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9 Feb 2018, 10:24 (Ref:3799813) | #1 | |
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Autosport
Anybody cheesed off about how far this has fallen?
It’s just a mouthpiece for Zak Brown now for his interests, be it McLaren, Alonso, Norris or anything else he earns from. It also seems that McLaren must pay Renault for the engines in mentions as well as euros! Rubbish, biased non-stories proliferate and genuine journalism dying fast. The staff must be very demotivated, though I guess there aren’t that many of them now! |
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9 Feb 2018, 12:03 (Ref:3799847) | #2 | ||
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I no longer bother with their website let alone the magazine. Very sad for something that was my staple motorsport publication.
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9 Feb 2018, 13:45 (Ref:3799883) | #3 | |
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Not really, it's still one of the most reliable sources for the latest news. Not all of it is about McLaren, even if a lot of attention is on it. Guess that was bound to happen though
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9 Feb 2018, 20:57 (Ref:3800072) | #4 | ||
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I have not really used it is a source for anything
All I do use it for now is their forum which is great for a wind up, thought utterly obsessed with F1. and where this one used to be 10 years ago before it fell on its arse. |
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10 Feb 2018, 00:04 (Ref:3800126) | #5 | |||
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Quote:
https://www.autosport.com/f1/feature...cking-timebomb |
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10 Feb 2018, 01:44 (Ref:3800134) | #6 | ||
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just like every other one... i wouldn’t mind if they also had features about other teams but they really don’t. get yourselves together, autosport. it’s really boring now. |
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11 Feb 2018, 14:17 (Ref:3800501) | #7 | ||
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Hi all,
First off, apologies for not posting here more often. Long-termers will recall I used to do so, but the day job takes up rather a lot of time these days! I wanted to reply to the McLaren/Zak Brown question, which is an understandable one given Brown's dual role, one he is very conscious of. I can confirm Zak has no influence on the editorial content of the magazine. The only direct contact I have had with him on the subject is when I asked him if we could do an interview and photoshoot with Fernando Alonso at Daytona. In other words, the Jan 25 issue was my idea, on the basis that Alonso's Indy 500 story was one of the biggest things of 2017, we don't often get proper slots with him, and I think it's a cool story. Not everyone will agree, but it was my call, not Zak's. As for last week's issue, have people actually read Ben Anderson's piece, or even the cover? Yes, Zak is interviewed, but we're coming at it much from the negative angle of McLaren really needing to deliver now that the Honda saga is over. If not, there is a real chance it could slip into the Williams position of midfield battler. That wouldn't be great for F1 - I am sure we'll all agree we'd like to see more teams other than Mercedes and Ferrari (and possibly Red Bull) fighting for wins. Ben's final line is: "McLaren must escape decline soon, or else surely the damage will be permanent." We also did a McLaren 'Crisis' cover on the March 23rd issue last year, when our F1 guys fathomed just how much trouble the team was in. I don't think Zak would have been too pleased about either, but I have received no pressure to soften our approach. Along with George Russell and Dan Ticktum, Lando Norris is one of the most exciting British talents currently on the verge of F1, which is reflected in the coverage. Of course, had he not been Alonso's team-mate at Daytona (where he, unsurprisingly, excelled), he would not have been part of that piece. As regards other teams, we had a Red Bull one the week before last and will likely have one in the near future. Ferrari and Mercedes will of course follow, though they tend to get lots of covers when the season starts thanks to all the winning! As an aside, those that know me will also know I endeavour to put non-F1 on the cover when I get the chance - our Le Mans preview and report were last year and I've put the Goodwood Revival on the cover for the past two years. Sadly, I have to be very careful what I select and when as most non-F1 covers result in a fall in sales. I'll not go on, but please do drop me an email at kevin.turner@autosport.com if you have any further thoughts, questions or criticisms. My only request is that they be constructive and based on what is actually in the magazine, rather than perception from what it was like 10, 15 (or whatever!) years ago. Many thanks, Kevin Turner Autosport magazine editor |
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11 Feb 2018, 15:12 (Ref:3800505) | #8 | |
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Be serious!!
The McLaren etc. bias is very clear krt. A headline last week was that McLaren might sign Dell as a partner. Interesting, not. “News” - no. Clearly planted to build up their commercial success. You wouldn’t see that about another team unless we were talking title sponsor. Let’s let Alonso do Daytona but get a quote in the press saying how good Lando is. Really? Not exactly natural is it? Even this week or last multiple Renault stories actually all about McLaren when you open them up. Sadly all too predictable. Almost everything F1 has a McLaren / Brown angle! Keep your head in the sand and lose the remaining 10% readership you have, to add to the 90% already lost. |
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11 Feb 2018, 15:24 (Ref:3800508) | #9 | |
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Nice to hear from you Kevin. What you planning for this Thursday's Autosport?
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11 Feb 2018, 17:35 (Ref:3800522) | #10 | |
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I stopped buying the mag during last years F1 summer break when instead of taking a look at some other forms of motorsport they just cut and pasted some old articles from old back issues, 4quid spent on something I read years ago, thanks!!
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11 Feb 2018, 18:15 (Ref:3800524) | #11 | ||
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I’m way cooler. I stopped my subscription in the mid 2000s. Oh yeah.
