Bill Winters, retired General Motors public relations pro and major IMPA force, has passed. Much of the quality and success of IMPA Test Days is attributed to the tireless work and dedication Bill put into the event after his retirement from GM . . . John Hornberger, the auto industry’s first Urban Affairs Manager (Ford). Later head of his own PR firm.
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Thomas Bryant Vice President and Editor in Chief of Road & Track for 20 years, will retire in July. A replacement has not yet been named. Bryant will be Editor Emeritus, write a column for the magazine and contribute to the Web site . . . Tom Appel also has moved from Managing Editor and been named its Associate Publisher of Consumer Guide Automotive. . . . Subaru of America, Inc. has appointed Heather Ward to Manager of Corporate Communications . . . Brent Snavely left Crain’s Detroit Business to join The Detroit Free Press as an Aauto Reporter and Ryan Beene is slated to move from Automotive News to replace him covering auto suppliers for the business publication. . . . Camilo A. Alfaro has joined Impre Media as online Automotive Editor. ImpreMedia owns 14 Hispanic publications nationwide and 10 online components and will soon launch impre.com/autos . . . Greg Morrison has left Black Family Channel and started his own online video service company, Bumper2Bumpertv, doing video reviews for websites. 404-372-3269 E-mail: autoguysouth@cs.com . . . Christopher Boyce is the Auto Retail Writer at the St. Louis Post-Dispatch . . . Brent Clanton’s Road Runners radio show at bizradio is off the air . . . Michael Ficacci the Associate Editor of Ford Performance Trucks . . . Kaytrice Mines has replaced Cicely Bland as Editor of the Atlanta Tribune . . . Mark Phillips is Editor of Counterman . . . Mark Glover, former Editor of the Wheels automotive section at the Sacramento Bee has moved to the business desk at the paper and will cover the auto industry. The section been re-named “Drive” and moved to the classified department and will have no editorial content.
Distributive justice in a mass society is uneven at best but it is ludicrous in the case of the State of Connecticut’s Department of Environmental Protection versus John Fitch. The 90-year-old World War II hero, auto-racing star, first manager of Lime Rock Park and inventor of the yellow Fitch Inertial Safety Barriers is in danger of losing his home because he reported two old oil tanks on his property might be leaking. Told by the DEP to remove them and test every well within 500 feet at his own expense, he did so. No wells were found to be contaminated but he was then ordered to remove all the contaminated soil. Some 3000 tons later and a $350,000 bill in sight, Fitch rightly feels he is in danger of losing his home for doing the right thing. As John Dinkel commented to AWCom, “A perfect example of no good deed going unpunished.” AutoWeek says those who would like to help can join Dan Gurney, Stirling Moss, SCCA corner workers and racing fans by sending a check to: “The Friends of Fitch Homestead Fund,” Salisbury Bank and Trust Company, P.O. Box 1868, Lakeville, CT 060399.
Also benefiting from the empathy of auto journalists is Frank Washington, still recovering in his Detroit home after a brutal mugging. The Southern Automotive Media Association, most of whose members never met the veteran writer, sent along a check following a collection at its monthly meeting. Some of Washington’s Detroit friends arranged a second fund-raiser on April 12 at the New Way Bar in Ferndale, Mich. and, as noted, Brenda Priddy is coordinating an EBay auction of items donated to benefit him.
Al Vinikour, the man of many hats, added a hero’s wreath to his crown and a free flight voucher to his wallet recently when he made his insulin and blood sugar monitor available to medics treating a fellow airline passenger’s in-flight diabetes attack. . . . . Here is a link to someone seeking an online auto editor:
http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=49066 . . . D. Mike Pennington, ArvinMeritor’s senior director of global marketing and communications and industry relations for Commercial Vehicle Systems, was awarded the 2008 Lifetime Achievement Award by the Truck Writers of North America (TWNA). It is the highest award bestowed by the TWNA. . . . . A Yahoo survey on how best to get a job in auto journalism determined the best answer was to keep on knocking, sending articles to outlets until you start selling and the rest will follow. However, best to read first a blog on Edmunds Car Space by hudsonthedog titled “So you wanna get into automotive journalism?”. For more on this check Canadian auto writer Jil McIntosh’s blog at http://jilmcintosh.typepad.com/jil/automotive_journalism/index.html
Al Ries suggests in an Advertising Age column that its name is a chief reason Isuzu is getting out of the passenger car business in the US. Consumers didn’t cotton to it. . . . The Car Book, published in cooperation with the Center for Auto Safety, has developed new front and side Car Book Crash Test Ratings. These ratings allow the government’s crash test results to be compared on a relative basis, enabling consumers to identify the top performers from those at the bottom.
