Aviation Consumer is $75?!

[toto]

Just got my renewal letter. I’ve always thought AC was a little bit pricey at ~35/year. Sometimes I would get only digital, sometimes I would get digital+print, but I always chose the $35 option. 

Now it looks like they only have a $75 option, which is an awful lot of money for a magazine.

I currently subscribe to IFR, Aviation Consumer, and Plane & Pilot. But they nuked one issue of each this year so they could instead send me a special issue of Flying that I didn’t want. And now the price has gone way up. 

I'm starting to reconsider the “bundle” at $149, which gives me more magazines I don’t want, but might actually cost less than getting the magazines I do want.

How are others navigating the aviation magazine waters in 2024? 

[BlueSky247]

Tagging along to hear the answers on this one. Having just started up aopa and eaa memberships, I’m getting their default choices. Would like to hear what others find worthwhile. 
 

I used to do a lot of mags on ipad and figure there should be some good ones on that, especially given the popularity of foreflight. 

[Oscar Avalle]

I agree. I am also starting to get some annoying offers from AC. Things that are not related to their core mandate…

 

 

[toto]

1 minute ago, BlueSky247 said:

Tagging along to hear the answers on this one. Having just started up aopa and eaa memberships, I’m getting their default choices. Would like to hear what others find worthwhile. 
 

I used to do a lot of mags on ipad and figure there should be some good ones on that, especially given the popularity of foreflight. 

I really only read the digital ones, and the paper copies go in the bin. Which seems incredibly wasteful, but for whatever reason it seems hard to order digital-only subscriptions without paying extra.

I’ve always liked the Belvoir publications, as a long time subscriber to IFR and Aviation Consumer. When you subscribe, you get access to the full digital library, which is quite nice on an iPad. You can download PDF copies of any old issue that strikes your interest, and take it with you. 

[toto]

1 minute ago, Oscar Avalle said:

I agree. I am also starting to get some annoying offers from AC. Things that are not related to their core mandate…

 

 

Yeah - I would expect a consumer magazine to steer clear of paid advertising. 

[201Mooniac]

I went with the bundle which does give me more than I previously got but I read most of them and find the bundle acceptable, individually they got too expensive.

[1980Mooney]

@toto Have you been following the latest?  You are going to start getting a lot of crap not related to "Aviation Consumer"...

Craig Fuller, background and funding unknown, has acquired all the aviation brands plus more.  First a freight management related platform named Freightwaves (no relationship to avaiation!).  Then all the aviation media brands. 

https://www.flyingmag.com/flying-acquires-five-major-aviation-media-brands-including-avweb-aviation-consumer-aviation-safety-ifr-and-kitplanes/ 

Renamed it Flying Media Group.  He has acquired AvBuyer and FindaPilot.com recently. 

• https://www.flyingmag.com/flying-media-group-acquires-findapilot-com/
• https://www.corporatejetinvestor.com/news/flying-media-group-buys-avbuyer/

Put out a slick magazine earlier this year called "Ultimate" with Flying, Plane&Pilot, The Aviation Consumer, Aviation Safety, Kitplanes and IFR.  It also pushed selling real estate at a luxury fly in community that he is developing - 1,500 acres in the Sequatchie Valley of East Tennessee and designed a luxury fly-in community.

Then bought marine, model railroad and astronomy media. 

https://www.amediaoperator.com/newsletter/breaking-flying-media-group-acquires-marine-print-titles-from-bonnier/

Now he splits the Media business from the Software data collection business.  He renames the former Flying Media Group media business as "Firecrown" and acquires it personally.  The Software data collection business is named Freightwaves Sonar

• https://www.amediaoperator.com/newsletter/craig-fullers-firecrown-acquires-freightwaves-media/
• https://www.timesfreepress.com/news/2024/jan/31/freightwaves-spins-off-media-outlets-into/

Firecrown: "our purpose: to build engaged audiences in marine, aviation, supply chain, and other lifestyles and hobbies, and create multi-dimensional enthusiast ecosystems that feed their purpose."

