Having written, photographed and/or performed design work for nearly every
auto rag in the US, not to mention a fat wad overseas, it is my observation
that the editorial vs. advertising integrity has shifted in favor of
advertisers.
In the past the editorial fueled revenue through sales -- only a few pubs to
choose from so readers snapped up whatever was out there. Ad revenue climbed
and then surpassed single copy and subscriber sales by the late 80's, more
rags were born and the cycle repeated itself, only this time with a
particular bent towards pleasing advertisers, planning articles, even whole
issues around a specific product of family of products -- wheel and tire
issue are legend in this regard.
The expansion of the SEMA show is a direct correlation to the aftermarket
and performance industry growth. Such growth did not go unnoticed by
government at all levels with emissions issues adding another layer of
confustication that made prompting "illegal" tampering (modifying cars) off
limits to the rags which torqued the advertisers who cried louder to the
publishers who in turn unleashed new edicts to editorial staffs.
In the mid 80's, I served on three SEMA tech boards trying to sort out the
nightmares of suspension kits, emissions and fuel formulations. I was twice
invited to Washington to present the case for enthusiasts -- once to a
congressional board and another time with the Secretary of Energy when the
US was making noise about banning leaded fuel altogether.
The point of this information is that five magazines were spending their
budgets with me just to stay legal and stay afloat with the times. A few
other journalists joined me in this area, but we all wished we did not have
to cover this particular beat. It was also the time of profound change for
all editorial staffs as regulations settled in and new products found ways
through the legislative snarl.
Fueled by the tough new smog laws, the OEM's were turning out vehicles that
left little to do for the average enthusiast. In fact, with cars like the
Camaro and Firebird, you could royal screw-up the overall performance if you
tried to disconnect the emissions. According to Cobra engine designer Jon
Chasse, Mustangs were deliberately left "underdeveloped" by Ford in order to
give the enthusiast a change to "personalize" their ride.
The 90's brought old age fatigue and mortality to many of the hot rod
originators which gave rise to the investor lions. By this time, we began
seeing "project cars" that were not reader rides, but special vehicles
provided by the OEM's and tweaked by a select groups of what we now know as
Super tuners -- Eddie Hamburger's SLP is good example.
Instead of the enthusiast body driving the editorial, the advertisers
(OEM's, perf parts, accessory mfg) were now eating away at the limited
editorial space each month. What we have today is a totally different
journalistic community than the one I entered in 1979 when I quit racing jet
dragsters. Is it better, or worse? I guess that depends on what you wan to
read and today's vertical market gives people quite a selection.
The idea of a monthly rag just for compact cars was unsupportable in the
70's, not today. HOT ROD, long on heritage, has stumbled repeatedly over
the years, but some of its best years were under Ro McGonegal who knew what
the reader wanted and fought to provide despite a short-sighted executive
overseer. Ray Brock is another dynamic editor and Jeff Smith, a perpetual
hot rodder who found the executive pummeling too much to tolerate.
What is happening the rags is much the same as what happened at the OEM's
when bean counters, not car enthusiasts, were put into leadership positions.
Without the passion the body of work eventually becomes shallow and boring.
For my money Car&Driver and Popular Mechanics in the US and CAR in the UK
are still the best place to read-up on "what-up" with cars. They remain in
the leadership position because they lead their readers to the best the
automotive and performance communities have to offer without kissing butt
cracks to get the story. I would add Road & Track to that list, but they
tend to cater to the upper echelon reader and not the teeming masses. RACER!
is a great pub, but only focuses on the performance angle.
Certainly there are many other reasons, but the above is a quick glimpse of
what I have experienced throughout my journalism career working in both the
consumer and trade arenas.
Be Vigilant,
"LandSpeed" Louise Ann Noeth
LandSpeed Productions
Telling Stories with Words and Pictures
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