And now, We Say Goodbye
May 19, 2011
To Everyone:
I want to thank all of my friends and colleagues who were a part of The Car Room Magazine. Despite holding out hope for a renewal of our print cycle, and having the content and design virtually in hand, we have decided to cease publishing the title, in light of decreased ad revenue and a general decline in the diecast collecting hobby.
We will also be suspending the production of our Livestream and Youtube videos and regular Car Room TV programming while we sort out the finances related to O.K. Daddy Productions, Ltd.
Since we do not have the resources to print another issue, we are currently negotiating with other quality titles to satisfy the subscriber obligations which we can no longer meet. We are also refunding unprocessed subscriptions that were paid through outside subscription services and our own web site over the past several months.
We entered the print industry as enthusiasts who wanted to further the hobby, and bring it before a new collector base - many of whom had no idea that the hobby even existed, but who reacted favorably when they saw what it had to offer. Our videos and reviews were an integral part of many collectors’ lives.
Despite our best efforts, the print title never turned a profit, and sustaining it after its first year required that we funded each print cycle with our own savings. As a result, the past two years have been stressful, both emotionally and financially, as we have constantly tried to find ways to keep the Car Room Magazine alive. This involved my wife and myself working day jobs, then coming home to work on the magazine, often into the early morning hours.
In addition, trips to conventions, etc., were paid for out of our own pockets, in the hope that we might cover new product, be seen on the web, build brand recognition, and gain some ad revenue in return. Every trip was strictly budgeted, and was followed by hundreds of hours of video editing, scoring music, developing graphics, and post production work. Photos were processed, text edited, and pages designed, always in the hopes that we would be able to muster up the necessary funding to print.
Though subscription funds can float a title for a short time, it is ultimately ad revenue that is the backbone of a magazine’s financial structure. Despite a subscriber base that was growing, and a presence on national newsstands, ad money was never enough to cover our costs. None of the nine issues we printed met or surpassed the break-even point; only one issue came close, and still missed by thousands of dollars. The Car Room Magazine’s page count - routinely over 120 pages - was expensive to produce, and our production quality and the weight of the publication made mailing each issue costly.
In addition, newsstand presence in Borders and Barnes & Noble, etc., facilitated through a partnership with a national distribution company, was a further drain on our finances. For every dollar we spent on getting the magazines to the distribution centers, we were getting back approximately eighty cents - a figure that would be even less if we were to send out the issue we had intended to print this month, thanks to a new surcharge and fee structure. We distributed over 4,000 issues to those newsstands each cycle. The math speaks for itself.
Recent postings and Internet threads have painted us as thieves, frauds, and worse. I can understand where that bile is coming from. Many people paid into the magazine, only to be greatly disappointed. I am truly sorry for that, and as I said at the beginning of this message, we are working with other quality enthusiast publications, one of whom will take up those obligations, and we are working to refund unprocessed subscriptions quickly and fully.
If I am guilty of anything, it is being too pig headed about our chances and too enthusiastic about the hobby to see the reality of our situation. After the first year, every indication was telling me that the chances of sustaining a print magazine were growing slimmer by the week. Despite that, when the time came, we began funding the magazine with our own money and personal credit lines in hopes that the economy would turn, the industry would grow, and ad revenue would increase. It was the most irresponsible thing I could have done. Many tens of thousand of dollars later, it is clear that the increase is never going to happen. We see diecast companies faltering and failing all around us, and for many brilliant contributors to this passion of ours, the end has come or is close. I have known many of these companies for the better part of two decades, and I have been honored to call those behind those companies my friends. I wish them well.
To our talented and dedicated writers and designers, who were content to contribute to the title, and to what the title represented, until such time as we found profitability: if heart could translate into dollars, we would have all been well compensated. To Marshall Buck, Jeff Glasson, Mike Zarnock, Frank Quarant, and Dick Browne, I owe a great debt of gratitude. To Clay Miller, Charise Glasson, Jeff Stalling, Maureen Cunningham-Otus, Laura Miller, Ralph Riccardi, Norma Jean Fochs, and C.J. Kramer, your presence, great energy, and ideas made our time together incredible, and among the happiest I’ve ever had.
I would also like to express my gratitude for the enormous contributions of our friends, and our advertisers. Your support made the load a lot lighter, and your products were always fun to review. Working with you has been a privilege.
I also wish my heartfelt best to all of our subscribers, and our friends on the many message boards, even those who have taken us to task over the last several weeks. It is because of you that we ever existed. It is because of you that this hobby was once a multi-billion dollar industry. It is because of you, and your desire to see the hobby grow, that we had the incredible support and good will these past few years. I apologize to all of you - especially those among you who have become my personal friends - because we never realized the potential we had, and never delivered on our promises. I swear to you all that it was not for lack of trying.
