November YM and PBO almost identical.

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fmoran

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As some people have already metioned in other threads these magazines are getting thinner - I can put up with that in the current economic climate. However the content is merging / shared and there is little difference in articles and the boats / products being tested. This used never be the case up to recently and I subscribed to both for the difference they offered. I am now thinking of cancelling one, as they are almost indistinguishable in their content any longer. Anyone else feel that way, the November editions has brought it home for me.
 
As a freelance who doesn't work for YM or PBO, maybe I can offer a relatively unbiassed comment?

I wonder if you've noticed that most small cars look remarkably alike -- but no-one accuses Peugeot, Vauxhall, and Nissan of "sharing content". The same goes for laptops, airlines, banks, burgerbars, etc. etc. etc. Whatever goods or services you look at, if they are aimed at the same target market, the similarities tend to be more noticeable than the differences.

Of course there are differences between the target markets of YM and PBO, but they are pretty subtle. And there are times when events such as a major boat show will tend to focus the attention of all editors and journalists in one particular direction.

In the days when I was on magazine staff, we didn't tell rival magazines (even those within the same company) what we were doing, for fear they might copy us. Personally, I never entirely agreed with that philosophy, but that's the way things were. And I vividly remember one month, when I switched from one magazine to another and discovered that my old magazine and my new one were running exactly the same product test at the same time. Neither of us wanted it to turn out that way -- it's just that I and my predecessor had been thinking along the same lines, and came up with the same answer. It was acutely embarrassing for us both, but there was nothing sinister about it.
 
fmoran said:
As some people have already mentioned in other threads these magazines are getting thinner - I can put up with that in the current economic climate. However the content is merging / shared and there is little difference in articles and the boats / products being tested. This used never be the case up to recently and I subscribed to both for the difference they offered. I am now thinking of canceling one, as they are almost indistinguishable in their content any longer. Anyone else feel that way, the November editions has brought it home for me.
Click to expand...

I couldn't agree more. I rarely buy sailing mags myself but SHMBO will buy PBO if she see's it on the shelf. She bought Novembers PBO this week & as you say, there's nothing in it.
A waste of £3.95 in my opinion. SHMBO has been told/instructed/asked NOT to buy it again.

Its not as if you could even use it as emergency toilet paper
 
timbartlett said:
As a freelance who doesn't work for YM or PBO, maybe I can offer a relatively unbiassed comment?

I wonder if you've noticed that most small cars look remarkably alike -- but no-one accuses Peugeot, Vauxhall, and Nissan of "sharing content". The same goes for laptops, airlines, banks, burgerbars, etc. etc. etc. Whatever goods or services you look at, if they are aimed at the same target market, the similarities tend to be more noticeable than the differences.
Click to expand...


Quite - but you only buy the ONE car.
The people who DO feel cheated are the ones buying BOTH magazines.
What's in it for them?

Over the years, I got fed up - and cancelled BOTH.
Not regretted it.
 
It's not just the similarity. (I only know through browsing at the bookstand) but the fact that this month particularly the articles all seem to echo threads that have run on here 2 or 3 months ago.
Shall we just write the mags ourselves?
 
Lakesailor said:
the articles all seem to echo threads that have run on here 2 or 3 months ago.
Shall we just write the mags ourselves?
Click to expand...


Excellent idea....

I suggest the following articles.....

Boats for Birds! Which boat is most likely to let you pull the girl you always dreamed of..... Does size matter?

CSM or Hand Job? We do a spectral analysis to finally lay to rest which is stronger. And then we ram the boat into a chunk of rock for some exciting pictures!

Booze for Boats! We do a indepth analysis of which tipple is less likely to cause you to topple! Is the Premier cru really?

Lifejackets... who needs em? We throw three of our staff overboard to see who drowns first, Fatty, skinny, or stupid?

Power... is the answer always more? We try a CODAG powered Bavaria to test the idea, and discover that the answer is a resounding YES!

PLUS; The Ultimate Jet Ski deterent test! MLRS, CWIS, and AMRAAM compared!
 
