FIRST PRIMEDIA FATALITY NAMED --- MOTOR TREND CLASSIC BITES THE DUST

MOTOR TREND CLASSIC, a bi-monthly spin-off of Motor Trend, seems to be the first immediate fatality of Primedia’s recent announcement that they are exploring the sale of the company’s division where all their car magazines, including Motor Trend, Hot Rod, Car Craft, etc, made their home.

Lack of advertisers, lack of readers and subscribers and (we guess, educatedly) not much money for the contributors, such as Matt Stone and Angus Mackenzie, both of whom were already drawing paychecks from Primedia for their Motor Trend work, are among the reasons  cited as culprits which contributed to the mag’s demise.

But let’s face it: This is just the shape of things to come. Primedia will shed all their money-losers in order to “fatten up” the company’s car book division to make it look more attractive to potential buyers.

As one blogger put it elsewhere on the web today, “So when does Motor Trend itself … become ‘a classic’?”

Comments

[michael jones]

That is interesting! It will be useful for my driving road test!

[Steve Parker]

Thanks for the comments for the CAR NUT BLOG.

Magazines are TERRIBLE when it comes to re-upping subscribers … I find that they send out ‘warnings’ every month or so saying that your subscription is almost ‘up’ when in reality that might be YEARS off!

The thing is, if Bob Petersen were still in charge of MOTOR TREND, he’d be all in favor of going all-digital --- He was pretty good in guessing about the future!

Thanks again!

Steve

[Gerry Karpen]

I just learned of the MT Classic demise, what a disappointment. Although I am more disappointed in the way that Motor Trend has handled ceasing publication. As a subscriber I was given no notice that publication was ceasing. When I queried them I got vague references that my subscription was being applied to other magazines???? Huh? What magazines? No offer of a refund. No notice. Just keep the money and run. I sure will not be renewing my subscription to Motor Trend, it will, no doubt, become the next 'classic'. I agree.