Status of the FP and the new EIC

"MUSASHI66" (musashi66) 05/06/2020 at 15:19 • Filed to: None

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!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

This is the statement buy the new EIC of Jalopnik

“I also want Jalopnik to be the place where car enthusiasts talk about the future of car culture, specifically with regard to commuting, climate change, urban sprawl, alienation and other fun topics. The tension between my love of internal combustion engines and my desire to limit the role I play in destroying the planet is something I spend a lot of time thinking about. I don’t think I’m alone in that. I don’t see that stuff being discussed regularly in automotive media and it’s a discussion that we as a community should be contributing to—in addition to posting about craigslist garbage, naturally.”

Bold is my emphasis. It is all that I don’t want to discuss on a car website.

FP currently has:

1. Article abut lidar on Volvo cars

2. Kinja deals ad

3. Announcement of the new EIC

4. Story about a car crash

5. David Tracy’s trivia

6. Another Kinja Deals ad

7. Car buying post by Tom

8. Group of links for shit I couldn’t care less about

9. Morning shift

10. Another ad

11. Gizmodo article about banning cruises

12. Weird Torch post

13. Youtube video of a random song

14. Another kinja deals ad

15. NPOCP post

16. What are you reading post

17.Racing post

18. Pl ane post

19. Another ad yay

20. Another racing post

This is with an ad blocker. With the new EIC and the new direction, and the current state of FP where 50% of the stuff is shit and another 30-40% is stuff I don’t care about, why do I even bother ever clicking there?? Man I miss the old Jalopnik. 

just-a-scratch > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:32

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It’s having bad effects here on Oppo too.

My bird IS the word > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:36

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Politics is what he means. Boy do I want to read politics in my hobby that I use as a way to escape from daily life! More uninformed bickering please!

dogisbadob > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:38

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ooooooooooooooo how did the union let this happen? What happened to seniority? :p

It’s graverobber’s turn at this point!

CB > just-a-scratch 05/06/2020 at 15:40

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People act like Oppo ever had golden days. Eight years of being here, it’s always about shitposts.

We’ve been petty drama free for a while, though!

facw > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:41

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On the other hand, I am happy to read about all those things!

And to be honest, I think thinking of Jalopnik as a “car website” is seriously underselling it. The scope is, and should be broader.

You are of course free to not read articles that don’t interest you.

Chariotoflove > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:41

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I dunno, I liked Alien Nation. I think it was underrated. Then again, I like almost anything with Mandy Patinkin.

MUSASHI66 > dogisbadob 05/06/2020 at 15:42

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He writes an article per day and probably has a normal job. But great question regarding unions and seniority .

RallyWrench > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:42

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Where else would the future of automotive enthusiasm and car culture be discussed but on a car website ? These are things that need to be acknowledged, understood, and talked about. Ignoring the realities of our world only accelerates the obsolescence of our enthusiasm. It can’t be one-dimensional. I look forward to the discussion.

(BTW I agree that list of current content on the FP sucks, but give new guy a chance)

MUSASHI66 > My bird IS the word 05/06/2020 at 15:42

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Yup, agreed. 

MUSASHI66 > just-a-scratch 05/06/2020 at 15:42

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Like what?

MUSASHI66 > RallyWrench 05/06/2020 at 15:45

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So, as an enthusiast, you want to read about the future of the car culture, SPECIFICIALL Y as it relates to commuting and urban sprawl? Cool, I guess, but not my thing. 

MUSASHI66 > facw 05/06/2020 at 15:47

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I guess we are free to have our opinions. Mine is, if they were doing what people like, they wouldn’t have been sold - like what, 2 or three times now - and they wouldn’t be bleeding all of the OGs. 

MUSASHI66 > Chariotoflove 05/06/2020 at 15:49

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Hot take - he did amazing as Inigo and has acted the same role in everything I’ve ever seen him in after that.

facw > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 15:56

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The first sale had noting to do with profitability, it was just fallout from Hogan suit. The second sale is a better case, but media watchers seem to agree that Univision really didn’t have any idea what they were doing. Even so, I believe Jalopnik has been profitable, though not as much as Gizmodo or pre-”stick to sports” Deadspin. As for people leaving, I think that’s a sign that they aren’t comfortable with management, as opposed to an indication of the company’s financial health.

farscythe - makin da cawfee! > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:00

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HammerheadFistpunch > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:02

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I try not to complain too much about free content and interesting comments section...but the content on the page has take a noticeable nosedive. I think part of the problem is a general shift in people’s priorities. i.e. I think car content on the whole is down from its peak. Part of it is a talent drain, I mean there just aren’t that many writers on here these days compared to the peak. And this is the part that’s bound to ruffle a few feathers but the format that PG put into place hurt the character of the site. I.e. higher quality fewer posts and much tighter control on content. That’ s not to say the some of the investigative journalism didn’t get way better along with some of the other stuff , but there used to be way more posts, with way more personality. Sure some of it was “off-brand” but at least it was fun.

