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Post by roadrunner440 on Feb 3, 2024 22:30:18 GMT
what do u think about classic toy train now going to quarterly effective 2024? I was bummed when it went to bi monthly in 2023. plus the subscription price went up!
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Post by Adam on Feb 3, 2024 22:33:46 GMT
I am not renewing my subscription. To me it is just not worth it. I can much the same type of content from the internet for no money.
But it is a shame, it was fun to get a magazine in the mail. It was something to look forward to. But it seems this is the way many paper magazines are going.
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Post by rockymountaineer on Feb 3, 2024 22:59:19 GMT
The business model for CTT and OGR has been turned inside-out and upside now. I believe both entities are on borrowed time... simply treading water... as a direct result of social media activity and internet sales. Have you noticed the number of subscribers some of the YouTubers have achieved lately? They don't need to have their layouts featured in a magazine anymore. They can produce the content THEY want... in the timeframe that works for THEM. And their ability to interact with their subscribers in near-instant realtime is something with which the magazine entities can't compete.
I recall when Dunham Studios installed my layout in December 2017, and we entertained the idea of having the layout featured in CTT. I thought it would be good for Clarke, since he hadn't had a layout featured in the magazines for several years. But we could never get on the same page with CTT. So the project languished, while they proudly told me how many months ahead they were booked for featured layouts and cover stories. It made no difference to me. I felt bad for Clarke though... but then he and his team significantly cut back their layout-building activities shortly thereafter. They did have a wonderful ride though -- designing and building both private and public-venue model railroads for toy train enthusiasts over the course of several decades. I think Clarke was in his early 80's that magical week Duham Studio's delivered my layout. What a ride!!!
Getting back to print media today though... it's just an uphill battle that they're losing as they slip away from being relevant and timely. 4 issues per year in 1987 is one thing. But 4 issues per year in 2024, and you're no longer making the cut... literally falling off people's radar screens.
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Post by Sir James on Feb 3, 2024 22:59:29 GMT
No renewal from me either. I was annoyed when they said we subscribed by the year, not the number of issues. So, after being with them since issue #1, I let it expire.
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Post by Adam on Feb 3, 2024 23:03:14 GMT
Like I said, it was a great magazine and a lot of fun to get them. I still randomly pick up an issue from time to time as they are timeless. It's just a business model that will die off for all print magazines over time.
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Post by david1 on Feb 3, 2024 23:08:40 GMT
Been with them since issue 1 also and this is my last year for it. It was great but now its just old news.
Dave
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Post by atsda on Feb 4, 2024 1:12:19 GMT
I never became a subscriber. I do get the newsletters from the different magazines. I am a member of the Lionel Operating Train Society. Switcher Magazine, which has no external advertising, is still issued 6 times a year. I do get a print copy; however, since I can't see it, I give it away and read the digital version with my screen access software. If an issue is noteworthy, I'll save it. It is unfortunate, for many reasons, that CTT is going to 4 issues.Alfred
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Post by rtraincollector on Feb 4, 2024 1:32:15 GMT
The last time I considered buying a subscription, I found out the only way to get a paper subscription you had to purchase the on line version and then do it as a add on. That killed it for me.
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Post by curtis on Feb 4, 2024 2:32:26 GMT
Oh Boy I am lone man out again. Yep I still subscribe. Honestly I enjoy holding the magazine in my hands. I also subscribed to OGR till I got kicked off and they stopped my subscription. In today's world I would think you would want all the subscriptions you can get. I enjoy CTT and did enjoy OGR. So for me I still am a subscriber for CTT and will continue even though I have the online membership and can get it there.
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Post by superwarp1 on Feb 4, 2024 2:41:24 GMT
The business model for CTT and OGR has been turned inside-out and upside now. I believe both entities are on borrowed time... simply treading water... as a direct result of social media activity and internet sales. Have you noticed the number of subscribers some of the YouTubers have achieved lately? They don't need to have their layouts featured in a magazine anymore. They can produce the content THEY want... in the timeframe that works for THEM. And their ability to interact with their subscribers in near-instant realtime is something with which the magazine entities can't compete.
