Magazine News

Hi Dave,  I saw the same editorial and share your disappointment. It had moved from eight to six issues a few years back, and now at 4 issues per year, same as it was back in the early days.  The first quarterly issue just came out, and with a higher sticker price but the same number of pages, 68, While OGR has about 88 pages, plus the extra pages in the digital edition. 

I am glad both OGR and CTT have strong digital presences, and provide access to their complete archives.  I think it is a sign of the times with so many traditional outlets for print media going by the wayside.  The magazine selection at airports is rather sparse. The airports were a great way for people to randomly find a model railroad magazine and get re-engaged with  our hobby.   

I subscribe to both and hope people really try to understand what publications like OGR & CTT are up against financially.   Fewer subscribers... fewer advertisers....  the options are few.   I urge us all to support them both with our subscriptions.

Darn, started with 4 and will be ending with 4.  I remember when both mags were adding issues and pages through the 90s

@cbojanower posted:

Darn, started with 4 and will be ending with 4.  I remember when both mags were adding issues and pages through the 90s

Yes, they were huge well over 100 pages, maybe 120 to 150 pages for the annaversary editions, they really gave Modern Bride a run for the money on which magazine was the largest.  With the Quarterly  Format, at least the shelf life will be longer,  in that usually the seasons are used,  In some places,  Winter, never seems to end.   

Just take a look at Model Railroader. Fewer pages and asking you to subscribe on line for more money. I'll be honest, my magazines go with me to the Men's room where I won't take a laptop.

Dick

I had a subscription to Model Railroader but am not renewing it. I was constantly receiving advertisements, emails and offers from the publisher, and the magazine rarely had anything about O gauge/scale trains. OGR magazine and the forum are my preferred reading materials for model railroading.

MELGAR

To me a print magazine for other than layout features and a few product announcements are simply just too delayed for something like a review which used to be a big draw for me.  By the time the magazine arrives the reviews presented are irrelevant.  The items, unless really obscure, have been literally beaten to death on the forums.  I am a Digital Subscriber for many reasons but the 2 main ones are, I enjoy the forum and OGR so I support it via my subscription and I'm a sucker for the layout features.  The extra bonuses I get with my DE such as past issues and expanded galleries makes it more than worth it to me.

It's really the sign of the times and the state of the hobby.

"you are paying by the year not the issue so you get fewer issues than you bought making each remaining issue much more expensive. "

Yes, a not very subtle way to increase the revenue per issue and the cost to the consumer per issue.  Up to around 10-12 dollars per issue if I figure correctly.  Almost certainly due to the decrease in advertising revenue I'd guess.

Sign of the times. Not an expert on the publishing biz, but obvious that increases in various costs of production and printing have caused this to happen all over. Within the last month two organizations that I belong to (non-trains) have announced they are going to all-digital or partially digital for their flagship publications in 2024.

Then I saw the announcement when I received my latest CTT yesterday. A bit jarring but it's the new normal.

Had not seen the announcement - disappointed but not surprised.

I've subscribed to CTT from the beginning, but getting less and less from it each year.  Really don't like the decision to not extend - i.e., fewer issues than I paid for.  So this might be the end of the line for me.  As far as Model Railroader is concerned, and this applies to many other magazines as well, I tire of the constant references to website content - IMO, website content should be used for taking a deep dive into a topic that is also covered in print.  Kalmbach was the leader in model train publishing for so long - the decline is a shame.

Noticed the price is now $12.99 per issue. Who is going to pay that price at the newsstand?  Then again look at the price of toy trains.

I would much rather have a real magazine in my hands to look at where ever I am at the moment. Not sitting at my computer with a large monitor to read the issue. And I am not interested in looking at this stuff on my iPhone's small screen!  The future looks a little disturbing.

@Jeff B. Haertlein posted:

I would much rather have a real magazine in my hands to look at where ever I am at the moment. Not sitting at my computer with a large monitor to read the issue. And I am not interested in looking at this stuff on my iPhone's small screen!  The future looks a little disturbing.

Viewing on a tablet like an iPad is a great way to read magazines. I prefer it because the content is usually searchable so if you are trying to find an article but can't remember which issue or what page that really helps.

At first glance, automotive is going the same way, but it's complicated.

They just announced Hot Rod is going from 12 to 4 issues per year, this a few years after the publishing company cut down to just Hot Rod and MotorTrend, cutting 4wheel and Offroad, Car Craft, and others.

I heard at least one former employee, after those cuts, say on a podcast that all those magazines were profitable, just "not profitable enough" in the eyes of the holding company.  Many alums have started smaller, more focused magazines and seem to be doing well.

