Filed under: Lifestyle
AutoWeek going bi-weekly, won't change name to AutoBiWeekly
AutoWeek has announced that it's switching to a bi-weekly distribution schedule for its print magazine, which it claims in the press release after the jump will benefit readers. We think it will benefit AutoWeek in that the once-weekly rag will save a bunch on paper and distribution costs. In return for receiving half as many issues over the course of a year, AutoWeek promises to up its page count per issue and do more "comprehensive editorial features and vehicle reviews". This isn't the first time AutoWeek has changed its distribution schedule, either. It started in 1958 as a bi-monthly motorsport newsletter called Competition Press, and in the '60s added "AutoWeek" to the title and began publishing every seven days. If the economy gets even worse, maybe it'll switch back to bi-monthly, but chances are they'll still call it "AutoWeek".[Source: International Business Times via TTAC, Photo by cindy47452 | CC2.0]
PRESS RELEASE
AutoWeek Announces Changes in Digital and Video Publishing in Addition to Its Frequency to a Fortnightly Publication
DETROIT, Nov. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- AutoWeek announced plans today to expandservice to its readers by changing to a fortnightly distribution beginningwith the January 5, 2009, issue. With this change, each issue will increasein size to provide deeper insight into the consumer car world to its threemillion readers. In addition, autoweek.com will continue to expand its digitalcoverage of instant news and videos.
"We started out as an eight-page newsletter and have progressed to be oneof the most widely read automotive publications and Web sites in theenthusiast world," said Keith Crain, chairman of Crain Communications andeditorial director of AutoWeek. "This change gives us the opportunity to growas a brand and increase our reach to enthusiast consumers, making AutoWeekmuch more than just a weekly."
AutoWeek was launched on July 16, 1958, as a twice-monthly motorsportsnewsletter, titled Competition Press. As the publication grew in popularitythrough the 1960s, the editors began including vehicle reviews and industrynews, changing to weekly distribution with the new title, Competition Press &Autoweek. Eventually, the name was shortened to AutoWeek as it remains today.
"AutoWeek will continue to evolve as consumption habits of the enthusiastchange," said KC Crain, vice president and publisher of AutoWeek. "Modifyingthe frequency of the magazine's distribution allows us to focus on morecomprehensive editorial features and vehicle reviews. At the same time, we'llbe enhancing our ability to deliver the best automotive lifestyle contentthrough the magazine and on autoweek.com."
"I'm thrilled to be able to make a great brand better," said AutoWeekEditor and Associate Publisher, Dutch Mandel. "The changes demonstrate ourcommitment to evolve in an ever-changing world. Our readers now demand newsthe moment it happens, which we provide to them at autoweek.com. Thesechanges will allow us to deliver more in-depth coverage in our products. Ourreaders will be excited and pleased."
AutoWeek is America's only fortnightly automotive enthusiast consumermagazine. For 50 years, it has been providing readers with unbiased,relevant, insightful and timely content, while delivering the latest vehiclereviews and coverage of trends, motorsports, events, personalities and autoshows. Visitors to autoweek.com receive by-the-minute news and updates asAutoWeek is constantly expanding its digital and video offerings. Through itsprint and online products, AutoWeek is an indispensable source of need-to-knowand want-to-know information, making its readers themselves car experts.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
IOMTT 11:05AM (11/11/2008)
I am somewhat disappointed as I look forward to something good in the mailbox every week. However, I can't say I blame them.
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Avinash machado 11:06AM (11/11/2008)
When we can get a daily like Autoblog to read for free, why bother spending money on subscribing to a weekly or bi-weekly magazine?
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c 11:41AM (11/11/2008)
True, but I'm not quite ready to take my laptop into the can with me.
Mark 12:38PM (11/11/2008)
I do it every time! lol
Kip 1:32PM (11/11/2008)
I'm a subscriber to Autoweek and also read Autoblog everyday. While Autoweek is inevitably slower than Autoblog, their articles are more thorough, their focus reaches a wider range of automotive topics, their road tests/reviews follow some level of consistency , and they use a spell checker (:pokepoke:). Autoblog is great for quick, fast snippets of information, but Autoweek has deeper information. They're really a good compliment to each other. Plus, and maybe I'm starting to show my age, but after sitting in front of a laptop all day and being thethered by my Crackberry, sometimes it's nice to just unplug.
