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HomeMedia Analysis

Media Analysis

Audi R8 engine
Media Analysis

Keith Crain: They’re coming to take our fast cars!

June 22, 2018 Steve 0

Keith Crain sounds sad. The editor-in-chief of Automotive News predicts that governments will “do their best to try to ban any vehicles that have even the slightest hint of performance using conventional fuels such as gasoline” (Crain, […]

Curbside Classic founder Paul Niedermeyer
Media Analysis

Curbside Classic shows what small-scale media are up against

December 11, 2017 Steve 0

Curbside Classic is a fascinating case study of the difficulties of sustaining a financially viable independent media outlet. For example, last year Niedermeyer announced that ad revenue was down 15-20 percent because of increased use of […]

1965 Rambler Marlin ad
Media Analysis

The unbearable liteness of a Rambler Marlin ad story

November 1, 2017 Steve 0

One low-cost way for an auto media outlet to post a 24/7 flow of content is to draw upon old car ads. This is business as usual for the The Daily Drive and its sibling, […]

Car and Driver post about Brock Yates' death
Media Analysis

Brock Yates’ death deserves deeper thinking

October 7, 2016 Steve 0

Stories about the death of long-time automotive journalist Brock Yates quite rightly emphasized his most popular exploits. For example, his creation of the Cannonball Baker Sea-to-Shining-Sea Memorial Trophy Dash illustrated Yates’ flare for publicity stunts at […]

Elon Musk discusses climate change when introducing Tesla Model 3
Media Analysis

Auto media on Tesla: See no climate change

April 6, 2016 Steve 0

The jury is still out on whether Tesla can meet its lofty goals, but the automaker deserves credit for a paradigm-rattling marketing campaign. In unveiling its Model 3, Tesla emphasized the need for an aggressive response to […]

Media Analysis

Automotive News muffles the alarm

January 29, 2015 Steve 0

Keith Crain is the closest thing the American auto industry has to a minister of groupthink, so it is worth noting when the editor-in-chief of Automotive News furrows his brow. In a late-December column he criticized […]

2014 Dodge Challenger
Media Analysis

TTAC helps Chrysler go pavlovian

July 26, 2014 Steve 0

The third-generation Dodge Challenger has always run a distant third in sales to the Ford Mustang and Chevrolet Camaro, arguably because of it is the most extreme caricature of a pony car. The chunky, almost […]

Satirical (and fake) Ford Mustang logo
Media Analysis

2015 Mustang: How obesity is justified

June 19, 2014 Steve 5

Except for relatively rare moments of downsizing, the dominant tendency in the American auto industry is toward bigger, glitzier and more powerful vehicles. Each time a car adds poundage, the automaker — usually with the […]

A car dealer with balloons!
Media Analysis

The truth about cut-and-spin journalism

March 22, 2014 Steve 0

We have previously discussed how the relentless pressure for content at 24/7 automotive websites can lead to basic errors (go here). A more subtle but common problem is cut-and-spin journalism. This is where a harried […]

Parked bicycles at a college
Media Analysis

Is the love affair with the car really over?

November 6, 2013 Steve 0

American society’s relationship with the automobile is changing but the press corps hasn’t kept up. That’s the theme of a cover story in the journalism field’s leading professional magazine. The November/December edition of the Columbia Journalism […]

Posts pagination

« 1 … 11 12 13 »
  • 1965 Studebaker Cruiser proposal
    Car Life speculates about why Studebaker shut down its South Bend plant
    July 17, 2026 8
  • 1956 Lincoln
    The 1956 Lincoln’s styling proved to be a one-year wonder
    July 17, 2026 18
  • 1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL
    1975 Mercedes-Benz 450 SL lacked the taut brilliance of its predecessor
    July 14, 2026 6
  • 1988 Oldsmobile Toronado
    Did GM go too far in downsizing the 1986 Riviera, Toronado and Eldorado?
    July 10, 2026 16
  • J. 'Kelly' Flory Jr.
    J. ‘Kelly’ Flory Jr.’s American Cars series is pricey but valuable
    July 10, 2026 4
  • 1968 Pontiac Firebird green convertible
    1967-72 Pontiac Firebird shows limits of ad illustrations
    July 7, 2026 10
  • Miscellaneous ramblings about being on the road
    June 25, 2026 5
  • Internet problems reminded me of U.S. automakers in the 1970s
    May 2, 2026 1
  • 1956 Buick hood scoop
    Readers brainstorm ideas for future Indie Auto stories
    October 14, 2022 141
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