"Today, Firecrown is the largest media platform in aviation, recreational marine, supply chain, and model railroading. The goal is to replicate the content-to-commerce model in recreational marine that has worked so well in aviation.

https://firecrown.com/about/

Edited August 17 by 1980Mooney
Corrected identity of the Craig Fuller behind all the acquisitions

[GeeBee]

I think the editorial content of AC has declined.

If anyone knows why I suddenly started receiving Vogue and Bazaar for no discernible reason, I would like to know that too.

[exM20K]

8 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Craig Fuller, former AOPA President, has acquired all the aviation brands plus more.

I’m pretty sure this guy is a different Craig Fuller than the AOPA former head. He is 72 now.

-dan

[exM20K]

1 minute ago, GeeBee said:

I think the editorial content of AC has declined.

Ditto Aviation Safety. I will allow my subscription to lapse.

- dan

[GeeBee]

Then you have AVWeb where they have a 20 something GenZ writing the articles like they are for Axios and in her bio she says she has a private pilots license and likes to fly her parent's Ttx in Colorado. I'm guessing the teddy bears are still on the bed too.

[1980Mooney]

7 minutes ago, exM20K said:

I’m pretty sure this guy is a different Craig Fuller than the AOPA former head. He is 72 now.

-dan

Good point.  Very confusing.  None of the press releases makes any distinction.  

[exM20K]

Craig Fuller did the Sporty’s podcast a while back.  It was an interesting listen at the time as I recall.  Would be interesting to see how it has aged.

Reading (listening) between the lines, it sounded like he wanted the content library mostly.

https://www.sportys.com/blog/episode-42-why-ga-is-experiencing-a-renaissance-with-flying-magazines-craig-fuller/

-dan

[1980Mooney]

12 minutes ago, exM20K said:

I’m pretty sure this guy is a different Craig Fuller than the AOPA former head. He is 72 now.

-dan

 

4 hours ago, toto said:

Just got my renewal letter. I’ve always thought AC was a little bit pricey at ~35/year. Sometimes I would get only digital, sometimes I would get digital+print, but I always chose the $35 option. 

Now it looks like they only have a $75 option, which is an awful lot of money for a magazine.

I currently subscribe to IFR, Aviation Consumer, and Plane & Pilot. But they nuked one issue of each this year so they could instead send me a special issue of Flying that I didn’t want. And now the price has gone way up. 

I'm starting to reconsider the “bundle” at $149, which gives me more magazines I don’t want, but might actually cost less than getting the magazines I do want.

How are others navigating the aviation magazine waters in 2024? 

Found the background on the Craig Fuller behind this.  Also why the subscriptions are doubling and why you are getting links and advertising to relevant and non-relevant crap...

https://verved.ai/blog/how-craig-fuller-built-a-usd60m-media-empire

."Strategies for Transformation:

1. Raising Subscription Prices: He increased subscription prices from $8 to $30, resulting in a more sustainable revenue model.
2. Content Quality Improvement: Invested in the editorial team, expanding from 3 to 30 contributors, and upgraded the print quality.
3. Growing Advertising Revenue: Improved ad sales by focusing on intent data, targeting more relevant advertisers."

 

[Rick Junkin]

4 hours ago, toto said:

How are others navigating the aviation magazine waters in 2024? 

I've cancelled all my auto-renewals to what used to be the Belvoir publications. I'm out.

I'll miss Aviation Consumer, but will replace it with search engine results when I'm looking for information. A little more work on my part.

EAA (life member) and AOPA provide enough good info to keep me informed.

[MikeOH]

I only belong to EAA and AOPA and prefer the print magazine.  Dumped Flying many years ago.  Frankly, not real happy with the AOPA mag the last 5 years...but have been a member since 1977 and can't bring myself to cancel for some weird reason; try to convince myself they help GA politically, but not real sure their advocacy is much beyond self-serving these days.