I owe the greatest debt to my family. Casey never flinched when we decided to try our hand at this; never doubted that it was a good idea; and never lost faith in me or in the vision we shared, even when the best sense told us that we were fighting a losing battle. My young daughter stood next to me quietly and went unnoticed too many times while I was working on images or text or video. And the rest of my family knew not to ask what we would be doing on any given Saturday night.
I hope that those of you who out there who still see the hobby as fun will always look upon it as such, and will support the companies and publications that are managing to survive, even thrive, as they develop new technologies, explore new scales, and do their best to remain viable and profitable in an ever-more-challenging economy. It’s going to take an open mind on the part of some collectors as traditional materials and scales are replaced by new ones, and companies try to find their balance.
Though I still enjoy collecting, I can no longer subject my family to the constant stress and financial strain of trying to do what I had dreamed of doing. Our dream was to get the model car hobby before a new American television audience - a dream that we were uniquely equipped to make real - and share our passion for this amazing hobby.
Publishing a high-quality magazine was a part of that dream. In that, we have failed.
As a father, husband, brother, and son, I have been missing from my family’s life for too long. I will spend the time ahead of me repaying our debt and, hopefully, mending bridges.
I wish you all the best - and -
long live the little cars.
Joe
Comments (26)
I understand Joe, and will miss an excellent magazine. Hopefully, you will find yourself able to contribute to the hobby in one way or another in the future. Concerning my unfulfilled subscription, I have lost money on other things that had no redeeming values, I do not count your magazine among those! Go enjoy your family a while, life’s too short and filled with uncertainty!
Steve
good luck joe and your wife for standing by you. i do not need a refund. thanks for what you did do.
Joe, I have enjoyed the Carroom and will miss it a great deal.
Joe you did a great job. Sadly things do not always go the way we want or plan them. I will miss your great show and magazine. your revies were alway very profesional. Enjoy your family. And like Arnold says “I’ll be back” or “Hasta la vista baby”
I guess I should have subscribed sooner! But, seriously, I think CRM was a first class, high quality magazine. I’ve been collecting diecast models for ten years and never even thought that there were diecast magazines (dummy!). I recently purchased back issues of CRM and another diecast mag from an online diecast retailer, and after reading both issues I decided to send my money to you guys for a subscription. I completly understand the reasons for ending the print magazine, but it still sucks. Anyway, good luck with whatever else you do, and maybe if the stars line up right CRM will live again!
I’m sure it has already been said but let me add my voice and say this is sad news. I will miss the show and the magazine each was done excellently and I doubt anyone will cover the release of new cars the way you did with such enthusiasm and joy. I also would like to add I do not require a refund and wish you good luck in the future.
Joe,
I will greatly miss your weekly program. You, your family and colleagues have much to be proud of. Your enthusiasm has inspired me to look closer into what this hobby has to offer and has given me a great deal of pleasure.
Your a very talented guy and I will continue to hope that you will find a way to prevail and be a part of our fun and interesting hobby. I have certainly received more that what I paid for with my subscription. I require no refund. I wish you well.
jOE hope you come back with a new magazine.Your show was very good with passion. We need you !
you are the best guy behind the modelcars - hope to see you
in future
STYLISH CARS says thankyou !
Joe, I have enjoyed every one of the CRM issues. Your broadcast program was terrific, I wish I was able to watch more often. Thanks for publishing a high quality magazine, we will miss it.. I wish you all the best.
Although I have just recently begun collecting I was pleased to stumble upon your magazine and you tube presentations. It was great to see that someone was viewing this hobbly professionally and speaking to me as an adult. I’m very sorry that you cannot continue and your organization will be missed. The best of luck and God bless.
Dear Joe, Casey & The Car Room staff,
We are so truly sorry to hear that The Car Room magazine will no longer be around. We so enjoyed reading the articles, seeing all the detail in the models thanks to those fantastic photos and the excellent overall quality of the magazine itself. Your knowledge in diecast and how you presented it via your magazine and the show was like no other. My customers loved when they received their shipment and we surprised them with a complimentary magazine of TCR. They LOVED IT! I hate to think of the TCR magazine as permanently gone I prefer to think of it on a hiatus. We at Route 118 Diecast look at you as a pioneer.
What Popular Hot Rodding, Muscle Car Review Hot Rod Magazine, Car & Driver, Motor Trend brought to the gearheads, you brought it to the gearheads in miniature scale. The mini ‘gear’heads. I hope and pray that you will once again bring that passion and knowledge of the diecast vehicle into our homes again in the near future.
We love you guys.
From our diecast family to yours,
God bless you.
“We know you’ll be back baby”!
Mr. Kelly,
You created a beautiful magazine always exceed my expectations.
Thank you so much for the hours of enjoyment you provided to me.
I wish you the best of luck and hope you all “land on your feet”.
