----- Original Message -----
From: <Maynard078@aol.com>
To: <HLUB34A@aeroinc.net>
Sent: Tuesday, July 25, 2000 6:56 PM
Subject: MG Magazine Ceases Publication
Tuesday, July 25, 2000
For Immediate Release
For more information, please contact:
PRN Communications, LLC., at (219) 420-5415
(219) 420-5624 (fax)
MG Magazine to cease publication after 22 years
After 22 years, MG's long, protracted withdrawal from North America is now
complete. MG Magazine, the last remaining vestige of MG's presence in North
America, has ceased publication.
Ironically, it was not for a lack of readers. In fact, MG Magazine had more
subscribers than it could comfortably maintain, said editor and publisher
Gregory J. Perigo. "Sadly, no publication can survive for long on single
issue and subscription sales," he noted. "Advertising is needed to offset
the
cost of production, and with MG having been gone from the US marketplace for
over 20 years now, that is becoming harder to hold on to."
Compounding the problem, Perigo noted, is that unlike many other marques, MG
is unique in that there are several distinct clubs, or "registers," serving
the MG market. To those who support the MG hobby, that is an issue, he said.
"Candidly, many of our advertisers are fighting for their own survival,
too,"
he noted.
"Most marques are served by one or two distinct clubs that cover the entire
spectrum of ownership," Perigo noted. "Here in North America we have far
more
than that, and all are competing against each other for dwindling shares of
advertising dollars. In the end, we are cannibalizing each other."
Perigo hopes to secure an arrangement with another publishing group to honor
all outstanding subscriptions.
Enthusiastically supported by Cecil Kimber, the legendary general manager of
MG Cars, the title originally appeared in 1933 as the MG MaGazine, and was
underwritten in part by MG Cars, Ltd. It debuted on a bi-monthly basis in
1933, and was the first magazine to be solely devoted to the marque.
Publication ceased in 1935 with the advent of Safety Fast!, the official
publication of the MG Car Club.
In the spring of 1979, the title was revived by British Leyland USA as MG
Magazine, the Official Publication for MG Owners, and this new magazine
quickly became a success, establishing a firm foundation among MG lovers.
But
in October, 1980, production of MG cars ceased at Abingdon-on-Thames,
England, which meant that no more new MGs were being shipped to the US. As a
result, publication of the magazine stopped.
Such was the outcry that British Leyland decided to revive the title yet
again as MG Magazine, the Official Publication for MG Enthusiasts, an
independent, advertising supported publication devoted wholly to "…the
Preservation of the MG Marque." This meant not only to help the thousands of
MG owners maintain, preserve and restore their cars but also to advocate for
the return of MG to the United States.
In the Spring of 1981 MG Magazine received British Motor Heritage Industry
Trust approval for the use of the MG logo (ironically, that honor was
renewed
earlier this summer) and the new, expanded independent "Premier" issue was
launched by the founder and editor, John Dugdale. In time, many of the most
prominent automotive journalists would make contributions to its content.
Included among them were David Ash; Anders Ditlev Clausager; Malcolm Green;
David Knowles; Dick Knudson; John Dugdale; Phil Hill; Stirling Moss; Mike
Allison; John Thornley; F. Wilson McComb; and F. Rivers Fletcher, among
others.
"It is a testament to the enthusiasm of MG owners that MG Magazine was able
to endure for 22 years without any corporate support whatsoever," Perigo
noted. "This is a devastating blow to the momentum of the MG movement in
North America."
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