Popular Woodworking Mag losing 3 of their best

[Spalted Walt]

Megan Fitzpatrick's announcement that Robert Lang, Glen Huey and Chuck Bender are leaving PW on Oct 15:

[woodchucker]

not in my mind. Glen Huey is like baby Huey.. I can't stand his methods. Many of which are very dangerous. and he teaches this.

Rob Lang is pretty good.

I think the magazines are useless these days. More advertising and little good content. I have not subscribed for years now. I miss having reading material for the throne, but it's just not that good anymore.

What I miss is the valuable tips, but I think most everything is retreads these days... Most of the magazines are geared for beginners.

[Doug Winterburn]

I think PW is looking more and more like Fine Woodworking of old. Most projects are beyond the average WW.

[John McCoy]

woodchucker wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I agree with you on this. I've been re-reading some old American Woodworker mags from the early 90's (and noting a whole bunch of projects I "meant to do someday"). There doesn't seem to be anything like that today - it's either entry level stuff like Wood or Woodsmith, or Fine Woodworking style "we're not going to give you the details because you're a pro and already know it". There's not much for the guy(*) who knows the basics and needs guidance to expand his skills.

John

(* or gal)

[Bill]

I'm sure many of the magazine publishers would agree that they are in the "info-tainment" business. They also apparently need to try to run on a shoestring budget. To my mind, every article which is a poorly-veiled advertisement earns a -1, and yes I have started screening for them. My expectations and my subscriptions have already been adjusted accordingly.

Bill

[Bill]

Maybe it would be interesting for us to compare the circulation figures of the various woodworking magazines.

According to my new Shop Notes, They printed 149,782 copies on average over the last year, 105,489 for paid circulation (subscription, if I understand correctly). The figures for the present issue were several percentage points lower than these averages.

[John McCoy]

Bill wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Paid circulation is subscriptions and single-copy (e.g. newsstand) sales. Typically those are broken down on following lines. Usually there'll also be lines for non-paid circulation (i.e. copies given away at shows, etc), for returns from vendors, and for "not distributed".

I think the thing you were looking at is the post office statement (required to mail magazines at magazine rate). More useful for the question you have is the ABC audited circulation numbers (which is what advertisers look at). I don't know of anywhere you can just look that up (without paying for an ABC membership), but Wood magazine claims an audited circulation of something like 550,000.

John

[Brewster]

I dropped my subscription to PW several years ago. The magazine kept getting thinner and thinner.

-BR

--- news://freenews.netfront.net/ - complaints: [e-mail] ---

[Ed Pawlowski]

As are most magazines and newspapers. Thinner and not as frequent. Used to be every magazine was 12 issues, but now many are 10, or even 8 a year. I've been a subscriber to Reader's Digest for about 50 years During that recent 12 or so, they have filed bankruptcy twice and again have gone back to 10 issues for a while to cut costs.

Between cable news 24 hours a day and internet sources, print media is fading fast. It may never go away, but the competition is tough. I still get the daily paper for $34 a month, but one more good columnist gone and it goes.

[woodchucker]

We stopped our newspaper as they hardly delivered it. I could not believe they didn't try to correct it. After we cancelled we kept getting calls to re-subscribe... for what.. you have to deliver it.

The thing about news print is that you get a better less sensationalized story vs TV. I still do not like internet news.. it's not as practical to read. Scanninig is a pain...

As far as magazines, they made their own bed.. They catered to the advertisers, and not the clients buying the magazines. It works for the women, as they like buying things, it doesn't work for the men as well.

[Bill]

I may be noteworthy that the price of a single issue of USA Today is $2.

[Bill]

Yes, it indicates 12,022 of the 105,489 were "over the counter sales", etc..

It also indicates 32,075 copies not distributed. Where would those go (the figure seems excessive)? Can someone validate the 550,000 figures for Wood. My idea is that we would collectively make a table. I could go get an old copy of Wood from the next room, but this supposed to be a group project! ; ) On a related note, gas dropped to $2.83/gal. this week in central Indiana.

Bill

[krw]

The last time we "got" a paper it was the opposite. They kept throwing it in our driveway and wouldn't stop. A few months later they tried to collect the bill. "Show me the signature authorizing the billing." Crooks.

Printed newspapers are just as much dreck, if not more so. I find scanning easier since I can search. I'd rather scan documents on a computer (or the Internet) but would rather read the printed word. At work I both use both printed and "live" PDFs of specifications. I usually have both open when I'm studying a new part.

So did newspapers. May they die a painful death. From the ashes, something might grow.

[krw]

Has anyone actually paid that? It's given away in every "business class" hotel in the country (and half those of the Motel-6 category, it seems).

[Ed Pawlowski]

The Consumer Advocate columnist at the Hartford Courant left over a dispute. He wanted to run a column about a mattress chain that is one of the Courant's biggest advertisers. He lost a lot of sleep (and a job) over Sleepys

[Bill]

I think of it as "showing them a little encouragement".. ; ) The subscription rate is much lower.

[krw]

Not sure what you mean but basically, it's the same thing as putting a sign saying $25 on the sofa you just pulled out to the street. If the sign said "free", no one would take it because it's worthless.

[Bill]

Aww.. It's not such a bad newspaper. If they took it off of the market I would feel a sense of loss. I have been acquainted with it for over 30 years.

[woodchucker]

Yep, that's OLD News. Money talks ...

[krw]

It's a rag, like any other. I throw them away, or leave them on the floor where they slipped it under the door. Not worth picking up.