[Magazines] Autosport requests your input on redesign

[AvdB]

Dear all,

During the winter Autosport magazine is planning a complete redesign. All elements of the mag are under review, as we seek to create a fresh, vibrant must-read weekly motorsport magazine.

We will be conducting some professional research into what the readers think of the current product and what they like and dislike, but given the number of current and former readers that post on this forum, I thought I'd seek your opinion on how you'd like Autosport to be.

Fire away.

Best,

Andrew van de Burgt
Editor, Autosport

[ford prefect]

Some input from fans. Currently the only opportunity a fan has to comment is in the letters page. Possibly soundbites from fans trackside?

A more balenced approach to motorsport: Less F1, more national, more international. Better coverage of brits abroad. Improved articles on Historic racing.

[foreversideways]

Originally Posted by ford prefect

A more balenced approach to motorsport: Less F1, more national, more international. Better coverage of brits abroad. Improved articles on Historic racing.

I quite agree with all your points. Also less of the Nuts style headlines like "it's war this time", it's a magazine for adults not pimply youths and finally how about more facts and less what if''s. I don't really care if Alonso might go to Honda, i am only interested to find out if he has, the magazine has over the past few years filled it's pages with speculation which is why i am now only a casual buyer of it when at one time i was a regular weekly buyer. I currently much prefer the more balanced Motor Sport Magazine.

[johntt]

Smarten up the presentation, a bit more formal not as formal as Motorsport.

I have to applaud the way you put Le Mans on the cover after the epic race we had there this year, what I would ask is that unless there has been a grand prix / big news re. F1 that you put something other than F1 on the cover.

More road tests of racing cars would be good where possible, as would coverage of Nascar on an equal level to Indycar in the magazine.

[ford prefect]

Ditch the fatuous headlines: The "jokes" are feeble to say the least and puns such as these would embarrass even a Sun journo.

I agree with previous the previous post.

Many thanks for asking us!!!

[MGDavid]

most of the above; but by posting this in F1 section I assume the blinkers are still on, hope not !

[The SpeCTator]

Less formula reporting on what we see on TV, more behind the scenes(not press releases)
More National, less US, my research says readers hit the front and back pages
and pick up the bits of interest beteen , so more both ends please.
IF YOU INCLUDE BIKES A STAW POLL AT PADDOCK BEND SHOWED 5 CANCELLED SUBSCIPTIONS!

[Justin Moran]

Better coverage of sportscars would be nice

[isynge]

Agree with Foreversideways. I'm a predominantly happy subscriber, but the production values are currently a little tabloid - okay it's never going to be a Monocle or Wallpaper, but less emphasis on primary colours and shouty headlines would probably be good.

Content wise I'm delighted to see the GP Gold features show up - and more of this sort of thing would be good. In fact, more words full stop would really be appreciated, the acid test I used to apply was whether the magazine would last from Waterloo to the Channel Tunnel, if yes then good, if no then bad, or, alternatively, it should occupy my attention for about an hour on a Thursday evening.

More balance in terms of flavours of motorsport covered is always good. I appreciate F1 is invariably going to get the lion's share of coverage and that there are financial realities to running a magazine, but more weighty features on other aspects - sportscars, touring cars etc wouldn't go amiss.

Finally thanks for asking - I appreciate fora like these aren't always the most friendly environments for magazine editors but I for one feel a bit more appreciated for having been given the chance to give you a bit of input.

[tonful]

At the beginning of this year I came very close to stopping buying Autosport but the changes that have been made during the year have definitely improved things. It now takes much longer to read.

In general though I think that Autosport started going downhill some years ago when the dedicated F1 magazines came on the scene as a lot of the decent articles and columns became diluted across more publications.

GP Gold is a great addition, perhaps this could be extended to national racing and cover specifc championship seasons eg 1983 F3 championship etc.

One thing I really miss from the 70's and 80's is that so much reporting of our sport is PR drivel. This comment isn't aimed at Autosport particularly but the media in general.
In this respect I really enjoy reading articles such as Nigel Roebuck's old fifth column and the Mark Hughes replacement, as they scrape below the surface and give an insight into what’s really going on behind the scenes.
Maybe you could add columns that give a similar inside look into other areas such Indycars, Nascar, Sportscars and Touring cars.

Marcus Pye's column does a good job on the National scene.

Also I never read the GP report as by the time Autosport comes out I've watched the race, done the rounds of the internet etc, but without fail I always read the trackside column with its insight into driver styles etc.
I also like the section that takes a step back and describes what was going on just away from the track.
These sorts of articles would carry across well into other areas of national and international racing.