I subscribe to one relatively new automotive magazine that has taken the approach of focusing on a growing niche, with a few presenting sponsors, fewer issues, but a much higher quality both of content and the physical magazine. It's not cheap, but it is a really nice product.

A quote from the front of the subscription card bound into the mag.  "The number of issues in an annual term is subject to change at any time, but the amount of time remaining on your subscription will not be altered".

So there you have it.

I spend enough time on my phone screen, and am NOT going to try to read OGR or anything else that way.  I gave up MR after years because l have no interest in electronics, much less HO electronics, and CTT because too much was "old Lionel", and my interest was other brands.  I was definitely interested in new Lionel, new, different prototypes, but new molds seem to be unaffordable.

All publishers, including OGR, are slowly but surely moving away from print. The cost of paper has skyrocketed, making an OGR print subscription a “loss leader” at current prices. OGR does not make a profit on a print subscription any more. The economic inflation of recent years has only served to accelerate the change to digital, caused primarily by massive price increases for paper.

Print is slowly disappearing, and we will all have to learn to accept that. Whether we like it or not, the digital era is here.

I agree with @colorado hirailer that trying to read a magazine on a phone is a most unpleasant experience. It’s just too small! However, reading on a tablet, like an IPad, is very enjoyable.

I totally agree with colorado hirailer: The other publication was too much "old lionel" and after 15 years, I ended my subscription. OGR presents a perfect balance.

Even news papers are doing this. Local paper is now printed on Wednesday's  & Saturdays only.

As several have noted, it's a sign of the times. Here are 2 local examples: Portland Monthly magazine, recently changed to quarterly issues. A few years ago, the popular newspaper, the Oregonian, changed its subscription to daily print issues to only 4 print issues per week with access to daily digital issues (This actually helps when we spend our summers at our cottage in Canada.). Both of these came with no change in subscription costs. As a retired academic, I can say this is impacting education as well. Printed texts are converting to digital editions, and students prefer the lower cost.

I subscribe to both OGR and CTT, enjoy both magazines, and will enthusiastically continue those subscriptions with access to their digital  services.

Michael

Don't like the trend towards digital.  One of my preferred trade journals has announced they are going to 9 print issues and 3 digital ones starting in 2024.

The online model RR mags I initially reviewed but haven't looked at in well over a year if not longer. Don't even know if they still exist.

The internet has eliminated two kinds of magazine content: tombstone advertisements and compilation articles.  Compilation articles are articles like "Fundimensions Tank Cars", which could be extended into multiple issues.

So, what's behind the escalating price of paper? I've heard this too but not much of anything on what's driving it up so fast.

(Maximum PC,  a magazine I've followed ever since they were known as boot, back when computer magazines routinely came with CD's, notified me earlier this year that they've discontinued their print edition in favor of digital. I haven't checked if they'll let you download back issues as PDF's though)

---PCJ

@RailRide posted:

So, what's behind the escalating price of paper? I've heard this too but not much of anything on what's driving it up so fast.

(Maximum PC,  a magazine I've followed ever since they were known as boot, back when computer magazines routinely came with CD's, notified me earlier this year that they've discontinued their print edition in favor of digital. I haven't checked if they'll let you download back issues as PDF's though)

---PCJ

Whats behind the escalating price of everything?  There are domestic and global economic and political factors behind all of it. Fuel costs, labor costs, insurance costs, federal regulations (on just about everything) Then demand for a product goes down because people stop buying it becasue it costs too much. The cost of the product then goes up because there is less needed, but some is still needed. So in order to stay in business with less production, you raise prices and it becomes a vicious cycle. 

This process has been going on since the industrial revolution.  The Buggy Whip companies slowly went of business with the advent of the automobile.  But back then the guys who worked in the buggy whip factory could transition to the auto plant using the same sort of manual labor skills and stay employed.  The problem now is how does a paper factory worker transition to programming a website to publish a digital magazine?  He doesnt.  He goes on unemployment, taxes go up, companies get taxed more, raise their prices, etc etc.  Granted this is a simplistic summary but i believe what is happening.

@Rich Melvin posted:

All publishers, including OGR, are slowly but surely moving away from print. The cost of paper has skyrocketed, making an OGR print subscription a “loss leader” at current prices. OGR does not make a profit on a print subscription any more. The economic inflation of recent years has only served to accelerate the change to digital, caused primarily by massive price increases for paper.

Print is slowly disappearing, and we will all have to learn to accept that. Whether we like it or not, the digital era is here.