QUOTE ...In the days when I was on magazine staff, we didn't tell rival magazines (even those within the same company) what we were doing, for fear they might copy us. Personally, I never entirely agreed with that philosophy, but that's the way things were. And I vividly remember one month, when I switched from one magazine to another and discovered that my old magazine and my new one were running exactly the same product test at the same time. Neither of us wanted it to turn out that way -- it's just that I and my predecessor had been thinking along the same lines, and came up with the same answer. It was acutely embarrassing for us both, but there was nothing sinister about it.
________________...UNQUOTE


I could buy into that argument if the similarities were not so blatant and frequent.

Take this months ST and YM...both have a major article on anchors....now who buys a new anchor at the end of the season? ... both have just reviewed the new IP....surely IP are not the only ones who have made a new boat recently?
 
November's Sailing Today is also almost a perfect copy of YM - new IP on test, layup advice and the anchor test.

Agree with earlier posters - both YM and PBO now very thin on good articles and the same topics are covered very year...yawn...subs to both now cancelled.
 
Not bought a yeachting mag in years. By the time I have skimmed it on the shelf to see if its worth buying, I've seen everything of interest inside 30 seconds.

And at around £4, thats just too much. Maybe at £3 I'd buy them from time to time.

I did like the pull out port guide one of them did, in a heavier weight paper. Shouldbring that back for a start.

Me thinks they all could do with a little thought as to what they are offering, to whom and for how much! Cause for me none of them are worth the money.
 
''Not bought a yeachting mag in years. By the time I have skimmed it on the shelf to see if its worth buying, I've seen everything of interest inside 30 seconds.''

Of course, because most of the articles/info is just the same old stuff with a modern slant/talk on it. The info you can find in any good sailing book.
Plagiarism at its best har.
 
photodog said:
Excellent idea....

I suggest the following articles.....

Boats for Birds! Which boat is most likely to let you pull the girl you always dreamed of..... Does size matter?

CSM or Hand Job? We do a spectral analysis to finally lay to rest which is stronger. And then we ram the boat into a chunk of rock for some exciting pictures!

Booze for Boats! We do a indepth analysis of which tipple is less likely to cause you to topple! Is the Premier cru really?

Lifejackets... who needs em? We throw three of our staff overboard to see who drowns first, Fatty, skinny, or stupid?

Power... is the answer always more? We try a CODAG powered Bavaria to test the idea, and discover that the answer is a resounding YES!

PLUS; The Ultimate Jet Ski deterent test! MLRS, CWIS, and AMRAAM compared!
Click to expand...

I'd buy that magazine :)

I propose you for photographer. who shall we have for editor?

Paulineb can be fashion editor.
 
Yachting Mags.

My son solves his Christmas shopping problems by buying mag. subs. I get Y.M. but am determined to get it stopped after reading, sorry, looking at, the last couple. When they publish stuff on areas you know, you realize how sloppy some of the stuff is. Years ago when I raced I used to buy Y.W. but they gave up racing results and performance in favour of Superyachts so I switched to Y&Y for a year or two. I have always read a yachting magazine, so as I got older I bought PBO for the practical stuff or sometimes Scottish Yachting Life for local stuff.
However about five years ago PBO went to the Baltic to test sail a couple of Finngulfs, the boats were not really their type of yacht and were unknown in the UK but in the report written with obviously real enthusiasm, they pleaded for a UK importer and this came to pass within a couple of years, until then they went to Holland,Germany and the US. In 2007 I bought a Finngulf 33, I was downsizing from a Sigma 38 and this really was the answer updated performance with real quality of detailing and build (almost as good as David Thomas) and I regard it as a great investment, particularly as the UK price has since increased by 45%. I still feel I owe PBO for this pointer.
This month I was so bored by YM that I went and bought a copy of PBO without taking time to check the content, I think PBO did a marginally better job with the same stuff.
To be fair I think we all reach a point in life where there is nothing new so it must be very hard to create excitement or even interest.
My conclusion is that yachting magazines are really only interesting for the first 3-5 years in the sport, after that look at them in W.H. Smiths on a wet day, it takes less than 5 mins.
These forums and much more interesting but at this time they are sponsored by the magazines we are all ceasing to read, so what happens next?
 
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