Rodders Journal

[BarryD]

Sorry folks just spent three hours single finger typing the full story regards RJ but on posting its just deleted most of it. I’m jetlagged, got a brilliant cold from the grandson and now with all that effort being deleted ,frankly had enough. I will try again to finish the update at some point. Regards Barry

[Captain Scarlet]

Thanks for the insight Barry.
Sorry to hear you spent all that time typing more out only to loose it, it has also happened to me,I pressed 'reply' and got logged out instead,the result was loosing what I had typed.
I have learned a lesson, copy to clipboard the entire post before hitting the submit reply button.
This works and it's possible to log back in and paste n post

[BarryD]

RJ Update pt 2
They reply with its been a struggle….moved the printing back to the US due to quality problem's abroad....then the 100+ yr old printing firm we hooked up with went bust….new printer found….then the magazine print distribution firm got taken over and the new owners bumped their prices up….new distribution firm found…. etcetera…but we think things are finally starting to settle down and hope we can start to stabilise everything.
When you were in San Francisco I know you totalled 8 staff how many now following the move to VA then here ?…. Just the two of us , but we’re trying to recruit a office person at the moment to help with catching up on emails ,orders ,subscriptions etc.
There’s rodders in the UK that haven’t had their mags, merchandise etc, they feel they are owed. …..Geoff answers.. we are slowly catching up on stuff , thats why we are recruiting. It takes time ,we leave here to research and do features and when we get back theirs another 500 emails backed up

[BarryD]

RJ Update pt3
Geoff continues…I live in Australia and when I’m there and here I’m on it as much as I possibly can .When I’m here that’s my bed back there so I get to work uninterrupted.I’m slowly making progress. …..If anyone has any issues /problems just email us details and we will check it out……..Barry….So are you ok with me posting this on the UK NSRA web site ?…..Geoff… Yes
Whats the current situation with issue 86?…..Steve answers….. It’s printed but we’re fine tuning details at the moment as the distribution company has a new computer system….getting there towards mailing…..He then walks over to a cardboard box and pulls out RJ #86 and hands it to me ( Jim Jacobs Model A roadster on the cover) then says that’s probably not the cover you’re going to receive . #87 is nearly done as well………we realise one issue a year isn’t good enough and we are trying to get back to where we were……Barry….Thats good to hear, because we’ve lost too many rod magazines recently and I miss reading RJ …. Steve ….Yes… not good… but we think with mags like Australian Street Rodding going we might actually increase our market share which improves our position. The End
Summary. For what it’s worth I came away with a positive vibe from both Steve and Geoff that they fully intend to keep going with RJ. Lets hope so.
Apologies . With this cold and disrupted sleep pattern during and since returning I’m exhausted. Which means I’ve probably forgotten something relevant ! If I remember anything I will post it as update #4
Regards Barry

[Happydaze]

Thanks Barry! Have I got this bit right, the headcount is Steve Coonan plus a guy who sleeps in the office when he's there, but actually resides in Australia?

Labour shortages in the US must be extreme, or is that charity workers I wonder? Either way they'll never catch up with so few hands on deck. Great that they're trying and I hope they get there but clearly more patience is the key.

Chris

Sent from my SM-T515 using NSRA mobile app

[BarryD]

Hi Chris Yes you are correct, only two of them now. How long Geoff Miles is in Aus or the US time wise wasn’t mentioned. However it would be remiss of me not to mention that his name has to my knowledge been on the RJ masthead credits for at least 25 years now . Plus he’s done plenty of excellent RJ articles over that time. I’m guessing that the pandemic in addition to the production issues previously mentioned resulted in the headcount reduction.
Example….Last story in #86 is a comparison between a 9in and a Winters quick change written by Curt Iseli a previously regular contributor to RJ who says in the article that he’s now been employed full time by Winters since 2021.
Bottom line …Rod magazines are more labour of love than cash cows .
Barry

[stokebloke]

Thanks for the updates Barry, hope you're back to full health soon.

Sent from my SM-A155F using NSRA mobile app

[BarryD]

Rodders Journal#86 just popped through my letterbox . I’m a lifetime subscriber. I would appreciate if someone who is not and just has a normal subscription and has received RJ#86 if you could post here confirming that, so I can feedback to RJ . Thanks

[BarryD]

Sorry Chris ( Happydaze) just seen your other post, apologies. Question was the envelope #86 arrived in marked with the old South San Francisco address then routed through the Netherlands or something different?

[Happydaze]

Sorry Chris ( Happydaze) just seen your other post, apologies. Question was the envelope #86 arrived in marked with the old South San Francisco address then routed through the Netherlands or something different?

Yep, Wattis Way as the sender address but some references to Netherlands. It's overlabeled but I can see my name on the label underneath.

I think this confirms what you were advised a while back.

I'm a lifetime sub BTW.

Chris

Sent from my SM-T515 using NSRA mobile app

[Back Yard Blues]

I'm a normal subscriber and haven't received it yet but waiting fingers crossed.

[Stickman]

Normal subscriber and got my issue today

[BarryD]

Normal subscriber and got my issue today

Thank you for the feedback . Appreciated. Regards Barry

[surfmonkey]

emailed them about what i'm owed... reply "we haven't got any".....no apology or anything like that...as someone on facebook said i'm surprised he hasn't had his legs broken by now...if they would have told the truth from the beginning people would have cut them some slack...i have no sympathy for them....3 different covers this time...that should make the super collectors take note and shell out more money for them

[40Stude]

Still no sign of Issue 86 for me. I'm not holding my breath.

[Back Yard Blues]

My issue 86 arrived last week. We moved house a year ago and I had emailed them my new address but issue 86 was sent to my old address. Fortunately we had extended our post redirection so the post office redirected it.
I have sent them another message advising the address change but not bad a reply yet.

[trimmer]

Normal subscriber, paid up to #90.
Still no sign of issue 86 !

[BarryD]

Email below was sent to RJ on September 5th after #86 arrived




Hi Steve/Geoff. Background. I’m the English rodder that visited you at the shop late afternoon at the end of May just as you were in a rush to get out to the bank before it closed , however you were both gracious enough to answer some questions quickly so that I could post your comments regarding your hopes for the future of RJ on the UK NSRA website when I returned home. Well today I received issue #86 through the letterbox and I’m receiving feedback from other UK rodders that they have theirs. Well done you two , I know it hasn’t been easy for you to achieve this ,and due to the delay on #86 ‘s arrival here compared to the US there was a lot of scepticism that it would actually happen at all. Hopefully you will start to see an increase subscription wise from the UK soon . Wondering if I can help that last item along ? . Can you update me please regarding the current situation of issue 87 so I can relay this to the UK NSRA Rodding population. Appreciated

Regards Barry Douglas

[BarryD]

Received this email from RJ today in response to Sept 5th one.


Hi Barry
Thanks for the email and good to hear from you and thanks for your support, we appreciate it.


We are continuing to get emails from the UK on where to renew or take out a new sub, we will be launching our new website in the next week, where people will be able to renew, subscribe and purchase back issues. It is a work in progress and will grow as time goes on.


Also, there was discrepancies on the mailing list where quite a few international subscribers didn't make it, we have researched why this happened and have rectified it so that it won't happen again. For those that didn't receive #86, we have been re-shipping as we hear from those that didn't.


TRJ #87 will go to the printer in the next few weeks.


Along with trying to keep everything else afloat, that's where we're at. We hope to hire some more help soon, so that we aren't so overwhelmed as two people.


Thanks again for your support, hope everything else well there.


Kind regards,


Geoff and Steve,


Customer Service


The Rodder's Journal
24848 Meeting House Road
Denton, MD 21629




Hope this info helps some of you if you haven’t yet received #86. Regards Barry

[tylf33]

Thanks for the update Barry - I email & (answer)phone them, but no joy;- fingers crossed the new website makes it easier.