I agree with @colorado hirailer that trying to read a magazine on a phone is a most unpleasant experience. It’s just too small! However, reading on a tablet, like an IPad, is very enjoyable.

Rich is spot on - He's in the business and knows that digital is here and expanding.  Those of you who were employed by big business, you are already aware of their paperless enterprises.   We have to adapt, for example.  Think about all those digital train photo's you have amassed.   When your gone, where are they going to be, who has access to them and will they be lost in the technology evolution shuffle.  I'm a paper guy.  It's tangible and has a chance of passing to generations.   Digital history may end up right next to the Great Library of Alexandria if we're not looking.

I have two other passions besides trains, Photography and Harley's. There is only 1 general interest Photography and 2 (about to be 1)  Harley focused magazines left. There once were many of each. For the most part the availability of information on the internet has removed the need for magazines

As Rich said, publishing is now primarily about digital-first content, which generally means you write for an online audience based on their interests. Print is for a legacy audience, which is shrinking. (Ask the typical 30-year-old how many magazine subscriptions he or she has.)

The newspaper industry may have suffered through the transition first, something I have had to adjust to in my 40-year-career, but I think it’s pretty obvious across the board, including large magazines.

@Rich Melvin posted:

Print is slowly disappearing, and we will all have to learn to accept that. Whether we like it or not, the digital era is here.

I know this true but I sure enjoy print over digital anytime. Give me a coffee and my recliner and I’m at peace for the next hour or so.

@LNE Fan posted:

Don't like the trend towards digital.  One of my preferred trade journals has announced they are going to 9 print issues and 3 digital ones starting in 2024.

Almost all of my technical journals moved to 100% digital well more than 10 years ago; one publishing house had over 80 titles then and more now. There was and still is some belief that being digital equates to easily searchable for information. Except, I've recently shown and demonstrated that that's not really true at all and that searches are only as good as where the classification of data intersects with search engines (mostly not very good quality) - what has been found is that that intersection is not very good at all.  And now all the paper indices that used to be the ultimate gold  standards for extracting data have gone to the recycling centers. Look at all the space we've saved is what was celebrates.  So no, paper doesn't get saved. It's seen as a burden.

As for model train magazines, well, my personal library ran out of space a few years ago.  I scan in stuff I want to keep, file that on the computer, and discard publications year by year.  I know that very few if any of the publications that I have hard copies of are available digitized and I doubt any will become so; there's no profit in it and too many copyright complications. I could scan those in, a non-trivial investment of time, and then I would need to contrive of some sort of index to locate information. That's a bigger investment of time than scanning.

In any case, I fully suspect that both of my editorial positions will end in the near future; one has already gone from bimonthly to just annual. I have no optimism there, only decreasing interest.

"It's a sign of the times". That does not make it a good thing. (And have you noticed how the "times" are just oh, so wonderful?)

Reading a magazine on any screen is unpleasant for me - heck, sitting at this Forum gets physically unpleasant after not too terribly long.

I bought a 2023 automobile. It actually came with a printed owners manual. I was so proud of them. (250 pages, and I also have the pdf, for some reason. I do not use the pdf.)

What I don’t like is that CTT isn’t extending the issue count for subscribers who already paid. As I had just renewed last month, they saved themselves two issues of the magazine but lost my goodwill and future renewals.

I prefer print magazines because I pass them on to my dad (an N-scaler)  and after he reads them he takes them to the local senior center. None of those folks would buy the magazine so the publisher is not losing money. But the hobby is a marginally better off, especially with the seniors who may reminisce about their toy trains and start grandkids with one.

EDIT: While I was typing the above I actually got an email response from the editor of CTT. It was a cut/paste reply that basically said “read the fine print, you paid for a year, not number of issue” so deal with it.

A few random thoughts ( from an admittedly) old man

I agree with mwb about the digitalization of  journals/publications. I am a retired medical school teacher who grew up learning from text books and hand held journals but am now perfectly comfortable reading all that content on the web. Although the info is more extensively and instantly available, I am not convinced that it is better for neophyte learners-time will tell us. Additionally, there was something almost sacred with going into the depths of the library, looking up articles in old/musty journals. Many of us older train enthusiasts were the same with our TCA Quarterlies-but time and space have definitely put a damper on much of that.

I wish that CTT remained a 6 ( or even more) issues/year phenomena. But even more I wish that they had more articles about the technology/history of trains-old and newer. Who could forget Joe Algozzini's series on the 6464s? This recent issue ( winter 2023) has a wonderful article about Madison Hardware's gold painted EP-5- and another by R Carp on the PW small hoppers. IMHO, there is so much to be learned -not only about Lionel/MTH/etc-but also the smaller companies like K Line, Right-of-Way, etc. Dont forget all those MPC variations. So if reducing the number to four/year means better informative articles-then I can live with that!!