Plus the Oppo divorce. I realize why and I don’t blame them, but the first blow to cut ties with the most loyal part of your users was rough on the site, the second blow of completely cutting off oppo from contributing to Jalopnik hurt the most. Again I understand the reason, but the way it was handled was poor plus there were other ways to deal with it besides a total cutoff. F inally a general disconnect from the Jalopnik commentators from the paid staff (again, generally, not all) made loyal readers feel less and less important. Frankly the main reason Jalopnik is anything...and I don’t mean to discount the excellent writing and hard work of the paid staff...but the main reason it’ s anything that it is, is because it has the biggest, and healthiest comment section on the internet with really high engagement. Any car site today would KILL for the comments numbers and reader engagement that Jalopnik has. I don’t think Jalopnik knows what it has, so to speak.

I don’t know how much of that was anything above PG or any other EIC, maybe all of it...but that’ s not so much the point as it happened and its where we are now.

RallyWrench > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:03

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You’re cherry picking his words a bit . Do I, as an automotive enthusiast, care about commuting in cities, specifically? No, because I don’t live in one and hate them with the fire of a thousand suns. I go to great lengths to avoid them in my life, so i t’s not something I deal with. But we as humans need to rethink how we get around them as they become ever more crowded, which forces the urban sprawl, which impact rural roads and infrastructure, and on and on. Our world was built around cars, particularly in America, and sometimes they’re not the best solution. Our job as enthusiasts is to accept that and encourage alternative transportation where needed , especially for people who don’t give a shit about cars, because that will help ensure our continued privilege (and let’s be clear, it is a privilege, not a right) of enjoying them elsewhere, in places they actually can be enjoyed. There are a lot of things that are going to try to take the enjoyment of the automobile away from us, and we, as car people, need to be part of the discussion into an uncertain future.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > My bird IS the word 05/06/2020 at 16:04

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But the CLICKS!!!!

Who is the Leader - 404 / Blog No Longer Available > HammerheadFistpunch 05/06/2020 at 16:05

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“I’m still in the early stages of getting to know how the site currently runs, but I do have some vague goals.”

This guy knows what he has. A website whose comments section doesn’t matter.

This was a very balanced and reasonable take. Thank you.

gmctavish needs more space > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:06

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It’s relevant to a lot of car enthusiasts, I can see a lot of interesting discussion coming out of it.

My bird IS the word > WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI 05/06/2020 at 16:16

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Wont be getting my clicks that's for sure.

Chariotoflove > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:18

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That’s pretty spicy.  I would argue that Inigo was a departure from his normal, and that he is a very versatile actor.

WasGTIthenGTOthenNOVAnowbacktoGTI > My bird IS the word 05/06/2020 at 16:18

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Fair enough. I read like 30% of the FP stuff. And that’s only because I’m bored at work sometimes.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:21

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I’m not happy because they’re starting to publish more articles (really it’s “opinion pieces”) with minor to no research in areas they’re not familiar with. I don’t want to say “stick to cars (or automotive)” but honestly until they need to branch out to some experts.

I’m sick of going into articles about shipping to correct misinformation and have the drones nattering away with the incorrect rhetoric they have been presented. [ FYI if any of you on Oppo want to know anything about vessels including those hated cruise ships, I’ll give it to you as straight as I can . I’ve not only stepped foot on one, I’ve worked one. ]

Just going over the losses like Tyler Rogaway, Sean MacDonald, Steve Lehto (and others) that had specific knowledge of their craft. They really were never replaced and it shows.

HammerheadFistpunch > CB 05/06/2020 at 16:26

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It has been drama free for a while...its nutty.  Good jorb!

Distraxi's idea of perfection is a Jagroen > HammerheadFistpunch 05/06/2020 at 16:48

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This is a totally correct take. One of the things that’s reduced my consumption of the FP most is the frequency with which the comments section is borked. W ha t people have to sa y about the article is often way more interesting than the article itself, and if you can’t read or contribute to that, who cares. The commentariat is critical to Jalopnik more than any site I know except for here (and maybe BaT - but unlike Jalopnik, BaT know it ).

I think it’s also quite tell ing that if I do click into an FP article, I’m much more likely to move from there to one of ones in the “M ore F rom Jalopnik ” section than I am to another one on the FP, and typically the ones that grab my interes t are 4 + years old.

BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 16:50

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I realize it is breaking some sort of 4th wall, or unspoken rule to discuss other outlets, but it is relevant to discussing the state of things... and informs my jaded disgust.

I try to read Jalopnik and Oppo most, but I also click through CarScoops, and infrequently look at TTAC. Autoblog doesn’t even exist anymore, does it? I haven’t looked there in a long time.