Everyone loves Martin Brundle's insights on ITV, apart from pikeys that is. An ex driver / or even team manager to do the same for Autosport would be great, if you could find one brave enough that is. I'd suggest Eddie Jordan but he already does it elsewhere.

'Where are they now' articles and those like ‘Photo Finish’ are popular, just look at the responses threads of this type get on here.

I’m sure I’ll think of more and thanks for asking.

Tony

[Peter Mallett]

This would be better in Armchair. I'll leave a link from here.

[airbusA346]

More and better coverage of sports car racing like: FIA GT, Le Mans Series & American Le Mans Series.

Tom.

[Graz]

Less sensationalist headlines - leave that to the tabloids. Also, smarten the image up a bit, it always strikes me as being too in your face, tabloidy (if that's a word).

I'd also like to see features on classic racing cars (from all era's and genre), races and circuits and where possible, tests of such cars and tracks if they still exist.

Less F1 coverage, with increased focus on wider motorsport both internationally and nationally. There's more out there than F1.

The last poster mentions a 'where are they now' feature which is a good idea.

[Fiorentina 1]

Oh ya, and the number 1 thing you can change is the lame tabloid headlines on the covers like in this weeks Autosport. Come on, what does having, "Is F1 Fixed?" do for the sport or for autosport's reputation as the world's leading racing weekly? Why couldn't you have something like, "Hamilton Stripped of Brilliant Win" or something like that. Next thing you'll have headlines on the cover about who the F1 drivers are dating....

[Born Racer]

I would prefer more bravery from journalists. As I recall, there were at an estimate five columns (I'm talking about the website here actually; I didn't get the magazine two weeks ago, but I suspect it may apply to any articles that appeared in that) which covered Hamilton's penalty.

None of these condemned what went on in Belgium, and everyone seemed to play it safe with some I must say well-written articles. Nevertheless, I have my suspicions that not all five of those actually didn't have their suspicions that there was foul play/a degree of (conscious or unconscious) Ferrari favouritism at work behind the scenes (after all- you only have to speak to people into Formula 1 to realise that more than 0 in 5 have their suspicions).

The Mark Hughes piece in last week's online article seemed almost sarcastic in saying how there was nothing going on before ending by pointing out how you can see why people are suspicious. Does he really not suspect a thing?

This situation is worrying because it suggests to me that there is some gagging by some FIA power that does not want you to comment on things with your own opinions. This is obviously tremendously saddening. (We all know what happened to Martin Brundle and his newspaper column).

In as little as ten years Autosport as a printed magazine simply will not exist, it will be as outdated as a horse and cart. I have not bought a newspaper for years, why would I when it is conveniently available on my computer screen for free?

I don't think this will prove to be the case. Yes, the internet has its advantages, but after a day of starting at a screen at work, a magazine is something nice to pick up. Hell, I even read big, clumpy newspapers when I get home, because I like a contrast to my internet activity.

Magazines definitely have their place. I no longer by the Autosport magazine every week, but I bought it this week for instance; it's something intangible, but I'll try to explain- I wanted to see last weekend's Grand Prix events in print. Print is like some confirmation of what went on, and I like to see something I've seen so recently laid out in print. There's a historical archive-element to seeing something on paper. Another way of looking at it would be how I find it impressive to see something so recent all laid out in print (naturally, this applies more to newspapers than weekly magazines). Somehow being on the internet almost straight after an event doesn't strike me as so impressive.

So I wanted to read this week's Grand Prix events in a magazine format. Incidentally, the fact Vettel or F1 was on the cover did not swing it for me, and I'm not convinced that an F1 cover is always necessary. Surely, if you wanted to put, let's say, a rally picture on the cover, you might do a dramatic shot of the car/driver combination in question. "Casual" fans might still buy that. In any case, are your core audience not to some extent hardcore fans?

I mean, people who buy a magazine on something, tend to be pretty into it, or have a keen interest to get more into the whole thing, warts and all, not playing-it-safe journalism and a not very in-depth glance at all things F1.

I don't know the economics of it, but if you aim to appeal to a more hardcore fanbase, you should be able to sustain sales regardless of the cover, because you will be appealing to a dedicated motorsport-loving fanbase. With what some others suggest is a greater proliferation of F1-focussed magazines (I hadn't actually noticed that, but I'll take their word for it), an opportunity has opened up to serve our needs (by 'our' I mean hardcore fans) and find a more motorsport-diverse niche.

