Popular Woodworking is gone

[lowell holmes]

It makes me sad, but:

https://nypost.com/2019/03/12/writers-digest-and-popular-woodworking-publisher-files-chapter-11/

[Mike Henderson]

That's a shame. Perhaps someone else will buy the magazine out of Chapter 11 and continue publishing. But if the original company couldn't make a go of it you wonder if anyone else will be able to.

Mike

[Jim Koepke]

That is sad.

It is a difficult task to keep content fresh for the old subscribers while offering something to encourage new subscribers in to the craft.

jtk

[David Bassett]

Folks check the date!

This is old stale news from last March. Pop Wood may in fact go away, but only if its new incarnation fails. Several articles, and I think discussion threads here, have discussed the changes. E.g:

@Lost Art Press Blog (https://blog.lostartpress.com/2019/06/19/popular-woodworking-acquired-by-woodsmiths-parent-company/)

[lowell holmes]

This is good news. I really like the magazine. It is a shadow of itself without Chris and Megan though.

[Steve Voigt]

Yeah, maybe do some research before posting? This is ancient news. As Dave said, Chris Schwarz wrote it up in March. I find his post to be inspiring and invaluable if you're trying to run a small business, even if the subject is depressing:

https://blog.lostartpress.com/2019/03/11/an-alternate-ending-for-fw-media/

[Jim Koepke]

Yeah, maybe do some research before posting? This is ancient news. As Dave said, Chris Schwarz wrote it up in March. I find his post to be inspiring and invaluable if you're trying to run a small business, even if the subject is depressing:

https://blog.lostartpress.com/2019/03/11/an-alternate-ending-for-fw-media/

Same thing has happened to some of the companies employing me. Some corporations will buy another company to build their base. Some will buy other companies to remove their competition. The worst are the ones that buy an asset to drain it of every penny to be squeezed from it before ridding themselves of liability for the mess left in their wake.

jtk

[Halgeir Wold]

Being european, I can assure you that I'm not mocking any of you, but isn't this how US business has become? Moral is no longer a word used in the business community..... and BTW, - not in Europe either..... Gordon Gecko comes to mind...

[Frank Pratt]

Being european, I can assure you that I'm not mocking any of you, but isn't this how US business has become? Moral is no longer a word used in the business community..... and BTW, - not in Europe either..... Gordon Gecko comes to mind...

But there are many businesses that do have good, ethical practices. In the woodworking field, 2 that come to mind are Lee Valley and Lie Nielson. There are many, many more. By making a point of doing business with the good guys we can hopefully make a change.

[Jerry Olexa]

It is sad but inevitable with all the changes.. You could see it coming... I LOVED the old PW.
A victim of the times and the many changes that were necessary.

[John Sanford]

Being european, I can assure you that I'm not mocking any of you, but isn't this how US business has become? Moral is no longer a word used in the business community..... and BTW, - not in Europe either..... Gordon Gecko comes to mind...

Don't fool yourself, this is how business happens throughout the world. And in the case of PW, the driving factors are two:

The Internet. Including places like this one right here, Sawmill Creek. Feel free to dredge up all the threads where people state that they have cut back on/dropped their magazine subscriptions because they can find what they want for free on the web and YouTube.

The second reason, which isn't primary, is the loss of The Schwarz and the Rude Mechanic.

Me, I figure that in another few years there's a good chance we'll lose another of the "big" WW mags, and we'll end up with 2 here in the US, plus the captive magazines that Rockler and Woodcraft put out.

[Robert Engel]

Being european, I can assure you that I'm not mocking any of you, but isn't this how US business has become? Moral is no longer a word used in the business community..... and BTW, - not in Europe either..... Gordon Gecko comes to mind...
How business has become? meaning what?

I agree with John.

The print media world is a tough business. According to the article they were trying to stay afloat by branching into e-commerce and failed. I don't know all the details, but to me that sounds like a business trying to adapt and survive..

Many businesses go bankrupt for many reasons, but to assume something unethical or immoral or "Gordon Gecko" -like is painting with an broad brush.

I would ask our friend what the alternative to capitalism is?

[Mike Brady]

Just some hypothetical thinking here: As a magazine subscriber, is a prepaid subscription considered to be an investment and are subscribers entitled to refunds in the case of a publisher's liquidation?

[Pete Taran]

Sure, you are entitled, but you get in line with all the other folks looking to file claims in the bankruptcy proceeding. Besides, as long as the magazine continues to publish issues, their contract with you is complete, regardless of their financial status. Filing for Chapter 11 does not necessarily mean that they will cease to exist, just that they want the courts to restructure their debts which is their right under our legal code.

[Eric Rathhaus]

One of the first principles you learn in a law school class on contracts is that breaking a contract is business question not a moral/ethical question.