I put down paper magazines years ago after they became 90+ pages of editorial advertizing. Why should I be paying to be advertised to, and waste material doing it?

But lately, even with what I do read, I don’t think ANYTHING is happening in the automotive industry worth noting... because the content suggests that there is a dearth of anything to report on.

However, if it is lack of reporting on things that actually ARE going on... then that is even worse.

But damn, I am so sick of reading about Elon Musk’s latest micro-analyzed utterance and the volatile effects on wealth...

Or the other car companies that can’t seem to ever do well, or have a good day or figure out how to sell reliable cars at a price that people can afford to pay, and then blame the people who don’t buy for not buying what doesn’t justify being purchased... or for buying practical, pragmatic vehicles that fill most roles well, except that they aren’t exactly exciting.

And then being made to feel guilty about what they bought, how they use it, or why they chose what they did... because people’s freedom of movement to go where mostly they NEED to go, is somehow, immeasurably, unverifiably, and non-demonstrably destroying the world.... except that we were supposed to be destroyed several times over by now.

I have loved cars since before I was in elementary school, and now many decades later, I have a hard time being anything but jaded about it, because of what I read around here, which is generally industry tripe, spill-over SJW vilification of anyone else, and recrimination and guilt for any and all human activity other than virtue signaling.

Also, what I DON’T see here or elsewhere... being hope, optimism, or a vision for something better, or at least making what is good but expensive more attainable.

Humans. What a bunch of self-loathing bastards. [/irony][/rant ]

haveacarortwoorthree2 > CB 05/06/2020 at 16:52

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Oh yeah?

Bob Loblaw Made Me Make a Phoney Phone Call to Edward Rooney > facw 05/06/2020 at 17:23

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OP’ s characterization isn’t particularly eloquent and content will certainly speak for itself, but there is a two+ year trend of the bulk of the writing on this website towards “those things” with very little balancing it out. Ballaban , nice a guy as he may have been, never seemed to have anything other than a passing interest in cars hobby; instead, it manifested itself which in a trend of content towards socio/economic/political commentary on cars.

I’m fine if that’s the kind of content you like and that Rory wants to produce, but where Patrick and Ballaban completely missed the boat was that (I think) most of us are only interested in reading about the place of the car in the modern world if we get to read about why the car is fun and important to begin with, and the quantity of any such content has decreased significantly in recent years, as has the quality. I think this site is now about to be on a third consecutive EIC whose personal wishes are not in line with its readership’s at large; you can cherry pick the stuff you do want to read and ignore what you don’t, but at some point that relationship leads to someone not clicking or reading at all.

Who is right? I guess we’ll find out, but t he traffic speaks for itself. A 50% drop in traffic over 6-7 months isn’t just a question mark, it’s an absolute crisis. Obviously that’s (part) of the reason there’s a new EIC in place, but it doesn’t strike me as all that different from the previous two administrations.

CB > haveacarortwoorthree2 05/06/2020 at 17:24

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Well shit, now we have a blood feud.

RPM esq. > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 17:25

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I do. These policy questions are highly relevant to the future of the auto industry and therefore are relevant to my interests. I also read most of David Tracy’s wrenching stories, no matter how navel-gazing they get, and all of Torch’s weirdness. You don’t have to read them but just because you don’t want to  doesn’t mean they shouldn’t write them.

Mercedes Streeter > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 18:13

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That’s not at all what happened.. Jalopnik’s content had nothing to do with the fact that the media group that hosted said content was sold twice.

1st time: Jezebel and Gawker pissed off a billionaire then pissed off a washed up wrestler. The two paired up in a mega lawsuit over a sex tape. Nick Denton then decided to give the judge in the case a big middle finger. Gawker Media lost the case and was sold.

None of this had anything to do with Jalopnik.

2nd time: The already sinking ship of Univision bought the flaming husk that was Gawker Media, and renamed it Gizmodo Media. They didn’t know what they were doing. They were already dealing with their own troubles and yeeted Gizmodo Media to Great Hill Partners.

Again, not really Jalopnik’s problem. In fact, during this time Jalopnik published some great stuff like Tempest Season 1, the Goodyear scandal, and so on.

Great Hill Partners renamed Gizmodo Media to G/O Media and thus started the biggest departure in how the family of sites operate. Gone was the idea of driving revenue from good content. In its place? Ads, extremely intrusive ads.

On top of this, the sites are losing the editorial freedom that they’ve been known for since back in the Denton days. The best example of which is Spanfeller telling Deadspin “stick to sports” and forcing auto play ads on everyone.

And instead of taking the criticism that intrusive ads are terrible, Great Hill tried to kill Kinja communities.

I think Jalopnik’s drop in quality and exodus of writers is directly related to the changes in management. Univision was a rudder-less ship and Great Hill Partners aren’t even really interested in operating a media company.