Hanoi Jane 11:08AM (11/11/2008)
How about just "Auto Bi"?
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latterlon 11:16AM (11/11/2008)
I stopped receiving it after a year. I loved getting it, but could not justify $30 a year when a chunk of the magazine is classifieds and I can get the latest news online. The point of getting Autoweek is that it comes weekly, so you get the news quicker. I love the free market.
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JayP 11:41AM (11/11/2008)
I've sub'd for going on 20 years. Even with instant info of the net, Autoweek still has interesting content worth buying.
Bi-weekly though- kind bothers the point of stale info in print. I'll give it a chance, more content and reviews may be promising.
DJ 5:23PM (11/11/2008)
I subcribed to AutoWeek for more than ten years. Once I realized about 90% of their content is on their website for FREE and is delivered to my desktop days before the print issue, I dropped it and haven't missed it.
Bonita 11:25AM (11/11/2008)
If you guys met -- or knew -- the owner (Keith Crane), you'd call it A**HOLE WEEK.
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LA 1:22PM (11/11/2008)
I agree, between Crane, and the Mandel's using the magazine as a soapbox about nothing anyone cares about, that crappy, publication, which is completely biased to advertisers, should just fold up and go home--- I bet that if they chose to publish their columns in a blog, their readership would be 0. Hopefully this is the beginning of the end. just like their ego got the best of them and killed their television show.
Balls -- complete rubbish.
gessvt 5:00PM (11/11/2008)
Don't know about Keith. But based on his son KC's "editorials", I've stopped subscribing. Nothing like handing the magazine down to a kid with limited to debatable interest in the car industry.
Also, it's gotten very preachy (teen driving edition, anyone?) and green (Natalie Neff, et al). Meh, I like AutoBlog way better.
Funny thing is, they kept my subscription coming a full 6 months after I cancelled.
tom 11:50AM (11/11/2008)
I love Autoweek and have subscribed for many years. I hope it stays a quality publication.
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JIm 12:03PM (11/11/2008)
I've been one of those old fart subscribers to first CP, then CP&Autoweek, and now AW. When I first began that subscription in 1967 the cost was $5/year. Yup, a year. I asked if I could get a lifetime subscription and was told no. It was the only place I could get decent F1 coverage and their honesty was much more "pointed" than it is today. Although it's still better than the monthly's, the edge is gone and there is a lot of milk toast.
I still like it and will continue but my beef is just like Latterlon said - the news is suppose to be quicker. Unfortunately it doesn't seem to be. Of course there is agreement between the weekly folks and the monthly folks (news makers too?) so the information is published at the same time. Notice the new vehicle reports come at the same time regardless whether the publication is weekly or monthly.
The internet has changed everything and, as a percentage of the population, we don't read any more.
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YourNameHere 12:09PM (11/11/2008)
shouldnt the title be "bi-monthly" twice a month. bi-weekly sounds like its coming twice a week....
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Shardm 12:17PM (11/11/2008)
No
rwcmick 12:19PM (11/11/2008)
The meaning changes depending on whether or not you are using biweekly as an adj or noun.
1 : occurring twice a week (adj) 2 : occurring every two weeks (noun)
Andy 7:10PM (11/11/2008)
Isn't every 2 weeks bi-monthly anyway?
Paul 4:10PM (11/12/2008)
Common mistake. The prefix "bi-" when relating to time essentially means every two (just as "tri- would mean every three, etc.). Thus:
Bi-weekly = every two weeks
If you are dividing the period of time in half and thus the occurrence happens twice within that time period, the correct prefix is "semi-." This is more common with events that occur twice per year (semi-annually).
Semi-weekly = twice per week
Garris 12:50PM (11/11/2008)
This is sad to read, as I grew up with Autoweek. As some have pointed out, though, some of the mag's advantages have evaporated:
- Blackout dates on new model news mean that C&D and Autoweek would often be reporting first drives at the same time, so no news advantage...
- The internet has absolutely changed news delivery, arguably making the need for a weekly magazine (when there are real-time blogs and news outlets) almost obsolete.
- As was pointed out, they used to be more pointed and opinionated in the past, but of late coverage seems to be more of the "the press release says..." variety.
Too bad... Who in our news future will be doing investigative reporting?
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