New Roads

You are currently browsing the archive for the New Roads category.

www.OnCars.com launched May 19 appears to have the right elements in place to achieve its goals of moving cars, moving stories and moving audiences with broadcast quality content on the Internet: a veteran, talented content team, an Emmy-winning production house and a portal already drawing an average 6 million visitors a month. 

Paul Pfanner, erstwhile publisher of Sports Car and Race Car magazines and now head of Pfanner Communications is CEO of ONCARS.com.  His long-time associates from those ventures, all steeped in the automotive world, include executive producer and creative director Rick Graves, publishing partner Bill Sparks, who came up with the OnCars concept and editors Emile Bouret and Jeremy Shaw.  All of the footage is shot on location in Orange County, Calif. or in Pfanner Communications studios there.  The final production is done by Terry Lingner’s Lingner Production Group in Indianapolis which has been producing top-rated automotive /motorsports television shows for two decades.  The third partner is Jay Penske (yes, Roger’s son), CEO of Mail.com Media Corp. whose Mail.com offers free email service and a growing content network of 253 channels - OnCars being named provider for the portal’s new Automotive Channel.

Wooden Horse (May 25) describes Japanese Nostalgic Car as a publication for collectors, enthusiasts, and drivers of vintage Japanese automobiles. In addition to articles about Japanese car shows and the history behind various Japanese vehicles, the magazine includes a buyer’s guide, product guide, readers’ rides, a calendar of events, and editorials.  Benjamin Hsu is the editor of this quarterly that is currently available by subscription only. ben@japanesenostalgiccar.com

Joylon Law advises of his blog, www.Todaysautonews.com.  He describes it as, “a daily listing of articles from newspapers, magazines and other blogs on the topic auto product news.” . . . Sean Kane writes that The Safety Record is “the inside baseball” of motor vehicle safety.  Contact him for more info at Safety Research & Strategies, Inc. 340 Anawan St., Suite 200 Rehoboth, MA 02769  Email sean@safetyresearch.net . . . www.TrueDelta.com uses owner surveys to provide “apples-to-apples” reliability and pricing comparisons says the website’s developer, Michael Karesh.

Car Pub Insider blogs about automotive magazines with a concentration on publishers’ online activities.  Subtitled The Future of AutomobileLogo: Car Publisher Insider Magazines, over 30 posts describe challenges at the leading pubs, how the online tsunami is threatening print, and the effect of shifting consumer patterns on the publishing industry.  CPI includes a unique index to 240 publications with circ numbers, for selected titles.  Publisher Eric Killorin advises that reader contributions are valued . . . . . YouTube has launched a “Citizens News” channel,  joining CNN’s Ireport initiative to utilize the phenomenal growth of citizen journalism but without CNN’s background in filtering and verifying what is reported.

Stewart Berg and Tony Kuhn’s Ultimate Garages www.Garages.Net, begun about a year ago, already has competition, Garage Style Magazine, launched by publisher-editor Don Weberg.  His is the first print magazine on the subject and, like Berg and Kuhn, is designed to be the resource for amazing garages with technical how-to articles, product reviews and buyer’s guide, says Weberg. He also plans to include airplane hangers and boat houses in  future issues of the quarterly.  In case you were wondering how much information on garages the market can bear, Weberg reports,  “In 2006 homeowners spent roughly $2.5 billion on remodeling garages.  Also that 15 percent of new homes built in the U.S. have room for 3 or more cars.”

Evelyn Kanter reports her recently launched blog: www.greatdrives.blogspot.com, is growing.  Key words are car and travel, environmental, hybrids, alternative fuels. auto safety and technology, green travel destinations, money saving tips. . . . Editor Camilo Alfaro reports that impreMedia Website (www.impre.com) and portal for: La Raza, La Opinion, Hoy, El Diario, El Mensajero, La Prensa, Vista and La Vibra launched April 14.  ImpreMedia, he says, “ reaches 2/3 of the Hispanic population and 45% of Hispanic adults.”

Steve Saleen has formed “SMS Limited”, Lifestyle Performance Automobiles.  He said: “We are currently developing our Signature Series of ultra high performance vehicles and technical performance parts which will address the new American Muscle Car offerings.” . . . Wooden Horse News reports, NJ TUNERS is a just-released seasonal magazine dedicated to serving the import car tuners of New Jersey.  Every issue features modified Jersey rides, coverage of Jersey events, reviews of products, and tech talk.

Doug Meyer writes about ATV Television and 4X4TV Internet video: “Our goal…is to be the place for both enthusiasts and first-time buyers looking for pertinent and valid information to view quality video reviews of 4×4s, ATVs, UTVs and all the related products.  Unlike conventional television programming, all of our reviews are categorized by content and available on demand.” . . . www.AutoTrader.com  is expanding from pre-owned vehicles to new cars and trucks.

Perhaps taking a cue from National Geographic photo journalist Randy Olson who turned 20,000 photos and hours of video into a Toyota Land Cruiser ad campaign (without conventional advertising), Carl Edwards, CarartATmac.com,  has taken his CarArt photoshop on the road in a completely equipped RV.  He’s offering to absorb the travel expense, lodging involved to shoot ad-quality car photos on location, his or yours. . . . The Detroit-founded and based weekly PBS TV show Autoline hosted by John McElroy has begun an 11-part series exploring the auto-industry and car culture of Southern California, taped no doubt while the Midwest was enjoying ice and snow.