Brian

The editors are asking questions of the readers. This kind of feed back is important to to them and us subscribers. I liked Corvette Cars and Parts, (I wish a lot of ways that it had not changed), but the new CE is good too. Sure it's a free market, but they need to take in our input to keep selling a quality product that appeals to a broad customer base. So there's nothing to be mad at from anyone.

sb69coupe

Killain, here's the deal. I Really liked the magazine that I subscribed to: Cars and Parts Corvette. Now that it changed to Corvette Enthusiast I'm riding it out to see where it goes. I've expressed my displeasure in the past and won't go into it again.

DCShark, they have already said that the long tech articles are a thing of the past. :sad:

Andy, my cynicism is based on the fast that you, Zazarine, and Hartman were the crew at CF. I stated in my initial criticism of the changes that I thought the mag was being turned into another CF. With a wholesale transplant of the CF editorial staff now running the show, please 'splain to me why you're not going to turn the magazine into another CF? That's my point.

I raised the question to you in my previous post. While you guys were running CF, why didn't you make it what you wanted it to be? If Corvette Enthusiast is not going to be another CF, then I can infer that either:

a) while at CF you were not allowed to run the magazine as you wanted, and you really wanted it to be different
b) CF was run the way you like, but you are not going to be allowed to take the same direction as you took at CF

These are the only two options I can see that will lead to Corvette Enthusiast being significantly different than Vette or CF.

And judging from your lack of answer to the question of Chris Petris, I can only assume that he's on his way to the CE camp as well. Don't get me wrong, I have nothing at all against him. In my mind it will just be yet another step in turning what once was my favorite magazine into Corvette Fever II.

Andy, really, it's not personal. I look at it like this. If I was working for IBM and didn't like the direction that management was taking, and went to work for a competitor, say Sun. Then Sun goes and replaces all my management with my former IBM managers. All my new managers say "We're not going to manage you like we did at IBM, we're going to change Sun into something better than IBM". Would I still be cynical, hell yeah. I'd hold on and see where things took me, just as I'm doing with my existing subscription. I dropped Vette and CF when I found C&P Corvette. Whether I renew depends on what the magazine evolves into between now and when my subscription runs out.

I will admit that the latest issue is much better than the first couple after the change. I still have some specific gripes, but I like John Hinckley and am glad to see that he's getting some space to provide great technical content. I'm still hanging in here to see where this thing is heading....... I'll stick with you guys, but I'll still speak up if I see stuff I don't like.

:cheers:

Shannon

C5rider

Killain,

Thanks.


SB,

I appreciate you sticking with the magazine. I know that we've changed from a format that many readers liked. That's why they subscribed in the first place. But, as already mentioned before, the title needed to change. I think one of the strong points of the magazine now is that Bob Stevens is still doing some writing for us as well as Noland and Wayne Ellwood. I want to keep the flavor of the old C&P Corvette but we needed to make the table bigger to include more material for different tastes. I really am quite optimistic about this relaunched magazine because it's given me more room to do some things that I couldn't at CF.

When interviewing for this new position, the first thing that came out of everyone's mouth was that this cannot be another CF or any other book. We knew that from the beginning. There were reasons why I left CF but I don't feel the need to get into them here. Let me say that the book is still becoming all that it can be and there are several reasons for that.

1- I've spent the last 4.5 years at CF, doing tech stories. A LOT of them. Pick up an issue and count the number of pages per issue with my name on them. And, I'll tell ya, there's a lot in there, that I did, that don't have my name on em as well. With that said, I've got to break out of the mold that I've been using for several years. Not impossible, but I'm changing the way I look at the Corvette hobby. It just takes time.

2. My coming over to Enthusiast as editor will have some change on the book for two reasons. One, because a magazine will change in feel every time a new editor takes over but also, Paul was spread too thin. He was overseeing several books in the office and couldn't be specific to any one title. Now, I'm full time Enthusiast.

3. Being tech editor in a former life, I can appreciate the importance of having tech stories. But, looking at the way that John does a tech story as an example, he is VERY thorough, yet, doesn't use the conventional PHOTOS 1,2,3,4,5,6,7, etc. format. Heck, his column, Tech Bench has more info than some tech stories I've seen in other magazines! John's become a valued contributor to Corvette Enthusiast. I understand the value of having an image to show what's being described but, everytime I read John' stories, I see again how he includes the necessary information with words and COMPLIMENTS that info with a few images. Not just John, but our other contributors as well. I think this format can be as informative as an image heavy tech story. Agree?

So, where does that leave us? Well, we already stated that we don't want to be another CF or Vette. Obviously, you agree. We've decided on a direction and now we are just tweaking the overall package to make it enjoyable, informative and long-lasting.