As I said, just a few ramblings from an old train collector-thanks P Hering

I renewed my CTT subscription a couple of weeks ago.  I am disappointed with the change but I understand why it is happening.  I wasn't aware of the paper price increase but I am not surprised.  

Maybe paper is priced like water is during a drought.  During the drought, our water company urged everyone to conserve.  Everyone did big time.  Then the water company said that they weren't selling enough water because everyone was conserving water, therefore they had to raise rates.  The rates went up.   The rates haven't been reduced now that the drought is ended and people are once again using more water.  

As to magazines, I prefer print.  I can read them in bed.  I really don't find it comfortable to take a laptop to bed.  

I hope that the reduced number of issues will allow CTT to increase the content and pages of the remaining issues.  If not, I won't be renewing again.  NH Joe

What I've noticed in the automotive space is the magazines that are successful have realized that:

• The internet is for news
• Print is for stories

It's just a reality of the publishing cycle, by the time I read it in a magazine its 3 month old news. But stories are something I enjoy sitting down to read in print, whether that is about a specific build, the personal stories behind an event (event results also fall into the "I followed it live on my phone"), or a deep dive into a particular growing trend or technology.

@ByronB posted:

What I don’t like is that CTT isn’t extending the issue count for subscribers who already paid. As I had just renewed last month, they saved themselves two issues of the magazine but lost my goodwill and future renewals.

EDIT: While I was typing the above I actually got an email response from the editor of CTT. It was a cut/paste reply that basically said “read the fine print, you paid for a year, not number of issue” so deal with it.

Frankly, this upsets me as well! I renewed for two years in November 2022 despite my subscription not expiring till May 2023. I hoped (naively, I might add) that would stop the never ending solicitations to extend my subscription.

I checked my Winter 2023 issue and noted my current subscription ends with Summer 2025. Given the new quarterly format, I reckon this will cause me to lose two issues in 2024 and at least one in 2025. I also looked at my last subscription renewal and note they do have the disclaimer you cite in your edit. This falls under one of my little rules of life that “just because you can, doesn’t mean you should”.

I have held a print subscription to CTT for slightly more than thirty years. At the conclusion of my current print subscription term, it will be my intention to save both Kalmbach and myself some money by dropping CTT.

Curt

@Rich Melvin posted:

All publishers, including OGR, are slowly but surely moving away from print. The cost of paper has skyrocketed, making an OGR print subscription a “loss leader” at current prices. OGR does not make a profit on a print subscription any more. The economic inflation of recent years has only served to accelerate the change to digital, caused primarily by massive price increases for paper.

Print is slowly disappearing, and we will all have to learn to accept that. Whether we like it or not, the digital era is here.

I agree with @colorado hirailer that trying to read a magazine on a phone is a most unpleasant experience. It’s just too small! However, reading on a tablet, like an IPad, is very enjoyable.

Rich, I think you are entirely correct. The times they are a’changing.

While I prefer a print magazine, I can live with a digital version. On my tablet they are OK to read.

Here’s another question: if it’s the cost of paper, printing and mailing hard copies that is causing CTT to cut back by two issues per year, why don’t they just stop publishing print versions altogether, go fully digital but still publish the current six issues per year that way?

Inquiring minds need to know!

@turtle7 posted:

But even more I wish that they had more articles about the technology/history of trains-old and newer. Who could forget Joe Algozzini's series on the 6464s? This recent issue ( winter 2023) has a wonderful article about Madison Hardware's gold painted EP-5- and another by R Carp on the PW small hoppers. IMHO, there is so much to be learned -not only about Lionel/MTH/etc-but also the smaller companies like K Line, Right-of-Way, etc. Dont forget all those MPC variations. So if reducing the number to four/year means better informative articles-then I can live with that!!

Some of those Algozzini and Carp articles seem heavily recycled to me. Softball articles. Hey, guess what Lionel came out with in 1955 (again)! Only every once and awhile did they show a picture of something from the Lionel archives, but no articles about what Lionel may have been speculating when the piece was made. I gave up on CTT years ago. OGR at least gives me an excuse to hit the LHS and buy something, even if the shop has nothing interesting.

Can't add anything new to this, just agree with most of it. My CTT expired when they used the "You signed up by the year" last time. It may be the future, but I want the rag in my hand as well.