I have been quiet on the board, for good reason. But here's the latest update on BCM Magazine. Gary has taken control of the magazine (he purchased a Moose Creek Motorcabin years ago from me), and he has hired Kellie to get it up and running. They have been going at great speed to get the next issue out, it is close. we did not want to post anything until it was in the mail, but it is getting so close, and people are talking. The board remains the same and continues to continue. The first issue is smaller than in the past, but it's a start, thanks for keeping us alive.
Mike
hwybus
Well Mike has posted this thread a few hours ago. I guess the question that I have is>. Is Gary a new owner of the publication or is he just a new "manager" My recommendation for all is to purchase each copy ala carte. When it's out, post a phone number or virtual store to purchase the magazine. With everything that has gone under the bridge asking for subscriptions has not paid off. If it requires one to pay $10 for each copy, so be it. The content had better match the price.
I'm sure others will state there opinion.
I'm a hopeful type of guy! Also sort of at mercy of weather this weekend--- so rain (much needed) reviewing old magazines. Hard act to follow when they were in their prime. Any attempt will be appreciated. Bob.
I've never posted anything here on this forum as it relates to it's admin, members or the magazine. Like many, I purchased a magazine subscription. I received only one; Volume 15, No. 9, September 2006. The cover price was $4.95.
..... you know, I sat down with the intention to write something profound, inspiring and support. Everything I wrote just doesn't sound right. I'll make this short and sweet.
To the people that subscribed; I feel your pain. I, too, paid for a subscription. The one issue I have cost me $38. In the big pictures, that's not really a lot of money though. I have spent more on less, and that doesn't including the $50k in debt that immoral rich people stuck me with in 2011! My point is this; Keep it perspective.
To the MAK people; I feel your pain. I have own my own business before. I have started new business, some made great money ($20k day profit), others not so good. Again, I feel your pain.
Here's my input; Online publishing is the way to go.... I love my magazines just like everyone else, but it's too expensive to start up now. Even the big players are struggling to stay afloat in print. Zeroclearance has a good point... let people buy alacarte, just make it more expensive. Don't go into too much debt, the business economy isn't like it use to be. All bets are off. Know your customers. "nuff said.
All that being said, I'm offering to help with content. I'm good with a camera, I know my mechanical stuff, and I'm willing to volunteer.
Mark
How many articles can be written over and over about the same thing like in the past there is only so many ways to dress a elephant JMO but I wish the Kellie and Gary luck,Gary is a good guy he will give it his best shot
Picture and lots of them. I bought some older mags from someone on the board. I noticed some pics but not a lot. Some Articules with none. Maybe if there were more how to's about air systems with pictures of what someone did with the gauge and air bag system intead of leveling valves. or this is how you change your own tire off the rim some of the simpler stuff. We sometimes get caught up in how the timeing of the turbo rat slinger affects the degree of inducer algebraic algorithms???????? Some of us are just still learning.
Dave5Cs ;D
This kind of print-on-demand service might be the worth investigating for BCM, if you haven't already:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVu0Vlqxi7Y&feature=player_embedded (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kVu0Vlqxi7Y&feature=player_embedded)
Jeremy
Quote from: Zeroclearance on September 02, 2012, 01:46:54 PM
Well Mike has posted this thread a few hours ago. I guess the question that I have is>. Is Gary a new owner of the publication or is he just a new "manager" My recommendation for all is to purchase each copy ala carte. When it's out, post a phone number or virtual store to purchase the magazine. With everything that has gone under the bridge asking for subscriptions has not paid off. If it requires one to pay $10 for each copy, so be it. The content had better match the price.
I'm sure others will state there opinion.
The emails I received stated that Gary was the new owner. How true that is I can't say. Personally, I'm skeptical of the entire thing since we have all been given such good promises before with nothing to back them up. Even with the emails I got there was a lot of things that I felt were being deliberately hidden.
Quote from: luvrbus on September 03, 2012, 06:44:58 AM
there is only so many ways to dress a elephant
Clifford,
WOW! You know how to dress an elephant!!!!!
You are truly a multi-talented guy!!!!
;D ;D ;D ;D
TOM
PS: I will be sending crab cakes by Mike
Who is "Gary"?
Not me.
GaryD
Dave 5 there are articles covering about everything I may have a copy of the one covering the air leveling system for the jello bags buses
I never understood why Bill Gerrie from the BNO never posts here he wrote a great article years ago in the BCM about tying your Jakes to the stop light on your bus a very talented guy with GM buses along with Wildbob
good luck
Hi All, just a thought, no matter what new content pops up, no matter what new questions come up, old information that was important enough to write an article about in an issue with, say a mci5 ten years ago, will still be important to a new 5A owner 5 years from now if the same problem pops up ( considering these million mile bus will still be around then), the interesting part is those that were around then have, hind sight, as to the best explanations and discriptions and could combine answers and pictures from different times, as new discoveries were made, then the editorial control gives the best possible answer or article. If the questions in the Q&A section that has been asked innumerable times over the years was put in a retro problem section, a we've got a great answer to that problem section, maybe in the back of the magazine, were the oldtimers didn't have to look unless they wanted to, would include important info and pictures to newbys as well as oldbys, who may want to review. How many of us have looked thru old magazines to look for something we had a scant memory about, when we came across a question? The good thing about digital publishing is, there's no need to balance cost of printing pages to fold or bind, against the importance of information. Gary over at B&B let me look at many old issues of your magazine, I got a lot of good ideas, along with a healthy respect and perspective for those who continue to answer newby questions, Lvmci...