Oh, and about Chris. We still talk on a regular basis. Ya know, one of the biggest concerns that my old bosses at CF had, was whether or not Chris and the others were going to come over to Enthusiast. I told them that it wasn't up to me and they're already established over there. I may still do a story with Chris from time to time. He's a good resource. One thing I can say about Chris, the whole time I was working closely with him, he never once said that we needed to do a story on any of his products. The only thing he ever offered was his services and I can appreciate and respect that. Sure, he got mention but, remember, I took up alot of his time taking photos and writing notes. He was not nearly as productive with me around. It was a good relationship and he still has one with the folks over there now.

Hope this addresses some of the more pressing issues. And, by the way, the date change on the cover was merely a date change. Nothing more.

Andy Bolig
Editor
Corvette Enthusiast

Robert N

Andy, since you are being good enough to fill us in on the whys and hows of the new change, you deserve a "thank you".

As for my opinion on the magazine:

First, it isn't that bad and I still do like it, but not nearly as much as I did when it was still Cars & Parts.

I have never liked the C4 or the C5, other than for the fact that they are vettes. I see nothing special in them, and even though I can afford one, there are far more cars on the road for similar money that I would buy first. I am not into prestige, and HP and speed aren't everything to me. C1s and C2s have a place in my heart and I will probably end up with one or more down the road, but I have a passionate love for the C3. I fell in love with the body style as a child and the passion grew when I saw the chrome bumper cars for the first time. So while reading about computer upgrades and wings on late models is nice, it doesn'y speak to my passions.

Likewise, reading quick articles about 1 owner, pristine NCRS cars is nice, but not enough. I received my first issue with the 3rd in the series of tech articles on the interior restoration. Wow. A magazine designed for the guy (girl) who wants to get their hands dirty. I am not new to cars, but instructions make it easier to rip apart some as major as the dash knowing that when I screw up, I have a guide to fix it (since I won't read the directions first).

I understand business. I own one. I understand the reason and need for the change. However, there seems to be a large enough contingent that still demands a dedicated magazine. I would suspect that some research would show that we would be more than apt to spend more money on a dedicated publication printed less frequently, that directly addressed our needs. I would.

The fewer print cycles, increased revenue from higher subscription prices, reduction or elimination of distribution other than direct subscriber (reduced waste in mags printed but not sold), and even using the enthusiasts like us to do the research and write the articles for our name in the byline, free goodies from advertisers (who would get access to a perfectly targeted group) or other discounts could create a profitable option.

Short term thinking says the current format will be more profitable. Long term, I don't think it will be any better than the old format while alienating a loyal base. I probably won't resubscribe. As I said, I still like the magazine, but it doesn't fit the my needs as well anymore. For the occassional articles like the one on C3 cooling, I can hit library archives or buy single, older copies on line as needed. I get more out of the other publications. While not vette specific, they provide information that I can use on my vette from engine build and design, etc.

bamavettes

Andy,

Thanks for coming on here and giving us a good understanding of what is going on. There is so much musicial chairs at the Corvette magazines, that sometimes our heads begin to spin . We would really like some stability.

Please do not forget that there was a very loyal hardcore following for the old C&P. We thought we had finally found our dream magazine, and we were excited everytime a new magazine was delivered, and then bam, here we go again.

Second, Please remember that Bob Stevens is a real Gold Mine and is very highly respected here. Sometimes I was amazed at how much territory he could cover and get accomplished. I rank him right up there with Nolan.

It does appear that you have to many Gurus on hand and something will have to give. I would keep Bob over all the rest.

We appreciate your information, and wish you the best of good luck.






[Modified by bamavettes, 5:43 PM 9/16/2003]


[Modified by bamavettes, 5:46 PM 9/16/2003]

C5rider

You can never have too many gurus!

When I came over to Corvette Enthusiast, it became apparent that there already was a strong foundation of established people. Each one having their own specialty. I would love to have them contribute where their strengths are, as much as space and the budget allow.

In time, we can hone this magazine into a package that will have appeal to a majority of Corvette Enthusiasts. I'd like to think that we are on the right track. We welcome all input (good input is a little more welcome than the other :D ) to our direct email at CEeditor@amosautomotive.com. We're striving for balance and hearing from as broad of a base of readers as possible will help us.

Thanks for listening and giving us the opportunity to share a little bit about why we're doing the things we are. I think, in the end, we'll have a product that we can all be proud of.

Andy Bolig
Editor
Corvette Enthusiast

Vettastic

We got a back issues of C&P for a specific article.
We liked the mag so much, we decided to subscribe.
The first issue we got was the initial CE...I took a little bit to figure out what had happen, and why we got a "different" magazine than the one we signed up for.
So far, we have enjoyed CE very much, but I will voice another vote for more in depth tech articles on older Vettes.
Keep up the good work, and good luck with the new magazine, Andy. :cheers: