0-60 Magazine Ends The (Reader) Suffering
Regular readers of automotive luminary Mike Spinelli’s Twitter account were informed yesterday that his employer, 0-60 Magazine, is ceasing publication. Is this the canary in the print-rag coal mine?
It’s possible that many of you have no idea what “0-60 Magazine” was, so here’s a precis: There’s this dude, Ken Block, who made a zillion dollars having shoes sewn overseas. I’ll spare all of you my usual lecture on the morality of “pad checks”, sweatshops, child labor, brutal suppression of worker dissent, and all of that. If you care at all about the lives of your fellow human beings, even if they are “yellow” and very far away, you can check it out for yourself here.
Back to Block. Ken Block has a super-best friend named Brian Scotto. Maybe he’s a sidekick. They both seem like nice enough people, I guess. Scotto started 0-60 Magazine in August 2007, publishing it monthly for the first two years and then moving to bimonthly issues in 2009. As I recall, 0-60 was supposed to be a “British magazine for the United States” or something like that. I never managed to make it all the way through an entire article without giving up so I do not feel qualified to render an opinion. I do know that there was a lot of Ken Block coverage, probably for the same reason that any car magazine started by yours truly would have a lot of Tiffani-Amber what’s-her-name coverage.
Mike Spinelli, known far and wide as one of the primary forces behind Jalopnik’s stellar early years, was brought in at the beginning of 2010 to polish 0-60‘s content and shine-up its reputation. This was roughly tantamount to letting George Santayana edit Tiger Beat and I am not certain that Spin’s eloquent style was popular with the sideways-Monster-Energy-Drink-cap crowd. Regardless of the reasons, however, it’s all over now.
I’m not particularly eager to hold up 0-60‘s failure as an indictment of automotive print journalism. I would suggest that it tells us something about the demographic direction in which any future entry to the market will have to travel in order to be successful. Young people don’t read print magazines very much, and they also don’t have money to spend at the newsstand. On the other hand, the various Cigar/Guitar/CBT Aficionado magazines seem to be doing quite well. The few people who are buying print rags today seem to be purchasing them for in-flight consumption of stories about luxury travel and conspicuous consumerism.
With any luck, Mr. Spinelli will find employment better-suited to his considerable talent and Ken Block fans will find another outlet devoted to full-time coverage of his wacky exploits.
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Sad but not unexpected. I'm a newsstand nut and every so often I would flip through 0-60. Only bought one issue but what an issue: 50 years of Lotus, a write-up on individual throttle bodies and a Mark VIII converted to be a salt racer. Later issues might have had one or two good articles but not worth paying $5.99 for. There needs to be more differentiation in car magazines. Hot Rod, Car Craft and Chevy High Performance are basically the same mag. CandD and R&T have basically become one. Even CnD's mortal enemy, Motor Trend, looks and reads the same. It doesn't help that MT is staffed by ex-CnD writers and Johnny Lieberman. MPH was certainly different. It taught me how to get head from hot busty hitchhikers.
Hmmm. Not so sure about this whole thread. First, I'd be surprised if this is true. The 0-60 party at SEMA was full swing and the people I know on the masthead were talking about plans for 2011. If it is folding, it must have been a surprise to them. Second, it's actually a good magazine. People who read TTAC would probably like it. Anyone who has an ongoing series reviewing the top 60 cars of all time, but are unpretentious enough to include e30 M3s etc., should attract the attention of any true car aficionados. I actually find it the most interesting car mag in the US. Third. I think it existed as a going concern before the percieved association with Block, although Brian and Block certainly are close now. Anyway. hope it's not true. And, in true TTAC tradition, be sceptical before you toe the line. ACP