Are the newbies going to write the articles,there has been a least 6 + different people write articles just on the electrical side of converting a coach all the articles said the same thing for 20 years
The last 10 years have been nothing new just the copying of old articles I do wish Gary luck,our go to guys back in the day lol like Dave Galey and George Myers I don't believe they will writing articles for BCM
Clifford , Jello Bags Buses? ;D ;D ;D LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL
Clifford, we have been in this dance before. My thought is that you did not read the last couple of years of the magazine. In roughly that period I wrote articles on the following subjects:
1) Antifreeze for diesel engines
2) CO and Smoke detectors
3) Computers on the road
4) Engine conversions (three part series)
5) Headlights
6) Relays and how they are used in our buses
7) Tow light conversion system using relays (4 to 3 and 24V to 12V)
8) Tow bars
9) Towing safety (emphasis on securing the towed vehicle)
10) Wheel bearing maintenance
11) Radiator cap conversion.
Granted, the radiator cap article was a bit fluffy, but the rest of them involved a ton of research and I tried to support the articles with relevant documentation. To the best of my knowledge, none of those subjects were covered in previous BCM publications.
Jim
And once again, I would like to mention how much I appreciated Jim's article. Huge amount of study and research into those. Thanks again, and kudos to you.
John
No I didn't Jim and I won't be reading the next 2 years either unless somebody gives me one lol,but if I had my pick of articles I like the radiator cap
I been doing that for years to do away with the pressure relief on the surge tank for Eagles works good doesn't it, your articles did probably help if anyone paid attention
How many times can one write about electrical,plumbing,paint and cabinets that horse has been ridden to death over the years
John, thanks. Now that I look at my list I realize that I had typed it before for some other thread. When you type an 8 followed by ) you get 8) No way to change it.
Like others, I was contacted by both Kellie and Chad about both advertising and writing articles. I told Kellie I was out of business and Chad that I am burned out. I gave it my all to help keep the magazine going. However, given the huge challenge and cost of producing a quality magazine for a very limited audience, the handwriting was on the wall.
Like someone else asked, I would like to know who Gary is and what he brings to the party. For one thing, it would have to be a big wad of cash. There would be very little income, since a very large percentage of subscribers are owed many issues. New subscribers would be very reluctant to fork out $$$ for a publication with BCM's track record. I would think that advertisers would also be reluctant to spend their limited funds on a low volume publication.
Like so many others, I can only hope that they find a way to bring us a publication (in some form) that we can enjoy -- even if it had repeats of articles. My thought as I read the boards is that there continues to be a significant influx of new bus folks that are hungry for good information.
One of the big issues with publishing a magazine is getting reasonable quality articles in a format that does not require a huge amount of editorial correction. I am proud of the fact that each one of my articles was published exactly as written. That said, a great deal of credit goes to Pat as she always proof read my drafts and offered great suggestions.
I read almost every post on the main boards, and there have been some great threads about folks bringing great old buses back to life. I subscribe to a great antique tractor magazine, and I live for each publication so that I can see what relic someone has drug out of the "back forty". Many of these buses are being resurrected by young folks and that is really neat.
So, I wonder if we could get folks to team up and write about "bringing back" some old buses. The team might be the folks doing the work and volunteers to help them get the information into a publishable format (if the writer needs the help - some will not). BCM is working on some sort of "payment schedule" and maybe you can buy a few gallons of die$el.
Jim
Hi All, after lurking for sometime and reading good advice presented in a way that somtimes seems welcoming and encouraging and sometimes seems to put down the questioner, I came away from reading the magazine and forum, positive this network of people would help me out with proper advice, or discourage me from wanting to continue the busnut lifestyle. But I was embarrassed on a few occasions when the questioner seemed to be told his questions were trite. After 2 1/2 years or so of reading the 3 or 4 forums I think overall the different contributers are solid good hearted, experienced and knowledgable folk who only want to help, but I would hate to see the forums dwindle, because of mean spirited responses. I can feel how upset people and contributers are with the demise of the magazine that I take it people feel their money was taken by the publishers and ran. I'm not suggesting anything here other than, most of you present, I feel, the best information I could get anywhere, and didn't make me feel stupid for being less knowledgable, I feel its the same for a newby today or for a newby ten years ago. What a loss it would be to our little section of American society, if you guys were to stop contributing to the overall welfare of bust nuts. Lvmci...
Jim, Gary has a cabin he bought from Mike he rents it out sometimes to other people it seems to work for him
I have meet him before helluva of a nice guy if I got the right Gary lol
good luck
Quote from: rv_safetyman on September 03, 2012, 08:19:00 PM
I subscribe to a great antique tractor magazine, and I live for each publication so that I can see what relic someone has drug out of the "back forty". Many of these buses are being resurrected by young folks and that is really neat.
Jim
I've said before that, to my mind, the direction BCM ought to go if it wants to become viable is towards being a general 'old bus' magazine, not something aimed specifically at buses being converted to motorhomes. There are three or four 'old bus' magazines here, and they're all very professional glossy publications available on high street newstands, not the sort of amateurishly-produced fanzine which BCM was (at least, it was in the year I subscribed to it).
I don't see any reason why the appetite for a general 'old bus' magazine should be any lower in the US than it is here, and as far as I know there aren't any other American publications in that space at the moment.
Jeremy
PS. I've also previously suggested broadening BCM out in another direction, into other 'home built camper' areas - eg everything from truck conversions to home-built teardrop trailers. That would probably work as well, and would be easier to do, but I see the market for an 'old bus' magazine ultimately being much bigger. Everyone gets the 'restoration' thing, and everyone has fond memories of the big, daft buses of their childhood.
Just got to say, I appreciate all the help I have received on this form. But for the BCM thing all I can say is
HEAR WE GO AGAIN ::)
Kevin
I'm looking forward to the printed version. ;D
I wish them well in their endeavours. 8)