Scooterotica

mick1 wrote:I think if it went Bi-monthly it would allow for less advertising and more features..........just a thought.

That wouldn't work for them as a business.

Scootering Magazines advert/editorial ratio runs at around 43%.....62 pages of adverts and 86 pages of editorial in a 148 page magazine. Which is slightly higher than some popular magazines, but significantly lower than others. It's about average. In the USA most magazines run a 50/50 ratio.

There are only 2 main revenue streams to pay you business overheads (production staff, writers, photographers, building rent/rates, paper, print, production, distrubution etc) and they are cover price (£4.10) and adverts.

I forget what a full page advert in Scootering costs but suppose it's £500....that means around £30k advert revenue each month. They sell about 10k copies so that's roughly £41k per month....but the publisher only received about 50% of that after distribution costs.....so £20k.

Point being.....advert sales account for more of the companies net profits than sold copies. By going bi- monthly they wouldn't gain any readers, they would simply slash their revenue in half.

Plus it's also statistically proven in publishing that going bi-monthly leads to fewer average sold copies per edition.

I would comment that their lead page, article flow and advert layout is incredibly sloppy, especially when they group adverts on opposing pages......but that's a production issue.

As for content.....well, most 'niche hobby' magazines have the same repetitive problem of regurgitating the same stuff in a different way each month. You wanna read something different? Buy a different magazine..... Lol.

The mag did get better but it's started to slip IMO. I appreciate the need to advertise but it just seems too much and I'm also not in that business. I don't read the rally stuff anymore as it seems the same but I would like to read more about what people are using as kits etc, the pros/ cons, MPG, average speed, routes chosen and why. There's kits doing 100mph but we are mostly popping along at 55mph lol. Some don't want to ride on motorways, therefore a recommended route before a rally might be an idea, although it's sometimes hard as we come from different directions.
I like the tech stuff and something on the layshafts would be good. I've also been waiting for a real test on the latest Clubmans like the BGM one. I really enjoyed the GT kit write up.
Best of luck to Scootering team, I'm sure they are continuing to plan ahead with alsorts of good things for us.
I would also prefer to get the mag online if poss.

Lamaddict wrote: I would also prefer to get the mag online if poss.

Its been an option for a while now.

"Digital is here! Motorcycle Sport & Leisure Magazine Editor, Tony Carter

As well as ordering print issues and subscriptions of your favourite scootering read here on Classic Magazines, you can now purchase digital editions directly from us. Quick and easy to do, download Scootering for your Smart Phone, tablet or computer today and it’ll be available for you to read anytime, anywhere. "


http://www.classicmagazines.co.uk/subscription/SCO

Just as a comparison, take a look at any american hot rod type magazine, they can afford to have in depth articles about the whole breadth of their chosen niche - its just that their niche is vastly bigger than the whole of the UK scooter and bike market together. That pays for a whole engine strip and rebuild - probably several times with different bits for comparison. Pretty much every month.
Not saying they are particularly well written, although some are, they just have a huge market to play to, and massive resources to call on to do it.

Its the whole economies of scale thing - we have to make economies and they have the scale.

What I would like to see is the same scooter tested with lots of different kits out of the box not for the purpose of "this is the quickest so it's the best" but just a general comparison. Then maybe compare different pipes on the same scooter...maybe different carbs.....etc etc...

As i pointed out earlier, if you want to see something send an email to the editorial team.
They are always interested in suggestions for features and consider all suggestions. This is because the people making the magazine are people like you.
I emailed coronation street and suggested Kim marsh gets her tits out behind the bar in the rovers and they weren't interested but scootering are. So get proactive and send an email.

Alternatively, the Scootering team could read the popular scooter forums and get the "feel" for what the scooter readers are wanting.

I note not many forums are saying we need more music reviews

Alternatively they could come round your house and ask you, although that would start a seperate thread complaining about them coming round at the wrong time and your tea went cold.

bsso78 wrote:Alternatively they could come round your house and ask you, although that would start a seperate thread complaining about them coming round at the wrong time and your tea went cold.

Unless they bring a take out with them..?

mick1 wrote:Alternatively, the Scootering team could read the popular scooter forums and get the "feel" for what the scooter readers are wanting.

I note not many forums are saying we need more music reviews

Or they could go to scooter rallies and events and get a "feel" for what the scooter riding readers are wanting !!!