[F.O.F.]

In general I like the mag as it is.I really didn't like it when they got rid of the crossword though!

[airbusA346]

Can't edit previous post so.....

Don't always make the cover of the magazine F1 oriented, there are other types of motorsport.

Tom.

[Super Hans]

I'm a largely happy subscriber (although I need to re-subscribe after accidentally cancelling my DD online yesterday - muppet), but for what it's worth I also read the football magazine When Saturday Comes, and dream of a motor sport equivalent.

[bella]

motorsport equivalent of when saturday comes = the red bulletin, surely?

i think a couple of reporters need to go back to writing school - and yes, i could do better - because it's rare when reading non-f1 reports that i learn anything about what actually happened in the races. the lack of driver quotes is often frustrating.

overall i like the magazine as it is - the reader participation isn't something that bothers me particularly, but i can see where it would be nice to have reader opinions about incidents or talking points at particular meetings instead of the sidebar.

i agree with isynge about gp gold - that's a great feature, especially for those of us too young to remember any of the races covered the first time around!

i sometimes wonder whether it's worth featuring a person from any of the paddocks in a feature similar to the "one to watch" driver feature - it never ceases to amaze me how many young people want to be involved in motorsport and never know where to start. and more often than not there's some excellent characters in our paddocks and it would be great to hear some of their stories (the clean ones ).

as for where a lot of this space would come from - i think a lot of the f1 coverage is irrelevant now. driver by driver report? not really needed - we have team press releases at our fingertips and the stats are readily available online too.

yeah, overall i'm happy too

[Super Hans]

Originally Posted by bella

motorsport equivalent of when saturday comes = the red bulletin, surely?

Eh? They're nothing alike.

[Rennen]

I've been a reader of Autosport since the early 1960's and have seen many changes in format, content, style and print quality, not to mention price!

I miss the track tests of individual race cars, of all types, by a competent magazine staff member or a regular race driver who can put actions into words. A bit like they do on Top Gear on a known track, so we can get a comparison on sector times and speeds. I want to know what it's like to drive these great machines that I'll never get to drive, by an experienced and articulate driver.

The thing I hate at present is all this hype about a driver just because he's British, I have to admit that I have stopped buying Autosport for the first time this year because of it!
I like all the drivers, I really don't care what nationality they are, most of them are heros to me. I don't need this Celebrity cult, hyped up stuff.

I would also like to read about ex race drivers, a 'Where are they now' catch up feature each week.

[John Turner]

Originally Posted by Rennen

I miss the track tests of individual race cars, of all types, by a competent magazine staff member or a regular race driver who can put actions into words. A bit like they do on Top Gear on a known track, so we can get a comparison on sector times and speeds. I want to know what it's like to drive these great machines that I'll never get to drive, by an experienced and articulate driver.

I think that we actually have had more of this in recent months

Originally Posted by Rennen

The thing I hate at present is all this hype about a driver just because he's British, I have to admit that I have stopped buying Autosport for the first time this year because of it! I like all the drivers, I really don't care what nationality they are, most of them are heros to me. I don't need this Celebrity cult, hyped up stuff.

I agree, but I don't think the Button hype is at the Hamilton Hype level of the two previous seasons. The trouble is that there are a lot of F1 fans who are not actually motor racing fans and some of them buy the mag, but I do see a better balance now. Of course, many of us would have appreciated the opportunity to see Ant figuring in this coverage, too.

Originally Posted by Rennen

I would also like to read about ex race drivers, a 'Where are they now' catch up feature each week.

I understand that we will see some of this in the future.

On the whole I think the revamp has worked well. We'll always find elements, that, as individuals, we feel should be presented in a different way.

[davyboy]

Originally Posted by John Turner

On the whole I think the revamp has worked well. We'll always find elements, that, as individuals, we feel should be presented in a different way.

A few weeks on... had a chance to properly get used to the new design... and I agree John, I think the revamp's worked very well. There's a lot more content and information in comparison to its predecessor and I think they've now got the position right within the context of the web, TV etc... A really good effort for the entire team there.

[the sniper]

Another really good issue this week, I haven't had a chance to read it all yet but it looks good, especially the Holden V8 Supercar test with Ben Collins. I've also been impressed with the amount of coverage lesser series are getting, national and international.

I'd recommend checking it out if you haven't already.

[btcckid]

am i being rude by saying its too expensive to buy- maybe a little lower price?