Oh...

Here I thought they maybe changed the font size... [wink]

The price of printed material is rising but MR is pretty thin to be charging $8 for it, IMO.

If you think that is high,

Geez, I must be gettin' old...

...because I remember when MR was 50 cents per copy.  Of course back then (to this kid), four bits was significant!

-Jack

Ad rates - MR vs MRH

MRH's full page full color ad rate is about one tenth of what MR charges. And with almost 105,000 unique device views in January, we're giving MR (138,000) a run for their money ...

At over $8

the copy is overpriced no matter the content but I believe the business model is to drive readers to subscription copies. 

Yes it is

MR/MRC

Some of you can gloat because of when you were born. Unfortunately for some and fortunately for others the MR business model is now doomed because of technology. Lucky you but unlucky for others. MR cannot change because of  overhead. No overhead no MR. MR will become fully digital sooner or later. They just have to put a bunch of people out of work and sell a bunch of real estate. How would you like to be on the receiving end of that?

Wayne

It is sad, but...

I agree, it is sad for those directly caught up in it.  However, this will not be the first time, or the last time something like this will happen.

There was a time when a lot of people in this country made a decent living as a blacksmith and/or making buggy whips.  Although there are a few of those jobs still around, 98% of those folks had to take their skills to a new profession or learn a completely new one.

I used to be in the automobile business.  I left that business back in 2001 when the internet changed everything about it.  I then started my own small business doing something completely different.  It was a very difficult thing to do, but perhaps the best thing I ever did.  I've never looked back.

Time and progress march on........

Not just MR

Included...

I like how they charge you for the 12 magazines AND are nice enough to include the content of the magazine.

I have never bought MR because I can get all my info here.  

Not renewing MR

When I can page through MR in about 10 minutes and find little of interest beside the ads, put it down and go look at MRH instead, I realize it's time to drop the subscription.  This is more about content than price, because I have been the proverbial frog in slowly heated water, tolerating each successive (excessive?) price increase at MR without yet having jumped out of the water.  I have been a subscriber ever since Dad gave me my first MR, January 1965.  End of the line.

Your last statement says it all: "Model Railroad Hobbyist blows MR out of the water and it's free".  Thanks once again, and always, to Joe and the crew for a job well done!

MRH vs other websites

It's advertisement that of course drives each publication. I like the approach that MRH takes versus other websites.

If you want to peruse the MRH advertisers and visit their websites, etc. you just have to click on their icon. It's really up to you the reader. Consequently you don't get those annoying delays that other sites make you put up with while they're going off to advertisement websites and make you wait while animated ads that you're not the least bit interested in load. Yahoo mail is a good example of this.

As far as MR goes, it's interesting to note that its the HO modelers who are complaining about the lack of decent content. As an S scaler, I gave up on the mainstream mags years ago as far as forking over my money. That's why MRH is so good for all of us no matter what scale we model in.

Model Railroader Subscription

I renewed my Model Railroader subscription last week for another three years.  This is the only regular print subscription magazine I receive. I have been a MR subscriber for years.  My relationship with MR goes back to the 60s when I used to stay after school to read MR in the JR high school library.  (Current editions of the magazine could not be checked out.)

I like to keep a print  magazine in my den for leisure reading.  I am very unhappy with MR that I have to pay extra for the electronic edition of their magazine, and I did not purchase it.  I also purchase their annual Great Model Railroads and Model Railroad Planning.  I  see they are starting a new video product. I do not plan to purchase or  subscribe to these products.  I do have the DVD of their first 75 years.

I consider myself tech savy and own three laptop PCs, two Android phones and purchased an Amazon Kindle HD for my wife for Christmas.  When my home was constructed eight years ago,  I had the house "hard" wired with Cat5e network wiring.  I also have and use a wireless router. I use JMRI.

I am a very loyal MRH subscriber.  Since I do not have a LHS, when I buy on-line I make a comment to the vendor that I am MRH subscriber.  I primarily read MRH on my PC, but have downloaded the new Gen2 edition to my Android phone. (This came in handy last week when I spent three hours waiting for my van to have new brakes installled.)  Since MRH is stored on my phone I did not have to use expensive phone data to read the magazine.

I have most of the MRH layout construction and operation DVDs.  These encouraged me to get busy on the layout, and while my layout is still a "plywood pacific" I am  now having  regular OPS sessions.  I would like to express my appreciation to  Charlie Comstock and his BCSJ OPS videos for showing me how much fun you could have with an incomplete layout.

...and thank you to Joe Fugate for making this all happen!

$12 per year

I get Hot Rod, Classic Truck and even Playboy (just for the articles) for only $12.00 each per year.

This on line publication gives me everything I need and it's free!!

If you look into it I think

If you look into it I think you will find that they call this a special edition with 16 bonus pages that you have to pay for, thus the increased cost.  next month it should be back to it's normal cost.

