Can Nostalgia Have A Future? RC Boat Modeler And Beyond...
I wrote some of this earlier, but I find it appropriate for further discussion:
In a world without internet, RC Boat Modeler (RCBM) is how I first became interested in RC boats way back in high school. When I first stumbled upon the magazine cover at the news stand in Harvard Square - I knew that I'd want an RC boat someday. It was years after school that I was able to afford the hobby. For nostalgic reasons it would be sad to see it go. To some degree, it may inhibit newcomers to the hobby, especially when a child is at a news stand and sees a dashing RC boat on the cover for the first time, next to the RC cars and planes. There won't be "Love At First Site" at the news stand anymore...
However, for intermediate to advanced builders, there is no functional value for the magazine, except for Jay Turner's articles. Much like all magazines these days, 96% of all the income comes from advertising and 100% of the articles are printed to appease the advertisers. All printed media is suffering these days. Just look at all the newspapers and magazines that are for sale! It's a staggering number right now and RCBM is no exception to this trend. The paradigm shift is to "print" everything online. Relative to the sales of any given magazine in trouble, we may never go back to printed media due to the cost of printing, materials, space, postage, salaries, editing boards, etc.
Personally, between RRR and OSE, I get much more information, advice, and interaction with fellow RC boaters than I could ever get from a printed magazine at a news stand. That spells the end of any nostalgic notion of having a wonderful colorful magazine that years later one can recall a forgotten tip or a Dumas boat...
It's not all doom and gloom if the magazine never hits the shelves again. However, I think it would be wise if RCBM released a DVD of all of the back issues since its inception. That way we can hold on to a piece of precious history.
We can all universally agree that the intrinsic value of RCBM magazine lies in its most famous writer, Jay Turner. He is the current "Godfather" of RC boating; the lighthouse for our hobby; a beacon of truth when no one else can find an answer to a problem - he is there! I definitely agree with the appeal to having a Web based magazine. Perhaps a coalition of experienced RC Boaters can come to terms with one another and forge a panel of articles, impartial reviews, and as well as ads; much in the same format as RCBM. This way, a new formed panel can resume where RCBM left off - with renewed vigor.
Several advertisers can cover all the operating costs and then some. I estimate that there are at least few thousand RC boaters just between OSE, RRR, and IW - that's enough to get started... So, can nostalgia have a future? Yes, but the "cover" will have changed to an online medium. More importantly, the content can continue to survive and evolve as it always has in the hands of knowledgeable and experienced leadership. In many ways, an online magazine could potentially have more of an impact than RCBM ever had in many respects - articles can go more in depth, include more pictures, and have broader reaches all over the world beyond the U.S. That would create a positive missionary for this great little hobby of ours.
Last edited by 10gauge; 01-17-2009 at 11:43 PM.
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