house jobs usually. The contributors will at least get extra income for writing the articles.

Roadkill is Wayne's World. Roadkill, presented by Noah's Arcade.

Nice job guys. Nothing like bashing the industry the folks who run this website rely on for their livelihood.

smh

I never said I wouldn't buy it. I will. I just like piling on.

Appleseed wrote:

Oddly enough, this is exactly how I feel about it.

I never thought that scene would ever represent something real.

slefain wrote: I know, but they won't be adding staff to coordinate any of those contributors, or copy edit, or do graphic design. Those are in-house jobs usually. The contributors will at least get extra income for writing the articles.

Yes, there's going to be some more work for the regular staff on production. After TEN's bloodbath with magazine titles, though, the may have some extra capacity there. Maybe.

turboswede wrote: Nice job guys. Nothing like bashing the industry the folks who run this website rely on for their livelihood. smh

Actually I use GRM as an example of a print magazine that will survive. Focused, enthusiast driven titles with a solid subscription base and enthusiastic readership will carry on. The GRM crowd is borderline a cult. Slapping a GRM sticker on your car or wearing a GRM shirt will start a conversation in a heartbeat. Plus GRM has been smart to diversify into events that complement their readership. Trust me, Tim and I have spoken plenty of times and I've always complemented him on his business acumen.

Conversely, magazines that rely purely on newsstand and retail sales are a gamble at best. I know this for a fact as I watched my own magazine die a painful death on the magazine racks (I was the editor of Classic Cars & Parts). Distribution costs are a pain, plus you have to hope that the kid behind the counter will care enough to merchandise your magazine properly. Source/TEN/Whatever is smart to strike while the Roadkill iron is hot, but this won't be a decade long magazine run nor will it be the next Hot Rod.