shaggy48

Wow! Interesting reading between the lines of this conversation. I'm not surprised that most people seem to have a difficult time separating MA magazine from the AMA itself. I suspect that at least half the respondents who like or dislike the magazine, do so because they interpret the question as a value judgment of the AMA and are not judging only the content of the magazine. Someone said MA is a newsletter to its membership. I found that comment very funny since there is usually just a page or two of membership information within the pages of MA. The rest is purely advertising. And if the advertising only pays for itself, then why include it at all? Why isn't advertising paying for articles of interest to the hobby? If advertising doesn't pay any bills then its basically free to the advertisers and provides little benefit to the membership.

Ben, its not that I don't like MA. No, I take that back. You're right I don't like MA as it is today. Frankly, after more than a year of getting and reading it, I find it boring. After the last issue I decided to ask others if they found it just as boring as I did so I started this survey/discussion. Didn't mean to turn it into a discussion of the AMA though and still don't. So far the responses suggest 28 people like MA and 22 don't last time I checked the numbers. But as I said the survey numbers are skewed by feelings about AMA so its anyone's guess what the truth about MA itself really are. But I suspect most know its lacking. Even your comment seems to suggest this. Just like we know that the hobby needs to recruit more people. Well in its current form MA isn't helping, and in my opinion is only hurting that cause. Every new person to the AMA who reads MA should love to get and read it every month and not come away from it disappointed like I do.

MA always has a great front cover though, on almost every issue. I wish I could contribute to help make it better, because I would. But I consider myself much too new to this hobby to contribute to the magazine. But it needs more articles, more how to, more information, more nice to know things relevant to the hobby, and a lot less advertising. Even the few articles it does have at the moment are little more than disguised advertising. If we removed all the advertising, the magazine would be no more than about 10 pages. Thats about the size of a real newsletter. Not that we should, just a measure of informational value versus boring advertising. Some advertising is desirable, but MA is way over the top. As it is, its almost as if the purpose of MA is to provide advertising and the few pages of information/articles to the membership are just a bonus!

Shaggy

Ben Lanterman

Hi Shaggy,

There is always the comment about the amount of advertising. I take Model Airplane News and Fly RC. Also several English magazines. I consider MAN and Fly RC to be worse when it comes to the content being advertising. Take for instance the airplane reviews. You never see a bad review in any magazine, MA included. They simply don't publish anything about a bad airplane. You may get a few negative comments but that is all. It the airplane is a model of a real airplane and you have the CG right, it is almost guaranteed to be stable and track well. But the magazines say time after time that the airplane is stable and tracks and no one has learned anything.

I started reading whatever modeling magazine I could find back in the late 50's. I have watched Model Aviation and Model Airplane News as well as the defunct RC Modeler change over the years. The emphasis on what is covered changes as the technology has changed. The biggest change and one that bugs the old timers the most has been the emphasis on the almost ready to fly model. A lot of folks don't think that they are real modeling. I love them because of the time saved to let me do something else.

But just think of the problem an editor has, if he publishes too many helicopter articles then the airplane guys complain. If he publishes a month devoted to the AT-6 then the jet guys complain. If he has Joe Nall coverage then the indoor free flight guys complain. If he manages go get a balanced coverage of everything then someone complains that there isn't enough about his particular likes. If he published too many how to articles for the new comers than old guys like me who have seen it dozens of times might doze off in the middle of the page...... There is no winning.

However I do think that if you are a newcomer to the hobby that you shouldn't be finding the magazine boring just yet, there is a lot to learn. As I said, I learn something each issue.

Indeed it seems to be difficult to separate feeling about the content of the magazine from everything else. I personally think the magazine can have good content and ads also. One doesn't exclude the other. I tend to start at the beginning of the magazine and read everything. ads and all, even the boring stuff about the AMA at the back!

MA is supposed to be a newsletter to the membership. I think I remember when American Modeler (or whatever the name was) joined with the AMA with the purpose of delivering the newsletter. Someone with a better memory of history could get the facts right. I believe it caused a lot of uproar at the time.

If we take any current modeling magazine and removed the ads they would probably all decrease in size the same way. If you remove airplane reviews even worse. Bit I look at it like when Car and Driver reviews the Corvette. It's another review and is like advertising but it is fun to read.

