2 channel demoted again?

[Andrew Everard]

Good theory, but we work independently of the ads departmemt

 

[Jitter]

I understand all of the arguments, but it does feel as though 2 channel are beginning to lose out. The detail in the listings, for instance.

 

[bigblue235]

Many of us may well feel that 2 channel is the preferred form of AV, but if your average bloke on the high street would rather have something that can be bought in Comet, then surely it's common sense that the mag should devote space to those sort of items? Yes, we know that better performance can be had from separates, we know that certain popular products are duff, etc. etc. But a lot of folk simply want a 'plasma' to stick on the wall and some speakers to go with it, the fewer boxes the better.

If they want a mag to help them choose, surely it's good business sense for WH-F to be that mag? I imagine there are many more folk making those sort of purchases than there are buying any form of 2 channel hi-fi. The AV market has changed considerably, so I guess the mag has to change with it.

I've flicked though many back issues lately and there's definitely more content in the mag now. The hi-fi reviews are shorter and less detailed (I bemoaned this fact in another thread) than they used to be, but I guess that's the price of progress as we now have plenty of other good content too.

 

[JoelSim]

Andrew Everard:Good theory, but we work independently of the ads departmemt

Yes you do, and rightly so. Unfortunately that doesn't help the fact that the marketplace is favouring the big manufacturers as it always does in any free market. That's exactly why our High Streets have exactly the same shops on them and the majority of small traders and specialists just can't compete any more. It's extremely sad as in a few years we'll all end up with less choice, inferior products and some uber companies in the same way that many specialist food shops have been replaced by Tesco et al.

The upshot of this is that while a small number of specialists will survive, the majority will go to the wall or they'll be swallowed up by multinationals who will, in turn, have more of a say on how much R&D/spend there is on the products, and this will spell the end of what we currently have.

It is my opinion that we need to promote the small guys so that we preserve our passion, that's exactly what I'm trying to do here and all I'm asking is that, as the leading 'specialist' magazine in the category, you really consider the huge impact your magazine, and only your magazine can have on the marketplace.

Anyway enough said now, I've have tried my best.

 

[Anonymous]

I don't understand all this negativity all the time, all this talk of the majority going to wall, what majority? Things change and we need to adapt to these changes and the 2-channel companies will respond, the simple fact is more people are interested in music than they are in TV, I've never in my life met anyone interested in TVs, they buy one and the forget about it.

I don't know many people interested in AV either, the guy in the street will buy some 5.1 cheapo thingy and stick the front three on top of his TV as he wont know what the other two were for.

But I know loads of people in to music, not high end hifi, but music, and for this reason we need to show more positivity, two channel will always be around. Just look at the adverts in the mags, I see far more 2-channel ads than I do TV ads. I just can't see how anyone can get excited over a TV screen.

 

[Anonymous]

I understand that WHFS&V are a business and need to meet targets and the best way to do it is pander to the majority and sell more mags,

I personally only buy it when I am about to make a purchase for reserch purposes the only thing is, I wish the layout was more divided into definate sections so that you could go straight to the Hi Fi section without having to trawl through the AV and TV guff......