LAUNCH Mag won't return in print.

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That's too bad... it was a first-class magazine and had a LOT of good info in it besides model/HPR rocketry, which is unique compared to the other rocketry mags. It's a shame they can't still publish, but it's VERY expensive I'm sure and only getting worse. Sad to hear it...

I wish they'd give the option to just roll over whatever subscription a person has left into Ad Astra and call it good. That could be interesting.

As a farmer, I get TONS of free mags; some do dun you for a subscription every year or two but there is only one two magazines that I will actually spend money to pay for-- Farm Show and Stockman Grass Farmer. Both are 'fringe' mags, or "alternative publications" or whatever the buzzword is, and both are printed on newsprint with either mostly black and white photographs and only color on the banners/adverts (SGF) or printed with photos in color (Farm Show) which interestingly enough sells NO ADVERTISING WHATSOEVER! Most of the submissions are good ideas from farmers and ranchers with techniques, tips, inventions, etc. to save farmers money, and a "review" section written by randomly polled subscribers about their "best/worst buys", hence no advertisers to have to "pull punches for".

Most of the free mags I get are mostly ag-rags: mostly glossy full-color mags whose purpose is more for a source of advertising revenue than actually conveying any important or meaningful information to average farmers that they can actually use. Most are so blatantly beholden to their advertisers that they're a poster child for yellow journalism-- the stories are SO slanted to the purposes of the advertisers that they're little more than testimonials. The fancier the magazine is (slicker the paper, glossier the photos) generally the worse they are. I finally just started throwing the "Cotton Grower" mag straight in the trash can when it would arrive, because its ONLY content was to embellish the advertisers; when I was reading it I laughingly called it the "Kenneth Hood Report" since it was mostly about this huge farmer in Mississippi and his sweetheart deals with the chemical/seed companies. Yellow journalism at it's worst...

It's a shame that LAUNCH cannot perhaps switch to a lower-production quality format (newsprint and black/white, color if affordable) and finish out their run. Even that is expensive, depending on the readership and subscription numbers...

I hope things go better for the Mayfields in the future. It was fun while it lasted.

OL JR :)
 
I feel like I should give the free rocket back. Great magazine.

Keith
 
Mark Mayfield and Deb Martin are a class act.

Mark loves rocketry and tried to make a go of it. Mark publishes first rate magazines, but unfortunately it appears that in this bad economy, the publication costs for a classy, glossy magazine simply exceeds the ad revenues and subscription income.

It's sad to see it go but it was sure fun while it lasted.

Bob
 
You can bet that this decision is just killing Mark. It's what he and Deb had to do, and I'm betting they did everything they could to prevent it.

I've spoken with Mark to know just how passionate they both are about the magazine, so I'm certain this decision didn't come easily, at all.

-Kevin
 
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