Advertisers get Editor Fired

[flying junior]

This guy, Dexter Ford, writes a piece examining the ins and outs of helmet design and safety for the New York Times. According to this long, rambling account, the helmet companies get their panties all in a knot over the Times story and get Motorcyclist magazine to fire Ford from his post there, where he'd worked for some 30 years. So much for impartial journalism.

https://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/...torcyclist.html

 

[scubatech]

Yeah definitely, the truth hurts in big business when it might impact sales!

 

[Blind Squirrel]

In this day and age advertising rules in any for-profit print media. The stories are there as a way to get us to look at the ads.

 

[FJR Flyer]

So instead of being called "Motorcyclist" and being for the motorcyclist, it should be called "Advertisers" and is for the $$$.

I understand its a business, but you can't sell out your prime customer.

Time to canx my subscription, as one can't read anything they publish without suspicion. Another reason to renew my subscription to Motorcycle Consumer News.

 

[HaulinAshe]

That's how it works. Somebody has to pay for production and distribution of the product. We as readers aren't willing to pay $10-$20 / issue, which is what it would take to support the publication's "independent journalistic position".

If you had just shelled out $10,000 for a center spread touting your latest helmet line, only to get blasted by a lead story in the same pub, you'd be pissed too. It's simple reality.

 

[Scoops]

Consumer Reports has it figured out. Is Motorcycle Consumer News the same philosophy?

frankly, i don't read those mags for product reviews anyway -- conflict of interest, buyer beware, and all that -- i look for ride reports.

 

[ShinyPartsUp]

This guy, Dexter Ford, writes a piece examining the ins and outs of helmet design and safety for the New York Times. According to this long, rambling account, the helmet companies get their panties all in a knot over the Times story and get Motorcyclist magazine to fire Ford from his post there, where he'd worked for some 30 years. So much for impartial journalism.
https://hellforleathermagazine.com/2010/07/...torcyclist.html

For your reading pleasure, discussed here some months ago:

https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...=124523&hl=

 

[Warchild]

If you had just shelled out $10,000 for a center spread touting your latest helmet line, only to get blasted by a lead story in the same pub, you'd be pissed too. It's simple reality.

But it's also the reason American moto-rags are worth little more than butt-wipe..... they are, for all intents and purposes, just a mouthpiece for vendors.

That's why I do, in fact, shell out $10-$13 for an issue of one of the English moto-rags at B&N.... BiKe, Fast Bikes, Ride, et al are great compare to the boring-***, advertiser-centric Motorcyclist, Cycle World, etc.

 

[FJRGuy]

well I'd like to think they'd lose more in circulation, and therefore advertising revenue, due to the questionable impartiality that this shows, but truth of the matter is a huge majority of their readership are 'armchair' riders anyway and will probably never hear or care about this. <_<

 

[Tyler]

If you had just shelled out $10,000 for a center spread touting your latest helmet line, only to get blasted by a lead story in the same pub, you'd be pissed too. It's simple reality.

True, however, he didn't write the article for Motorcyclist... it was published in a completely different publication.

 

[FJRBluesman]

For your reading pleasure, discussed here some months ago:https://www.fjrforum.com/forum//index.php?s...=124523&hl=

Gunny SPU. You saved me from looking it up.

 

[Silver Penguin]

Consumer Reports has it figured out. Is Motorcycle Consumer News the same philosophy?
frankly, i don't read those mags for product reviews anyway -- conflict of interest, buyer beware, and all that -- i look for ride reports.

MCN is my fave read. It has no ads. A bit more expensive to subscribe to, but well worth it.

As for the English m/cycle mags. Andy likes those much better than I do. Maybe has something to do with the amount of female flesh displayed? I did read one of the ride reports a while back and was appalled to see that the test riders had stopped for a couple of beers at a country pub. Even if they did, I don't think the manufacturers that loaned the bikes, would like to read that.

 

[beemerdons]

Consumer Reports has it figured out. Is Motorcycle Consumer News the same philosophy?
frankly, i don't read those mags for product reviews anyway -- conflict of interest, buyer beware, and all that -- i look for ride reports.

MCN is my fave read. It has no ads. A bit more expensive to subscribe to, but well worth it.

As for the English m/cycle mags. Andy likes those much better than I do. Maybe has something to do with the amount of female flesh displayed? I did read one of the ride reports a while back and was appalled to see that the test riders had stopped for a couple of beers at a country pub. Even if they did, I don't think the manufacturers that loaned the bikes, would like to read that.

For the proletariat: NOT WORK SAFE! https://www.fastbikesmag.com/2010/06/27/suz...-r1000-sleeper/ Now, Now; Miss Jilly Beans: You certainly don't think Andy and Papa Chuy subscribe to the UK M/C magazines simply for the unclothed Sheila's, do you! Take for example, this fine article on the new Suzuki GSX-R from Fast Bikes of England. This technical article would certainly not have had the same impact if Patricia was not wearing the one piece bathing suit. Ah hell, now I just realized that I now have to post NOT WORK SAFE! Damn Puritans, I love the British motorcycle magazines!

 

[Silver Penguin]

For the proletariat: NOT WORK SAFE! https://www.fastbikesmag.com/2010/06/27/suz...-r1000-sleeper/ Now, Now; Miss Jilly Beans: You certainly don't think Andy and Papa Chuy subscribe to the UK M/C magazines simply for the unclothed Sheila's, do you! Take for example, this fine article on the new Suzuki GSX-R from Fast Bikes of England. This technical article would certainly not have had the same impact if Patricia was not wearing the one piece bathing suit. Ah hell, now I just realized that I now have to post NOT WORK SAFE! Damn Puritans, I love the British motorcycle magazines!

So, are you saying that this technical article would have more impact is Patricia was NOT wearing that excuse for a bathing suit?

Quick - without looking back for reference, which model of the HD line was she advertising? Or was it a pick up truck? Or was it a brand of cigars? Face it, you neither recall nor care what she was selling, do you?

 

[Old Michael]

Quick - without looking back for reference, which model of the HD line was she advertising? Or was it a pick up truck? Or was it a brand of cigars? Face it, you neither recall nor care what she was selling, do you?

...so.

 

[beemerdons]

Quick - without looking back for reference, which model of the HD line was she advertising? Or was it a pick up truck? Or was it a brand of cigars? Face it, you neither recall nor care what she was selling, do you?

...so.

Silver Penguin, what indeed is your point? Old Michael, do you find women to be as baffling as I do? Well of course, I remember the bike Patricia was augmenting: I do believe it was a Tohatsu Romping Sport 165!

 

[Old Michael]

...I do believe it was a Tohatsu Romping Sport 165!

:rofl: :rofl:

 

[FargoFeej]

Was she even wearing a helmet? I don't remember...

Motorcycle mags are little different from gun mags; they exist to create opportunities for their writers to shoot/ride the latest releases, which they usually describe as the Ultimate Bike/Handgun. Until the next issue that is...

 

[sonicspeed]

what bike?