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I have been considering pulling the plug on my subscription also, quite heavily of late.
A number of things really. The coverage of various motorsports is a constant bugbear. Some important series are totally ignored.
The whole reporting is getting completely sensationalist. I really do feel I am reading a tabloid at times.
And the recent things: Dario not making the cover in place of a ridiculous Lewis Hamilton cover that pandered to the ill educated masses. Inside it got worse. Mark Hughes, it seemed, had written his race report for the Daily Star and accidentally had it printed in Autosport. And so on and so forth...
I only really enjoy Roebuck's column these days, a guy who I seem to share a lot of similar thoughts with. In effect I pay the cover price for Nigel's stuff, 51 columns and an occasional feature article. Not sure I can justify that much longer really (what happened to the two page 5th Column's used after some race weekends in 2004 anyways?).
There needs to be a balance. Yes, the magazine needs to be commercially viable or it will simply not exist. That is a fact. But it needs to appeal to enthusiasts as well and this it emphatrically does not do! The balance is 80% leaning to casual, 20% towards proper fans.
It would, however, still be a sad day when I do cancel. I have read Autosport since I was a kid. Where other children were reading their Roald Dahl books or whatever at home, I'd be reading the latest Autosport magazine dad brought home. I'd be severing a long link, as I have barely missed an issue for well over a decade.
Thing is though, Autosport used to be something to look forward to. Thursday evening was dedicated to reading it from cover to cover. Now I feel as if junk mail is pushed through the letterbox of a Thursday, a 10 minute read whilst I make tea.
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