Getting back to print media today though... it's just an uphill battle that they're losing as they slip away from being relevant and timely. 4 issues per year in 1987 is one thing. But 4 issues per year in 2024, and you're no longer making the cut... literally falling off people's radar screens.
The forums and social media like YouTube have killed the need for magazines so agree there. My half built layout would never get in those magazines. Now thousands visit my YouTube channel. I haven’t subscribed to CCT or OGR in years and never will again.
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Post by firewood on Feb 4, 2024 5:23:19 GMT
The business model for CTT and OGR has been turned inside-out and upside now. I believe both entities are on borrowed time... simply treading water... as a direct result of social media activity and internet sales. Have you noticed the number of subscribers some of the YouTubers have achieved lately? They don't need to have their layouts featured in a magazine anymore. They can produce the content THEY want... in the timeframe that works for THEM. And their ability to interact with their subscribers in near-instant realtime is something with which the magazine entities can't compete.
Well said. The timeliness is the thing. I notice one entity that seems to have it figured out is the Model Railroad Hobbyist group. Catering to the majority scales (which shall rename nameless 😉 ), they run a digital magazine, website and online forum in an integrated fashion and I suppose advertising is also integrated across the main delivery media. For example, anyone who wants to can maintain a layout blog on the site. Their digital magazine becomes publicly accessible, so I guess eyeballs on the advertisers are their money-maker, not trying to build up a critical mass of subscribers. Dave
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Post by madockawando on Feb 4, 2024 13:35:38 GMT
I just renewed my digital subscription to CTT, mostly out of nostalgia and because I like giving my money to OGR competitor. However, I don't have high expectations, you will never get "breaking" hobby news from quarterly magazine and I think at this point, postwar and prewar train research, which was always a strength of CTT, has run it's course.
If I was running CTT,I would try to branch out to potential new readers by attending trains shows like York and the Big E in Amherst Massachusetts. I would also set up a forum with sponsors like OGR has but make it more customer friendly and with less of a Lord of the Flies tyrannical management style. Otherwise, I think the clock is ticking.
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Post by josef on Feb 4, 2024 14:45:37 GMT
I like to support magazines that are of my interest and hobbies. But except for a few which I support and have extended subscriptions are of the History type, (Aviation, West, Battles, etc. type). The magazines devoted to model trains and Modelers have left me. Model Railroader turned 99% to HO and some N scales. Nothing to entice me to keep subscribing. CTT was good, but again, very little of reading interest I couldn't find elsewhere. Going Quarterly was the final, time to cut and walk away.
I don't do books on tablets, digital, etc. I like a magazine, period and won't pay extra for the Digitals. I spend to much time on computers and enjoy sitting back turning real paper pages.
Even the paper type, Screen Images, and my SAG which were newspaper style have gone from monthly to only 6 issues a year and since I gave up my SAG card, I dropped these, (56.00 and 275.00 a year I'm saving now on these).
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Post by healey36 on Feb 4, 2024 14:57:33 GMT
I agree with you, josef. I try to support mags I find of value, even if they are little more than a bunch of pictures. Going quarterly, or even annual, is likely a non-starter, however. I just don't see that business model being successful, and I don't want to get stuck with an unfulfilled subscription down the road. Similarly, I don't read mags on tablets, phones, or online...being a card-carrying luddite, I prefer a hard-copy.
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Post by atsda on Feb 5, 2024 2:58:56 GMT
Post by rtraincollector on yesterday at 8:32pm
The last time I considered buying a subscription, I found out the only way to get a paper subscription you had to purchase the on line version and then do it as a add on. That killed it for me.
That was the situation for me when I was considering a subscription about 2 years ago. Alfred
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