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HomeMedia Analysis

Media Analysis

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 […]

Pop quiz: Is this a Valiant or a Volare?
Media Analysis

Does the Internet dumb down auto history?

May 17, 2013 Steve 1

In some respects the rise of the web has been the best thing that ever happened to American automotive history. Just click on Google’s “images” tab and you instantly have access to far more pictures […]

Posts pagination

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  • 1950 Nash Rambler hood ornament
    Speedreaders.info is a rare source of book reviews, but quality varies
    June 3, 2026 0
  • 1958 Lincoln
    1958-60 Lincoln: Failing to beat GM at its own game
    June 2, 2026 12
  • 1957 Nash Ambassador
    Three videos: The death of car culture, rich people’s cars and the 1957 Nash
    May 29, 2026 6
  • 1963 Mercury Marauder
    1963 Mercury Marauder: Ford tries to do a premium-priced car on the cheap
    May 27, 2026 11
  • Did 1964 Ramblers share more parts between size classes than competitors?
    May 26, 2026 1
  • 1976 Tatra T-613
    Tatra was yet another automaker that deemphasized aerodynamics by 1970s
    May 22, 2026 12
  • Patrick Foster shows how International Harvester failed to adapt
    May 13, 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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