Remember, it’s worse to look back and say “I should have”.....don’t have any regrets…you did and continue to do the right thing.
Warm regards,
Rick Larson
For Joe, Casey, all the others:
I can add nothing more to what has been said before.
Your only mistake was being in the right place at the wrong time, and perhaps doing a little to much at one time, how very sad for all.
I will miss the show (I was always lurking there)and the mag. As others said there is no need to return the money.
Perhaps you will be able to continue with the old “Playing With Cars” web site sometime in the future. Please let us know.
You all worked so very hard, you did not fail, you did not disappoint. Your success is and will be found in the the number of your devoted fans and new found friends due the what you achieved in this all too short time.
As to what you all tried, remember, you can not hold back an idea whose time has come.
Looking forward to next time…..
Most Respectfully;
Ray G. Zinn
As a UK based collector of all things 1:18 Muscle Car i’ve enjoyed the Car Room TV show for the last couple of years. It’s a unique and interesting production and I shall miss the Sunday morning hour spent with a coffee watching your reviews.
All the best Joe, keep your chin up through these difficult times.
Dear Joe and Casey,
Just heard about his and am truely sorry - everybody here at Toy Collector who worked with you enjoyed doing so and was impressed with your professionalism and enthusiasm. We will miss you and wish you all the best for the next move!
Christian
I too work in print media, so I feel your pain. Costs continue to rise, and advertisers are spending less. I hope you latch on to one of the remaining model car magazines out there.
And pleeease, don’t worry about my remaining subscription. I’m sure you have spent enough of your kids college fund already. At least for me, let it go.
Joe and Casey, first of all, congratulations for your remarkable efforts and passion given to this community of scale model collectors and car enthusiasts. The collection of people, talent and commitment it took to put TCM together was significant…......
It was a unique approach, and above all, a quality product and effort. I will miss it!
No apologies necessary…...
Thanks, best thoughts to everyone.
Joe and Casey, nothing to add here except to say I hope you show up somewhere in this hobby to Play With Cars again! If you remember, I actually won a red 1/12th Cobra from one of the first Car Room Mag contests by finding some statement or word in an article. To this day, that Cobra sits under glass in my home office and is one of my prides in my collection. I may not have your magazine to read or your show to watch any more, but I have the Cobra to remember you by. Much good luck to you in the future. As a dear friend told me years ago, good people always land jelly side up.
Regards,
Rick Scoville
Joe, ol’ buddy, I sent you an email earlier today asking what happened to my subscription. I had no idea you were experiencing difficulties. Now I know why.
Like you, I am an enterpreneur who shed blood, sweat, and tears developing and bringing a concept to market. Four times! I always say that I didn’t make any money but I am much richer for the experience.
When you and I sit in our rockers on the front porch of the Old Folks Home, Joe, we won’t have to say “I wonder what would have happened if….” Nope, we will be able to smile and say that we gave it our best shot. And it was fun.
Your magazine was outstanding in concept, in content, in effort, and in production quality. We all will miss it. Thank you.
Dear Joe and your family
Thanks for the hard work you put in to this exciting hobby. I AM one of those new hobbyist that you turned on to the hobby, all from your YouTube videos. So sorry to hear this news. Hope to see back soon
Thanks
Danthepain
I’m speechless, word’s cant describe how much you and your crew will be missed…...you were one of US a Toy Car Collector and as far as I’m concerned YOU never failed. Enjoy your family and never quit collecting.
Much Love.
Michael “Rotativo13” Carreras
I know it was already stated but allow me to add my voice and say this really is sad news. I’ll miss the show and also the magazine each ended wonderfully and that i doubt anybody covers the discharge of recent cars how you did with your enthusiasm and pleasure. I additionally want to add I don’t need a refund and need you best of luck later on.
I am sad to hear that “the Car Room” has become a casuality of the economic conditions. Joe and Casey, you did all you could do, I do not need any refund, so have peace about that. Your knowledge, and passion is beyound compare Joe. Casey, Joe is blessed to have your support in an effort to try a dream! The realities of this economy..is seeing the slow death, and transitions which I do not like. I still think Danbury mint will thrive, as will Supercar 1..they own 1/24th and 1/18th scale cars that can be afforded. CMC and BBR and Auto World will make it too (smaller market in America) not sure about Kyosho..I love them all, let’s remember to US the collectors, its a HOBBY..not food on the table as it is to those in the industry, like GMP/ACME. Best of luck for success in your future Joe and Casey and thank you for inviting me along for the ride, Blessings Sincerely David Kinsey..AKA MRMACH03
Joe!!!! Im gutted for you. You have a great talent and enthusiasm that was both infectous and endearing. Good luck to you and hold your head high - You were the only one doing what you did and you set the bench mark high!
God bless…
Simon
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