Future of Transit Australia Magazine

[Admet75]

http://www.transitaustralia.com.au/futureofta.pdf

As most of you are aware that for over 73 years Transit Australia has been part of the public transport movement writing news and articles for generations and some have become books in their own right- for example Rails to the Bay (Roger Wheaton) and Melbourne Tramways (the late David Keenan). It was started off by the then enthusiastic members of the Victorian Division of the Australian Electric Traction Association called Tram Tracks and this name stayed around till 1971 when it became known as Electric Traction (ET) and then 1987 to now became Transit Australia to make it known as the only public transport magazine that covered all public transport modes (including Monorail) in Australia.

Its business model I think set up by AETA VIC was simply to produce the magazine and publish books and the profits from the sale of books would offset the loss of the magazine. Hence the name Transit Australia Publishing who as everyone knows have published excellent well researched books in the past.

A couple of years ago it was decided that TAP would separate itself from publishing the magazine and it became Transit Australia Digital and it was available as a digital version and a 12 month subscription for those who wanted a hard copy and there are some who still get the hard copy and magazine distribution has been markedly cut back to reduce costs.

TAP still does publish books and in recent times new books have been coming out every one or two years.

However, like most magazines in Australia it might have a lot of interest but the interest is not matched with new fresh articles. The yoiunger ones are actually more interested in getting photos published in magazines but writing articles they find hard because they ask "what should I write about.

However, Transit Australia does need your help for it survive. Who knows what might happen if we don't have a public transport magazine anymore will anyone actually be willing to take on this full time role as editor.

I have written numerous articles and submitted photos in the past but I dont have a good command of the English language so it rules me out for putting my hand up as editor.

In short, if Transit Australia magazine doesn't find a new editor by the end of this year the magazine will simply be no more.

[Tonymercury]

Also see - http://www.transitaustralia.com.au/futureofta.pdf

[tonyp]

I was entertaining the thought of touring Australia and doing a roundup on all the new tram systems when they were fully running, which I thought would be this decade but now looks like 2020 thanks to NSW! I guess poor old TA won't last that long. All I can say is that there's one very appreciative and non-complaining reader here (who doesn't even mind it being late).

[Tonymercury]

I was hoping to drag it out until the opening of the CSELR, but that does seem very unlikely.

[Tim Williams]

My comments aren't meant to be disrespectful or to minimise the effort that has been done with the fine magazine over the years, but with the size enthusiast population in this country(particularly those who supply photos and/or articles), would we not be better off overall if we publish a one only magaine that covers Buses and Trams (LRV's) for the whole country. I love the Australian Bus magazine, but in some ways it is a pity there are separate Victorian and Queensland (?) publications and well as maybe other tram/trolley magazines.

I am one of these people who buys bus, tram, rail and sometimes car magazines/publications - my transport interests are quite broad, so to have all local bus and tram info in one magazine would be great (for me and hopefully, a lot of others!!!)

Just my thoughts, that obviously will not be popular with those who put in their own time on all these separate publications.

[boronia]

It would still come back to the problems of assembling material, editing it, getting it printed and distributed. The more you want to put in a magazine, the more time and effort you need to do it. Unless such a publication is capable of sustaining full time paid professional staff, it may have difficulty in surviving.

[Tim Williams]

Its funny you suggest a full time paid person, because I was thinking about that, especially when you think about other transport magazines with their obviously larger circulations, such as Australian Aviation and all the UK Key Publishing magazines - Buses, Rail and Aviation mags, with their paid editorial people etc.

Pehaps one national bus and tram mag would gain sufficient subscriptions to support may be even a part time paid person - I admit this is a bit "pie in the sky" as I have no idea of potential circulations, costs of producing and distributing and so on. And then of course there is current threat/problem of the ever expanding digital. I just think the way thinks are at present, with all individual publications (all no doubt produced with voluntary labour) the market for these publications, that must be fairly small, is being fragmented.

[Admet75]

Unfortunately it was announced today an end of an era:

http://transitaustralia.com.au/

Special Announcement - 12 October 2018
It is with much regret that we advise of the recent unexpected death of the Editor of Transit Australia (TA), Tony Bailey.
Tony became the Editor of TA in August 2006 and at the beginning of this year he indicated his desire to relinquish the role.

Many will not be aware that Tony was confined to a wheelchair in latter years as a result of polio in childhood. Tony did not allow his physical issues to limit his pursuit of achievements and he neither sought nor accepted sympathy.

Since 2014 Transit Australia Digital (TAD), a partnership between Tony and The Little Website Company, has been the publisher of Transit Australia. The decision had been made to cease publication at the end of 2018 due to declining readership, lack of contributions and decreasing viability.

With Tony's death it is not possible to complete the current volume and the June 2018 issue will be the final issue of Transit Australia ending 73 years of the journal in various formats. A pro rata refund of subscriptions will be made as soon as possible and subscribers will be contacted in the near future to effect this.

DVDs of all copies of Transit Australia from 1946 to June 2018 and its predecessors will be available shortly.

Subscribers are advised to watch the TA website and Facebook page for updates on developments.

Email enquiries: editor@transitaustralia.com.au

www.transitaustralia.com.au
https://www.facebook.com/transitaustralia/


My comments:

Transit Australia weathered many storms over the past 73 years and it grew from an electric traction centric journal (to which some readers still wish it was) to an all encompassing public transport journal. The journal itself was sometimes very (for many too) cautious in its approach and that meant editorial or opinion type of articles were very limited to enable to capture the professional and industry market and not lose them if an opinion about something felt like their feet were being stepped on.

The journal changed from full black and white to colour in 1997 to coincide with the Sydney Light Rail Opening and it become full colour A4 in around 2007 or 2008- which was considered late by many compared to other magazines.

However, we have to spare a thought for those who contributed and helped made it successful and these were the correspondents, authors of articles, photographers, editors, editoral advisory team the list can go on. The market for TA was very niche and the amount of readers was around only 500 per issue (this included subscribers and also retail sales) the source of this information was actually from a previous subscription manager.


The niche market meant it was difficult to get advertising revenue and this also meant any time it tried to get worthy articles some people thought of it as only a "gunzel magazine" and nothing else.


All editors in the past have been professional and also knowledgable about public transport and each of them knew what mould they wanted to make Transit Australia magazine whether that mould was achieved is up to them to answer.


The magazine would not have suvived another ten years or even five years given there was a concentrated effort to make it join with another journal but all to no avail.


As a correspondent over the years I thank everyone who contributed to Transit Australia, Electric Traction and Tram Tracks and best of luck in the future and to those loyal readers and subscribers who have weathered many storms i thank you and whilst the storms were a battering we beat them but this last storm that we could not shelter from and was unexpected.


To anyone who is thinking about starting a new Australian public transport magazine remember readers want current news, excellent thought-provoking photos plus also excellent photos plus the occassional book review or even timetable review plus also letters to the editors and who knows in another time we may see a new magazine rise from the ashes of Transit Australia.


Your thoughts?