Autowriters.Com invites readers to submit their own Clog
(Online Column). Your reward: a byline and an audience of your peers. All submissions are acknowledged, queued
and used at the editor’s discretion.
Freelance writer Jeff Zurschmeide drove in the recent Alcan 5000 Rally. Here is his assessment of how participating helped his growth as an auto writer.
The Value of Dirty Hands
This winter, I entered the Alcan 5000 Winter Rally as part of a team sponsored by Mitsubishi Motors North America. We drove from Seattle to Tuktoyaktuk, NWT, competing in a time-speed-distance rally, ice racing, and the all-important “Don’t get pneumonia and die” challenge.
I arranged some story and photo assignments before I left, but beyond the simple benefit of the assignments I received, I believe 
participating in the event made me a better automotive journalist.
There’s nothing wrong with covering an industry and events from the outside. That’s the traditional reporter’s role, and objectivity frequently demands that we not get too close to the people and events we’re covering. Yet there’s value in getting your hands dirty – particularly if you’re covering motorsports.
“The writer knows, from the seat of the pants experience, the challenges, the dangers, the joy, and the embarrassments of every mile, every curve, every funny sound from the engine (or was that the drive train?). Some of these can be harvested second hand each evening at the bar, but they are just that—second hand,” says veteran Alcan rallyist Jim Elder, who entered this year’s event with an assignment from AutoWeek.
But Elder is also quick to point out the other side: “being in the event constrains one’s field of view. An observer can pick the gnarly curve or scenic background for photos.”
Even if you simply use a competition event as an extended test drive, you’ll get a unique perspective on the car. I spent 12 days and about 6,000 miles in a Mitsubishi Outlander XLS, and came to know the car like it was my own. Driving under every condition from the L.A. freeways to the famous Canadian ice roads above the Arctic Circle, I put this car through the wringer. (And the Outlander did it all with grace and style, by the way.)
Just be sure to let the manufacturer know what you’re doing, and the risks involved to their car.
As automotive journalists, we have tremendous opportunities to tell stories that will mesmerize our readers – to bring them along on the grand journey that most of them will never see. I think the more we speak from personal experience, the better we can tell the story.
Tom-Tom rants, raves, rambles and ruminations are volunteered
and express the opinions of the writer.
Joe Sage studied architecture in the midwest, came to Arizona but was then diverted to Colorado for design and construction work. His drawing board skills led to graphic design work, which he developed into one of the larger ad agencies in northwest Colorado. After 20-plus years of 30-below temps and 27 feet of snow, he returned to Arizona in 2000.
Joe almost bought a franchised magazine’s Arizona edition, but its limitations sparked the appeal of doing his own magazine. He had considered creating a Colorado tour and travel magazine years earlier. His agency did much tourism work, but also had a range of gearhead clientele, including the Bridgestone Winter Driving School, Steamboat Vintage Auto Race & Concours d’Élegance, Kawasaki Good Times and JET SKI® Good Times Magazines, and the AMA. A new balance was created for Arizona: about 90% automotive, with about a 35% “road trip undercurrent.” Arizona Driver Magazine was born.
Joe came to this project with hundreds of publications, millions of dollars’ worth of printing, and many successful clients under his belt. On September 10, 2001, Joe had meetings with his lawyer, accountant and staffing company, final steps on establishing the magazine. But he woke up the next day to vastly changed circumstances. Launching a magazine is a challenge. Chasing the automotive segment can be a challenge. And hiring effective sales staff is a big challenge. In the wake of 911, all was even more so. The first printed effort went from late 2002 through late 2003. Joe kept producing full PDF versions, posted online. The calendar pages flipped and flew off like the segue in an old movie. But the magazine continued to hear from fans, both personal and in the industry, and continued to receive credentials, press invites and test vehicles. There was clearly still horsepower in the concept.
In early 2007, the website was cleaned up and relinked. Keyrings were produced. And the printing press beckoned. The first thought was to print some marque-specific special editions, to distribute into dealer waiting areas, restaurants, fitness clubs, tire shops and more, for brand-building. Joe also considered printing the full current magazine. A photographer offered time between assignments to shag the mag all over the state. The decision was made to print the two most current issues, complete, and the presses rolled.
There are now over a year’s worth of newly minted magazines in print. Interest is higher than ever. Joe thought the magazine’s quality spoke for itself, even online, but he is surprised at the response when people hold the glossy paper edition in their hands: there is something magical, still, in print.
As Autowriters.com goes to press, the Fed has used the word “recession,” and sales staff is still a challenge, but ad inquiries are coming in. So the jury is out, but they’ve ordered pizza and are having fun with deliberations. One thing for certain: print is still popular, while deadlines and budgets remain as certain as death and taxes. Stay tuned. And check out www.azdrivermag.com.
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