0-60 Magazine dead

[the Teuton]

http://www.autoblog.com/2010/11/11/rip-0-60/#continued

Full disclosure: The first time I went to New York City this year, March, when I met Dave -- I went there to interview with 0-60 Magazine. I met Mike Spinelli, Matt Tuccillo (still have his number in my cell phone), and the editor of Rides Magazine, who conveniently has a ton of tattoos and a fair amount less than 10 fingers. You'll notice he never shows his hands in any of the editor pics. I bought a new suit for the ordeal. I went on a hair-string budget to try and fulfill my dreams...and I came up short. I will be sharing the email Mike Spinelli sent me when I didn't get the job here in a little bit, but first...

To prep for the interview, I went to my BusComm professor. She wrote the training manual for Ford and Chrysler for several positions some years ago. She's been a godsend to my professional standing. She looked at a copy of the magazine and told me, "They don't want to make money."

"What do you mean?"

"Their ads look like their articles. It's sloppy."

"But people like me love this mag."

"People like you would. It's obviously geared towards younger audiences. It's a niche magazine. I give it 18 months til it goes under. No more."

Holy fuck. Eighteen months, indeed. I know I didn't get the job, but a piece of me is crushed. This was sort of my dream. Mike was a little off in his own world of grandeur. He seemed like his mind soared above reality, and he is an awesome writer because of it. He seemed impractical at the time, and ultimately he was.

I really wanted to work for this magazine. Their office was nothing impressive, and I would have been interning for nothing from them. But I really wanted it. I wanted to drive fast cars and write about it. Like I said, I will be sharing the email Mike sent me after things "just didn't work out," according to Tuccillo. That was a hard call to take.

But my professor was right. Notch another one in her belt.

[TBR]

Too bad.

Glad I never got around to renewing my subscription.

[Laconian]

Noeeeeesssss!

They could still do beautiful publications electronically and make money from online advertising. Look at Winding Road, it's all electronic, and yet, it's gorgeous.

[the Teuton]

Funny, my boss at SAE International said the same thing as my professor.

[Cookie Monster]

That sucks. I'm always tempted to read something better than C/D. I guess there's always GRM.

[Mustangfan2003]

I think it's a matter of time before all print media is dead.  

[Cookie Monster]

I think it's a matter of time before all print media is dead. 

I have to agree with you, although I'd much rather read stuff on paper than on a screen.

Plus, the excitement of finding a magazine waiting for you in the mailbox and then taking it straight to the shitter to read is something you can't get with online stuff.

[Rupert]

Hemmings Sports and Exotic FTW.

[the Teuton]

Mike's letter published.

http://thingsthatrhymewithcars.wordpress.com/2010/11/12/0-60-magazine-dead/

[omicron]

.....Bother?

[Raza]

Saw this coming, miles away. 

[S204STi]

The magazine had fail written all over it from day uno.

[93JC]

Mike was right, in that if you want to make it in the automotive journalism business you're going to have to find something new to say. Motortrend, Car & Driver, Evo, Car: they're all really talking about the same things with very little variation in tone or information.

It's like watching the local news on the ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox affiliate: they're all talking about the same stories, telling you the same thing with the same analysis. The only reason you might watch one over the other is presentation. One might have a better looking female anchor. One might have a wacky reporter who draws in an audience because of how goofy he/she is.

'Wacky' reporting is what sets Top Gear apart from any other automotive television show. What they have to say is usually half on-base and mostly exaggeration. It's like watching one of those stupid "talking head" news programs on cable news networks.

I don't know all that much about the automotive journalism business but as a layman it seems there's no room left for anyone else to report "just the facts", and that's why Mike felt it was worth exploring a more 'unique' point of view. Of course the problem with that is limiting your audience, and that's why 0-60 failed.

I'd do everything he says here, whether or not you want to do something in 0-60's style:

... toss every one of your resume books in the trash, burn the suit, forget Porsche exists and read something by Hunter S. Thompson or Lester Bangs or Terry Southern. Make a sandwich of foie gras and peanut butter. Buy an old minibike and take it apart and try to put it back together. Read ethnographies of Bali-Hindu villagers. Get on the first bus you see, no matter where it?s going.

What you know about cars and the car business will never get you the job you want. Millions of people all over the world know as much or more about cars than you. What matters is what else you know, and how you can use that to entertain them.

Just keep your ambition. You'll figure out something sooner than later.

[cawimmer430]

That sucks. I'm always tempted to read something better than C/D.

[MrH]

Mike was right, in that if you want to make it in the automotive journalism business you're going to have to find something new to say. Motortrend, Car & Driver, Evo, Car: they're all really talking about the same things with very little variation in tone or information.

It's like watching the local news on the ABC, CBS, NBC or Fox affiliate: they're all talking about the same stories, telling you the same thing with the same analysis. The only reason you might watch one over the other is presentation. One might have a better looking female anchor. One might have a wacky reporter who draws in an audience because of how goofy he/she is.

'Wacky' reporting is what sets Top Gear apart from any other automotive television show. What they have to say is usually half on-base and mostly exaggeration. It's like watching one of those stupid "talking head" news programs on cable news networks.

I don't know all that much about the automotive journalism business but as a layman it seems there's no room left for anyone else to report "just the facts", and that's why Mike felt it was worth exploring a more 'unique' point of view. Of course the problem with that is limiting your audience, and that's why 0-60 failed.

I'd do everything he says here, whether or not you want to do something in 0-60's style:

... toss every one of your resume books in the trash, burn the suit, forget Porsche exists and read something by Hunter S. Thompson or Lester Bangs or Terry Southern. Make a sandwich of foie gras and peanut butter. Buy an old minibike and take it apart and try to put it back together. Read ethnographies of Bali-Hindu villagers. Get on the first bus you see, no matter where it?s going.

What you know about cars and the car business will never get you the job you want. Millions of people all over the world know as much or more about cars than you. What matters is what else you know, and how you can use that to entertain them.

Just keep your ambition. You'll figure out something sooner than later.

+10

[TBR]

Just got the final issue. Saving it for tomorrow.