fatface 2,554 Posted December 22, 2022 (edited) On 12/20/2022 at 3:16 PM, Vic Meldrew said: Can all the whingers on this thread please give it a rest!! If you are that concerned about the delay in delivery of your print magazine why not get a digital subscription or better still go round to your local newsagent and buy a copy of the Beano that other great comic. Harsh but fair. On a more serious note, I - like many - on this forum have a life-long affection for Speedway Star, so I say the following in kindness and with a little expertise in the sport media landscape. It needs a completely refreshed approach to survive in the modern digital era, otherwise it is heading for oblivion. When other specialist publications like The Ring, Running Fitness, Athletics Weekly, Boxing Monthly, Trail Runner magazine are falling by the wayside or prioritising digital, the writing is on the wall for weekly print. And they are in sports where the audience is growing or relatively large. Here's five things I would do: Change the printed magazine to monthly and focus on quality features, interviews and photography and broaden your emphasis to the international scene Use your vast library of heritage to produce themed specials and more digital visual content Modernise your website and prioritise daily news and set up a subscriber system for exclusive video content - use your black book of contacts! Use your social channels for behind the scenes video content - audiences are thirsty for this type of content, go live at press conferences etc. They are not thirsty for a jpg of your latest magazine cover Employ some translators and get the website live with Polish and Swedish versions - you are scratching the surface of an already small speedway market in the UK only All of the above will offer a better experience for subscribers/readers, hold more appeal for advertisers and get your fresh international eyeballs on your product. Over the years, plenty have taken bites out of what should be your market...and Speedway Star has let it happen. Fair play to Tony and Backtrack, but the Star should have been owning that space, same with podcasters, YouTubers...they are taking bites from your market. Even this forum! None of these have the potential reach of Speedway Star, none of the existing content, none the network of reporters, none the contacts across the sport. Use what you have, get a clear vision and modernise your product! Edited December 22, 2022 by falcace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruno 1,790 Posted December 22, 2022 I must admit it's starting to get a bit stale and dated, I think I only get it now to help keep it going. A few good stories here and there but times they are a changing. In fact they've changed Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martinmauger 584 Posted December 22, 2022 I much prefer printed mags. Speaking as I find, my take on online content of any kind; when it works, it can be incredibly useful and bring so much enjoyment & pleasure. When it doesn't; it can be the biggest frustration & waste of space & time possible. Or: on whatever platform / service: I have watched live sports & accessed Sykpe, Tik-Tok, etc from USA, Aussie, Japan, Russia, etc, we've prob all done it, it was just like being there in person. At other times it can be quicker to print out and physically take documents by hand to locations anywhere in this country or even across town. I work with I.T. BTW, while I'm certainly no Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg (sp) I am surrounded by knowledgable anoraks / geeks / nerds / tech wizards so expert help is readily available, but when online stuff don't wish to work, it just don't.. So, yeah much prefer printed versions..... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
fatface 2,554 Posted December 22, 2022 (edited) 29 minutes ago, martinmauger said: I much prefer printed mags. Speaking as I find, my take on online content of any kind; when it works, it can be incredibly useful and bring so much enjoyment & pleasure. When it doesn't; it can be the biggest frustration & waste of space & time possible. Or: on whatever platform / service: I have watched live sports & accessed Sykpe, Tik-Tok, etc from USA, Aussie, Japan, Russia, etc, we've prob all done it, it was just like being there in person. At other times it can be quicker to print out and physically take documents by hand to locations anywhere in this country or even across town. I work with I.T. BTW, while I'm certainly no Elon Musk or Mark Zuckerberg (sp) I am surrounded by knowledgable anoraks / geeks / nerds / tech wizards so expert help is readily available, but when online stuff don't wish to work, it just don't.. So, yeah much prefer printed versions..... And would you invest in a print-only media title? The demise of regular print is a reality every media platform has to confront and those who stick their head in the sand die. Send me a letter and we can continue the debate Edited December 22, 2022 by falcace Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topaz325 1,859 Posted December 22, 2022 1 hour ago, bruno said: I must admit it's starting to get a bit stale and dated, I think I only get it now to help keep it going. A few good stories here and there but times they are a changing. In fact they've changed Me too, enjoy the rider interviews but looking back at the one big League item does nothing for me, i find i,m reading less and less of the articles. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
steve roberts 9,246 Posted December 22, 2022 2 hours ago, falcace said: And would you invest in a print-only media title? The demise of regular print is a reality every media platform has to confront and those who stick their head in the sand die. Send me a letter and we can continue the debate ...crumbs! That's mt bath reading material out of the window! 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topaz325 1,859 Posted December 22, 2022 I prefer the printed edition. 3 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
The Dog 413 Posted December 22, 2022 I've always loved a printed magazine, always good to look back on if you save them. I'm not a fan of the new pages for the images, always makes them look really poor and soft. A lot of the reports I don't read anymore because we find out via social media on the same day. I do find some of the articles interesting tho the Dan Bewley 2 page interview wasn't particularly in depth or revealing in any way, which was disappointing 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
keepturningleft 589 Posted December 22, 2022 5 hours ago, topaz325 said: Me too, enjoy the rider interviews but looking back at the one big League item does nothing for me, i find i,m reading less and less of the articles. Fewer... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
topaz325 1,859 Posted December 22, 2022 24 minutes ago, keepturningleft said: Fewer... Lesser and lesser Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
martinmauger 584 Posted December 22, 2022 6 hours ago, falcace said: And would you invest in a print-only media title? The demise of regular print is a reality every media platform has to confront and those who stick their head in the sand die. Send me a letter and we can continue the debate Yes. Yes I do. I subscribe to all my magazines and have them delivered to our door. Should point out, speaking as I find, the stuff I've seen & done on t'net has been via fibre optic broadband, in and outside of Hull, still pretty random speeds.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Neila 1,162 Posted December 22, 2022 Surprisenly got this week's through the post on time Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Technik 491 Posted December 23, 2022 I got the Tri-Fecta up yesterday. Not one ...Not two.... but three Speedway Stars were on the mat waiting for me when I got home from work Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
arnieg 3,649 Posted December 23, 2022 2 hours ago, Technik said: I got the Tri-Fecta up yesterday. Not one ...Not two.... but three Speedway Stars were on the mat waiting for me when I got home from work I came close 17th and 24th arrived yesterday, but mysteriously 10th is still stuck in the system Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bruno 1,790 Posted December 23, 2022 No star this morning, could be the first time it's not come since news team took over Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
