People always see things through their own lenses.
It's entirely possible that Steve is mistaken, and the rest of you just jumped into a contract negotiation canard without any facts or knowledge.
I wouldn't be so quick to grab the pitchforks and go storming the castle. The marketing reality is that most of you are old, and are done buying.
An aspirational magazine doesn't need you other than as a circulation chit. The magazine needs aspirational readers to serve their advertisers, the very people so many of you seem to despise. You aren't buying, they are.
Steve will either make a new deal or won't. But you will still be old and done buying from their advertisers.
Aging out of a genre is a natural step of life.
Well said CZ;
To my mind it is highly unlikely that he will now be able to make a new deal with Ralph, since he virtually urinated in Ralph's face via unwise and uncalled for whining in this BBS. My expectations are that Ralph will assign the duties of writing about fine guns and gunmaking where it should be to Vic Venters who has proven credentials, knowledge of the trade and credibility as well as better writing skills and understanding of what the readers want to read.
The best writing series that have ever illuminated the pages of Shooting Sportsman through the years were authored in the "Technicana" articles by Michael and CrossChissels; Vic Venters in his articles that were then published in book form; and from those contributed by Doug Tate whose writing skills and knowledge
are legendary. There have been from time to time contributions to the magazine by other authors that were excellent articles.
As a matter of fact and come to think of it, Vic would likely produce a better reading Shooting Sportman magazine with wider and greater circulation than Ralph is currently doing.