[Shadrach]

27 minutes ago, GeeBee said:

Then you have AVWeb where they have a 20 something GenZ writing the articles like they are for Axios and in her bio she says she has a private pilots license and likes to fly her parent's Ttx in Colorado. I'm guessing the teddy bears are still on the bed too.

That is everywhere now. I always check out the author of any article I read. More often than not I find a 20 year old idealist that doesn’t know what they don’t know.
 

[Shadrach]

12 minutes ago, MikeOH said:

I only belong to EAA and AOPA and prefer the print magazine.  Dumped Flying many years ago.  Frankly, not real happy with the AOPA mag the last 5 years...but have been a member since 1977 and can't bring myself to cancel for some weird reason; try to convince myself they help GA politically, but not real sure their advocacy is much beyond self-serving these days.

I let mine lapse, but I think I will rejoin as the legal plan is worth the cost. Being so close to head quarters, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly under every president since Boyer. 

[toto]

1 hour ago, 1980Mooney said:

 

Found the background on the Craig Fuller behind this.  Also why the subscriptions are doubling and why you are getting links and advertising to relevant and non-relevant crap...

https://verved.ai/blog/how-craig-fuller-built-a-usd60m-media-empire

."Strategies for Transformation:

1. Raising Subscription Prices: He increased subscription prices from $8 to $30, resulting in a more sustainable revenue model.
2. Content Quality Improvement: Invested in the editorial team, expanding from 3 to 30 contributors, and upgraded the print quality.
3. Growing Advertising Revenue: Improved ad sales by focusing on intent data, targeting more relevant advertisers."

 

Nice find. Weird content though - it’s an AI generated summary of a YouTube video?

ETA: I’m watching the video now. It’s not a bad interview. The AI summary seems pretty good so far…

[toto]

54 minutes ago, 1980Mooney said:

Strategies for Transformation

Raising subscription prices to $30 for an ad-supported magazine is insane. 

The reason I really like(d) the Belvoir publications is that they were 100% content and no fluff. I felt like my subscription money was going straight to content. But if I have to read 100 pages full of ads to get 10 pages of content, I’m not going to pay top dollar for that. I canceled my Flying subscription when they changed the format because it seemed bizarre - like paying for a book of postcards. 

[toto]

33 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

I let mine lapse, but I think I will rejoin as the legal plan is worth the cost. Being so close to head quarters, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly under every president since Boyer. 

I keep my AOPA membership for the same reason - I have the PPP, and I think it’s valuable. I also just generally think that we need to support general aviation advocacy organizations, though I’ve been a little uncomfortable with the kinds of salaries that AOPA executives are drawing. It’s a nonprofit, after all.

I don’t read the AOPA Pilot magazine. There’s way too much fluff. I’d rather that money went toward education and advocacy efforts. I flip through the pages as I toss it into the bin. 

[MikeOH]

39 minutes ago, Shadrach said:

I let mine lapse, but I think I will rejoin as the legal plan is worth the cost. Being so close to head quarters, I have seen the good, the bad and the ugly under every president since Boyer. 

Exactly!  AOPA went downhill after Boyer.  The new 'guard' seem most interested in maximizing their salaries and golden parachutes...pretty easy to have a "non-profit" when you pay yourself so much there's nothing left!

[toto]

1 hour ago, 1980Mooney said:

Have you been following the latest?  You are going to start getting a lot of crap not related to "Aviation Consumer"...

Craig Fuller, background and funding unknown, has acquired all the aviation brands plus more.  First a freight management related platform named Freightwaves (no relationship to avaiation!).  Then all the aviation media brands. 

This is all pretty interesting. What I’d heard about Craig Fuller before was basically that he wanted to build fly-in communities, and the magazines were a way to promote the airparks. You’ve summarized much more than I knew before. 

[MikeOH]

Are fly-in communities really a growing market these days?  I'd think there were much better real estate investment choices...BWTHDIK?

[toto]

Just now, MikeOH said:

Are fly-in communities really a growing market these days?  I'd think there were much better real estate investment choices...BWTHDIK?

Seems impossible, right? No idea.