I’m already anxiously waiting for the new issue since it seems like ages since the last one, so I’m a bit disappointed about the move to fewer issues. Reading the mag is what inspires me to ride my bike and I need regular inspiration at this time of year.
I said it before on a previous thread, I would have preferred to see more issues but on lower quality paper than fewer issues on high quality paper. As the price of an individual magazine goes up, I feel less inclined to recycle it as it feels less like a disposable item. I understand that’s what some people love about the mag, but I find it a pain. I still have copies of Privateer lying around the house that I can’t bring myself to putting in the recycling bin, nor can I give them away. That’s not what i want from a magazine.
All this will be promptly forgotten if, as Chipps suggests, the quality of the content gets better. That’s the true measure for me.
A question for Mark or Chipps if they’re on this thread: what magazines *are* doing well and why are they successful? I love Top Gear magazine, for example. It’s not fancy paper, it’s full of adverts, but the articles are – in my opinion – very well written and there’s plenty of variety. Is that an example of a mag where car makers are willing to splash the cash on adverts still?