I’m happy to say it is a lot better than it was then. So I have a digital subscription now. More McLaren coverage? Maybe, but there is also an element of people looking for it! |
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11 Feb 2018, 19:33 (Ref:3800537) | #12 | |
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thanks for coming on and clarifying the zac brown influence, kevin. glad to hear you retain editorial control.
the problem is the sheer volume, on the website as well as the magazine. i'm not sure about others but i'm so bored of reading about mclaren and alonso now that i simply don't bother. the downside is that it doesn't necessarily leave a lot of content. that volume is across all websites and forms of motorsport media, which lbr, are mostly owned by brown now. i'm sure the big mclaren issue this week coinciding with the release of the series on amazon was a happy coincidence! we all agree that alonso doing other stuff is really cool. and there's still good content in the magazine - very much enjoyed reading the formula renault 3.5 obituary for example. hopefully other teams will raise their pr game to that of mclaren. otherwise it's going to be a seriously boring year. |
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12 Feb 2018, 12:41 (Ref:3800694) | #13 | ||
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Yes, thanks Kevin for sparing the time to post! What I personally would not want to see is Autosport fail due to lack of sales, print and or digital. If the leaning towards F1, especially for the front cover, boosts copy sales and allows the Mag to keep going, then I’ll live with it. Maybe that tells us that the target Autosport buyer is not an old-school racing fan any more?
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12 Feb 2018, 15:09 (Ref:3800726) | #14 | |
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Another day another McLaren story. This time the major news of who will drive their new car first. And a quote repeated from a separate story last week. No such stories for any other team.
Still want to deny the bias? |
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12 Feb 2018, 18:40 (Ref:3800756) | #15 | ||
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on a positive note, i’m enjoying the autosport plus content (that doesn’t start “why mclaren...” or “how alonso...” or any combination of the two). could do with some more in depth pieces but for quick reads it’s all good stuff and means there’s usually something to read every day. |
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12 Feb 2018, 20:26 (Ref:3800773) | #16 | ||
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If the other teams sent a press release of who drives first it would be on Autosport.
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13 Feb 2018, 01:14 (Ref:3800830) | #17 | |
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All very well but journalism has nothing to do with press releases...
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13 Feb 2018, 03:10 (Ref:3800848) | #18 | ||
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I don't bother with Autosport for teh news. I just goo-goo that stuff. And I usually find it on some other outpost of Brown's media empire that hasn't got a paywall.
All that said I think there's genuinely strong retro articles during the off-season. The race reports are on point, I like reading the national news. The features are good. The magazine seems thinner -- on touch at least. And I'd rather a more comprehensive listing as to the live motorsport whether online or on the box. That would be something of real use to me that Autosport isn't doing adequately. As for Alonso you do have to factor in the objective reality that people are going to be genuinely enthused by Alonso doing the multidisciplinary thing. It does hark back to Clark and all that stuff. |
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13 Feb 2018, 07:12 (Ref:3800868) | #19 | ||
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I decided a while back that quite a few magazines were not as good value for money as they used to be, but that’s got more to do with the sticker price than anything contained in them. I looked at the online version of several, but some seem to be around the same cost for having no paper copy, so I was left with three choices- give some up, lurk suspiciously in the newsagent for a quick read, or subscribe to an online monthly multi-magazine subscription. The last allows me to read as many of the hundreds of weeklies, monthlies, etc that are listed as I want, and includes Autosport among the dozen or so I read regularly...... If a particular issue of any mag doesn’t interest me that much, no big deal!
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13 Feb 2018, 11:07 (Ref:3800907) | #20 | |
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They are at it again. It’s everyday! Today is a story about the halo but they use a photo of a McLaren, so showing sponsors, and quotes from two McLaren people.
I used to live Autosport so it’s such a shame. I know the media world has changed massively but this is just to mercenary and the few serious journos left can’t be too happy professionally. |
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13 Feb 2018, 11:37 (Ref:3800913) | #21 | |||
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Has it not crossed your mind that each team in F1 have marketing and PR departments that are responsible for making sure that their team's interests are disseminated across the media? Isn't it just possible that McLaren, now being led by a PR/marketing man in Zak Brown, know the value of releasing as much guff as they can so as to get maximum brand awareness? The fact that the other teams do not feature as much may well be because they are not playing the game as well as McLaren. They must be fully aware that McLaren are featuring a lot; it's up to them to use the media, but they don't seem to want to do so. And if you listened to the Goodwood commentaries, you would come to appreciate that Autosport Magazine's editor, Kevin Turner, is hugely passionate about motorsport in all it's forms. But he has to face reality, and if F1 on the face of the magazine keeps the sales figures up, then that is what he has to do. |
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13 Feb 2018, 12:51 (Ref:3800938) | #22 | ||
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I used to ‘live’ Motoring News, or Motorsport News as it’s called nowadays. I bet the other Mike did as well, especially the multiple pages of race / rally cars and spares for sale in the classifieds!
It’s lost all that, but times have moved on. Autosport has changed as well, so has Motorsport, MCN, and likely many others, but there’s a lot more important stuff going on in the world to get uptight about..... |
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13 Feb 2018, 13:33 (Ref:3800949) | #23 | |
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Nothing against Kevin at all, but the editor is hardly the boss these days.
Again, anyone who thinks reporting is to do with PR departments and press releases clearly doesn’t know what journalism is! |
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13 Feb 2018, 14:00 (Ref:3800953) | #24 | |
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They also had a nice feature on Ash Sutton, so it’s not all about F1/McLaren on there
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13 Feb 2018, 14:03 (Ref:3800954) | #25 | ||
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peebee- So, you’ve nothing against the Editor. In which case, who exactly are you directing the harsh criticism shown in your posts at?
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