Ben

rolsen12

I have been in R/C for 52 years and I have to agree that MA is boring ..

littlecrankshaf

My Feedback: (58)

That is why I used "if"... couldn't be sure...still can't...your response seemed to imply you thought it acceptable or at the very least your incontestable reason...but maybe you don't actually feel that way...as you have yet to say that it would be improper to treat someones ideas that way...interpretation of your position is still open.

On the thought of "if"??? ideas are being rejected as you suggested...take a stand...pro or con...be clear...it's OK...some (maybe most) will not like your response but all will respect it and we will learn more about your true position in regards to MA and AMA.

Hossfly

No Contest there, Ben. Mark is, IMO, a perfect example of the excellent entrepreneur spirit. He has his own business, and exercises advantages available to that business. I rate that as absolutely excellent.
Edited to add: OTOH: "You are right about Mark, he is the best part of the magazine." First I did not say he was the best part of the magazine. In addition I do not like to think I really know your meaning with that statement.

That is, IMO, a debatable subject. I think the electric revolution has brought model airplane interests to multiple thousands of new potential modelers. The evolution of the swing away from stick and tissue is a sign of the times.
My first car had 2 doors, 2 bench seats, a radio and heater as extras, and I was a fat cat 18 year old at the time. Now one cannot buy a car without a load of "extras" most having been designated by some mfger./importer, and became federal law, which - again my opinion - became federal law through an exchange of $$$ between said mfger./importer and certain congressmen.

One does not need to be able to lay an egg to be able to place fair judgment on an omelet. The voting turnout for elections in all walks of USA life now evidences that the average individual simply has complete lack of sophistication to have any understanding of financial matters along with the undercurrents that control those matters, therefore allowing those that do understand the REAL FINANCIAL "support systems" to totally control those matters. Yes, those in control definitely do NOT like ol' Hoss. Ol' Hoss does understand "support systems". [sm=greedy.gif]
Since I don't have the wherewithal that I care to invest simply for model airplanes to correct derivatives and tangents of the current AMA organization and direction, I just make information available to the membership. They don't care enough to make corrections, well so be it.

OTOH: The AMA EC stood up and said "enough is enough" and the event listing will remain in MA for a time. How long, well those results are not yet published. However that was a very pleasant surprise.

One last item that has been said many times before: The financial items concerning AMA/MA can be found in the AMA's website, members only section. These are the most simple Audit Reports ever. One does not have to be a CPA to understand them. Being able to read does help. http://www.modelaircraft.org/Members...tatements.aspx

skyboy500

I do read it and would definetly buy it. While other mags, such as R/C Modeler were focusing most of their attention on the large, glossy projects that most couln't afford, mags like MA and Flying Models left room for more mundane projects, even controle line and Free Flight! I think that this not only drove some mags to go away, but also drove many, or kept many, prospective flyers away. After all, who really wants to go build a 40 2 stroke Big Stick when all you read about is super servos, super engines, complex set-ups, etc. I have been out for more than 10 yrs and am encouraged by the electric movement, which for the most part, is within reach of many. Oh, also nitch groups like SPA, where you can easily compete with a 2 stroke 55 to 61, or a 91 4-stroke at most.

Just my 2-cents...

Cesar

50+AirYears

As a Model Airplane enthusiast who flies a little bit of everything, I would definitely buy MA OTC if I didn't already get it as a long time AMA member. I also subscribe to FM, IMO, the only other true Model Airplane mag left in the country. In fact, if MAN hadn't gotten Clarence Lee on staff, I might have let my subscription lapse a few years ago, after having been with them since the early 50s.

Charley

My Feedback: (2)

I think MA is becoming more like what MAN was in its declining years. I especially don't like the decision to discontinue the Contest Calendar (CC). I just can't fathom how MA can be the AMA's official newsletter and not contain the CC. Did the mission statement for MA change?

CR
AMA #6903

dignlivn

NO !


IMO,

It's has too many toy airplane stuff .


Bob

Muroc1

Charley,

The Contest Calendar is staying in MA.

Frank

rambler53

My Feedback: (494)

Almost 50/50 love / hate on the poll.
I'm against it and stopped giving money to the AMA in 2008.
I think I had it only 3 years out of 36.

I give money to RCReport, and RCU first, better value in my mind.
http://www.rcuniverse.com/magazine/ is better.
Support your forum, not the MA magazine, at least those who polled against MA magazine.