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If you really want to see magazines whoring themselves out

Again, speaking only for myself.

I was watching American Idol (go, Melinda Doolittle!!!!!) and I see that Road & Track has put on the fishnet stockings formerly worn by Car $ Driver, and are shilling Ford's cheap new car, fronting "survey results" that indicate that the presumably knowledgeable subscribers whose post-test-drive preferences were registered preferred the Ford car to allegedly competing offerings from Honda and Toyota.

Without question, both magazines are being pimped to lend a veneer of expertise and objectivity to the proceedings.

Except, if you listen to the fine print, the Ford car was an optional all-wheel-drive, while the Honda and Toyota were front-wheel-drives. Oops, apples and oranges. And the voting was based (as far as I can tell) mostly on handling. Well, duuh. Almost anyone's AWD car is going to handle better on an autocross-type course than 2WD cars. Duuh.

But the people who are waiting to get back to AI just get the impression that the Ford is "better." Despite the facts that reliability and resale value don't enter into it, and we are not given the actual survey results.

I was a subscriber to R&T for many years from about 1970. I am very disappointed. C $ D I never thought much of.

Two statements I want to make:

(1) I don't know whether Primedia owns one or both. I don't care. Whoring is whoring, and if my opinion earns me a pink slip tomorrow, life goes on.

(2) Is there anyone out there who for a moment can imagine John Atkinson allowing his magazine to be used in an advertising campaign comparing main speakers with subwoofer from the advertiser, with main speakers alone, no subwoofer, from others? I can't. I feel confident that he would quit first.

So, everybody, let's keep all this in context.

When JA exits to tend Merino sheep or learn sea chanteys on the concertina, everybody is going to be talking about the good old days.

Immer essen,

JM


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Topic - If you really want to see magazines whoring themselves out - John Marks 18:52:35 02/28/07 (38)


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