I do think they are raising the cost a few cents.

-Doug M

Printed Mags

Here i South Africa you can add at least 40% on the cover price of any railroad mag if you can get them.

I subscribe to 2 British Railway Mags and at the end of there term will go Digital because of cost and the fact that

i receive them a good 3 to 4 weeks before the post one arrives. This i know because Railway Modeller has allowed any present subscriber of the print mag to download the digital free until the end of your subscription. (also 2 years back issues for free)

I have been with MRH for about 5 months and although it is American I have found the articles fantastic and very informative.I have learnt a lot about layout construction, DCC, scenery to mention but a few and i promote MRH at every opportunity i get.

Thanks to Joe and all the staff for a truly great mag

Trevor

Where is Model Railroader going?

This is an interesting question since the most recent MR editorial (March 2013) asks the question: "Who will be on a Who's Who list among tomorrow's model railroaders?"  This is printed along side the long "masthead" list of MR employees and Kalmbach corporate officers.  All these people and they don't know who the innovators are and will be?

The editorial starts by paying tribute to Linn Westcott, John Armstrong, and John Allen.  These people did stand tall in the progress of the hobby 50 years ago.  So, what about the last 50 years?  And what about the next 5 years?

Actually, Tony Koester is listed as a "Contributing Editor", and, oh by the way, also happens to be the editor of Model Railroad Planning, and built the landmark Allegheny Midland, and is working on his innovative NKP railroad.  So, if MR can't see a great innovator in it's own flock, don't expect there to be $8.00 worth of ground breaking material in the monthly rag.

Things MR does (or used to) have

Plans for cars, engines and buildings.  I haven't seen scale drawings presented in very many e-zines.  Probably because they aren't very useful unless you convert them to hard copy.and then the accuracy of the drawing is dependent on the quality of the printer.  If it prints "full size" then you are ok, if its 5% off then the drawings are more difficult to read or worst case, the model is 5% off.

MR does nowhere near the drawings and plans it used to, but they are probably the most valuable parts of printed magazines.  Tools and techniques change over time.  Plans are constant.

MR Subscription

While the news/hobby shop price may be higher.  My recent three year MR subscription was $107.95 or about $3.00 per issue.  At that price the print magazine still has value to me.

We'd like more plans

wait 18 months to buy MMR 12 months at a time

For the past 4 years I have been buying Model Railroader magazine and Railroad Model Craftsman 1 year at a time 15 to 18 months after they are published and usually pick up 12 months at a time (a whole year) of MMR & RMC for $2.00 each so $24.00 for a dozen of then isn't too bad and for the best and latest news I get that from Model Railroad Hobbyist on line where I can interact with the companies while I'm reading on line.

Dan

You can still buy buggy whips, you know

Check out  http://www.advancedequine.com/Driving-Whips-s/35.htm

Print magazines and newspapers are in serious trouble right now, but don't count them out. I suspect the reason most folks on this forum are dropping MR is it's a hand holder, and according to the response to Joe's recent musings, way pointing is preferred here. MR's market is the same as it has always been, beginning and transitional modelers. Web based publication is clearly the future, but there are a lot of things to be ironed out. Primary is the remuneration of authors. MRH is practically unique among web publications in that they pay for content. The majority of web publishers expect authors to work for free or simply steal content from existing websites. Under this model there can be no full time authors, and believe me, writing is a skill that must be learned and practiced full time.

MRH also edits the content and presents it in a professional manner. This is even rarer-- the editorial oversight of most online mags is a perfunctory spell check. The only publications that seem to understand the importance of editing and layout are those that began in print and are making the transition to online. Editorial work is an important part of the process, and will ultimately make the difference between success and failure in the new world.

MR also does these thing, and I am rooting for their survival in some form. Unfortunately, history shows that while industries make transitions from old to new technology, companies seldom do. The fact that MR is on paper is less a problem than the fact that they have a big investment in dead tree technology that still needs amortization. Thus the need for raising the subscription price. They are losing print subscribers fast, and the cost of the printing plant are not proportional to the number of issues printed.

MR is at least attempting the transition, unlike a large number of magazines that have just folded. They should not be derided, they should be supported if there is anything for you there. (I like newspapers better than television because TV news has no page 2. And I pay twice as much for my cable service.) We will all mourn if MR closes down.

pqe

@Dan

Dan,

Where do you get the old issues?

I had about 15 years of magazines.

I decided to cut out the articles that were of interest, bought a bunch of plastic sheet holders, and put them in 3 ring binders.  Interestingly, I had maybe 12 Mainline modeler issues, and 15 years worth of RMC & MR.  I probably save 80% of the articles from the Mainline Modeler mags, 40% of the articles in RMC, and less than 10% of the content of MR.  I think out of a typical 12 issues of MR at least 8 went to recycle intact.  The only print mag that I have saved complete in binders are the Warbonnet from the Santa Fe Historical & Modelers Society.