It’s been reported that these family of sites have been profitable since *before* the Univision days, but probably not anymore after recent events.

Mercedes Streeter > CB 05/06/2020 at 18:18

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This. I joined Oppo right after the launch of Kinja. The only thing that’s changed is the fact that people aren’t writing content with the hopes of getting shared to the FP... and that’s been gone for a while now.

just-a-scratch > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 18:19

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The number and complexity of posts around here seems to be less than it was say, three years ago. At that time it seemed necessary to justify having authorship here. Yes, there have always been shitposts, but there were not so many as a proportion of the total before.

It’s harder to get a feeling for how many contributors regularly post or comment, but there are plenty of names I no longer see around here.

Or maybe I'm just a curmudgeon.

MUSASHI66 > just-a-scratch 05/06/2020 at 20:39

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I actually agree on your points. There are too many shit posts, but I can ignore those. 

MUSASHI66 > BoxerFanatic, troublesome iconoclast. 05/06/2020 at 20:42

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TTAC is leaps and bounds better content than Jalopnik, but they are tiny, and don’t have enough content. Plus their comment platform is worse than kinja. 

MUSASHI66 > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 05/06/2020 at 20:44

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100% agree. Add in politics, and crossover from other sites under the same umbrella and it’s a  big bowl of blah.

MUSASHI66 > RallyWrench 05/06/2020 at 20:58

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I’d hardly say I cherry picked them - in my OP I bolder the whole sentence I had an issue with.

I guess we want different things out of this - I want a replacement for my paper copy of Car and Driver with comments, and you want a discussion about political aspects of car ownership. I have zero interest in that - especially in the echo chamber of Gawker Media or whatever they are called now. 

MUSASHI66 > gmctavish needs more space 05/06/2020 at 20:59

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Well, it seems you’ll get more of it. Viewership dropped by 50% in recent months, so we’ll see if it works. 

MUSASHI66 > RPM esq. 05/06/2020 at 21:00

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Sure thing, you’ll get even more of them now under new leadership, based on what I had bold in  my original post. But, they lost 50% of their clicks in last few months. Let’s see what people really like. 

MUSASHI66 > Chariotoflove 05/06/2020 at 21:01

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Could be - I know him from Criminal Minds and from Homeland. He’s basically the same person in both. 

MUSASHI66 > HammerheadFistpunch 05/06/2020 at 21:24

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Free content isn’t free content. The money they make selling your data and commissions they take from all the ads they serve you pays their paychecks and makes money for the owners. I mean, I am not forced to be here by any means, but I miss the old days of Jalopnik. Remember, the stared comments pre-kinja, when you could have nice conversations... I think Jalopnik died when Kinja came, and the talent bleed out is not helping one bit.

I try getting my fix elsewhere - TTAC and drive and left lane news and c&d and Reddit, but nothing has replaced the void. I’ve spent t too much time on FP in the old days. Oppo is still oppo - I didn’t even join oppo in the old days as every time I looked over, it was a shit post after shit post and theme days and whatever else the kids are doing these days.

I’m just a grumpy old guy. As a matter of fact, GET OFF MY LAWN!!  

RPM esq. > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 21:39

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Cherry-picking the “I also want...” sentence seems like you’re worrying about, y’know, everything else a little bit prematurely just because he “also want[s]” to continue a type of article you happen not to be interested in . It seems to me like the thing that has really dropped off the face of the planet here is reviews. I know the reason for that is probably that everybody does reviews, so the other stuff is what differentiates Jalopnik... but I like getting their unique perspective on new models.

Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 21:55

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It’s so weird. Everything’s good on FP and then once and a while Bradley and Erik ( and sometimes Torch when he gets roped into trash outrage news) publish something with a take so left wing it raises eyebrows even for a moderate.

Brads particular take M onday and how he handled criticism pissed me off enough that I seriously doubt I’m going to be active on FP anymore.

Urambo Tauro > facw 05/06/2020 at 23:18

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thinking of Jalopnik as a “car website” is seriously under selling it

Couldn’t agree more. Jalopnik is ( and should be) about more than just cars. I really don’t hate seeing articles about planes, trains, boats, or even scooters. As far as I’m concerned, i t’s 100% appropriate for Jalopnik to embrace ALL forms of transportation as being on-topic. We as drivers share the road with many of them anywa y, so it only stands to reason that we shou ld be more cognizant, knowledgeable, and understanding of our fellow road/ air/sea users .

Jim Spanfeller > MUSASHI66 05/06/2020 at 23:40

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At this point I just follow Torch and Tracy, as they’re the only authors I really cared about anyway.

MUSASHI66 > Exage03040 @ opposite-lock.com 05/07/2020 at 00:14

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Oh I haven’t commented there in a few years now I think.