Stereophile (TEN) Sold to AVTech Media Ltd (UK)

[Brinkman Ship]

This should be very interesting. I hope only those who provided MQA with PR Services are tossed, all others

I hope have security.

 

[Brinkman Ship]

posted by none other than author Jim Smith at AA:

 

https://www.audioasylum.com/cgi/vt.mpl?f=critics&m=92129

[Brinkman Ship]

5 minutes ago, mav52 said:

If ML was one of them, can't say I will miss him.

guess what... you may have gotten your wish according to Smith.

[Brinkman Ship]

13 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

"The thread mentions Michael Lavorgna, Jana Dagdagan, & long-time music reviewer Robert Baird."

 

That thread discusses these rumors within the context of "Stereophile", but I thought there was a corporate separation between Stereophile and Audiostream.  Does this mean that Audiostream itself is a goner (at least in the context of this rumor)?
 

 

I was never under the impression that AS was a separate entity. In fact, for a short period, Lavorgna's AS articles were reprinted in Stereophile.

 

If you noticed, last year AS staffed up on numerous additional contributors. This has probably been in the works for a while. The content was getting lamer and lamer. Oh well, he might have to liquidate "The Barn".

[Brinkman Ship]

1 minute ago, crenca said:

 

Thanks, for the last year at least I never perused AS and would only click on an article if it was mentioned here.  I did not know there had been a "merger" of sorts with Stereophile proper...

well, just to clarify..they were never separate..AS was just a column...like Analog Corner...

[Brinkman Ship]

1 minute ago, crenca said:

 

Hum, I thought JA himself said (more than once) that they were under the same "corporate tent" but that they were separate and he was not editor of AS or ML...could be misremembering...

I think it is was somewhere in the middle, because they certainly overlapped....

 

FYI, I don't think AS will be folded..but revamped instead...I could be wrong..

[Brinkman Ship]

7 minutes ago, LawrenceDavid said:

Hooray! Let’s all celebrate people losing their livelihoods because of another bullshit buyout. Let’s throw a party to celebrate the people that work incredibly hard creating the articles we analyze and fight over are now unemployed. Let’s get together and hope their families also get really ill and they all lose their health insurance!

What the actual fuck? Anyone happy about this should be ashamed.

You people are horrible. Disagree all you want with writers. These folks are still human beings. This isn’t a victory for anyone.  Shame on you. 

 

I wish the absolute best for ML, JD, and RB the best in their future endeavors- and anyone who wants to celebrate the news of their departure can go right ahead and fuck off. 

 

Happy Saturday.

 

 

 

 

No, let's celebrate the fact that poetic justice was served to an individual and  possibly more individuals that worked against the public good and against consumers interest in promoting garbage like MQA I will gladly fuck off and leave you with the fact that IMO ML was a charity case...

[Brinkman Ship]

4 minutes ago, GUTB said:

 

Dude you literally made up a fictional story about a MQA listening test. Be careful of karma.

Sure. Sure I did.

 

Karma> A bitch. I have never, ever once, worked against the public good.

[Brinkman Ship]

1 minute ago, Indydan said:

Here is Lavorgna's reaction, upon learning he was fired.

 

Maybe John Atkinson was surprised too. He did post that he would be left alone to run Stereophile as he saw fit.

 

After someone picks up these socks, maybe they can pick up Atkinson's socks too...his were blown off by MQA.

 

Or was it his jaw that hit the ground? I forget.

[Brinkman Ship]

BTW, John Atkinson posted on Reichert's FB page that Jana may get to stay, as they have a "rescue plan".

 

This usually means a huge pay cut, or part time work with no benefits. I have seen that many times.

[Brinkman Ship]

4 minutes ago, firedog said:

No, it was considered a separate entity, with ML as the editor. 

If that is the case, I stand corrected, either way, they were both owned by the same media company.

[Brinkman Ship]

10 minutes ago, BigAlMc said:

 

I'm with @LawrenceDavid here.

 

A. Celebrating people losing their livelihoods is in extremely questionable taste. 

 

B. Your celebrating a corporate takeover that doesn't for one second even pretend to put us first. It's a money thing, not a vindication of your vitriol towards MQA. 

 

C. Regardless of whether you are pro or anti MQA (I'm undecided BTW) the merger of publishing and reduction of sources for independent views (whether you agree with them or not) is a loss to the community. 

 

@Brinkman Ship I've read a lot of your posts and you are clearly a knowledgeable and intelligent guy. But this debunk MQA at all costs lowers any authority you might want to establish. History will tell dude. No need to be so zealous.

 

While you make some elegant, and politically correct points, you are free to wish all parties the best, and I am free to not do that. ML treated people with disrespect, keep that in mind.

 

And more importantly..Economic realities are just that...reality. Their owners divested because they were underperforming, and out of step.

 

I had and no one here had anything to with it. Yes, maybe my comments are not in the best taste, but neither was ML and Sphile's dishonest endorsement of MQA>

[Brinkman Ship]

2 minutes ago, crenca said:

 

 

@LawrenceDavid, your moralistic finger wagging ain't going to work because A) ML is not a "nice guy" B) It's just a job - he can go get another one C) ML really was nasty to more than a few of the regulars around here D) He too often supported products/causes that are truly not in the interest of anyone excepting those who make a few bucks off them.  

 

I personally don't wish him ill, though I do hope for his reform.  Prison is not quite the place, but surely some sort of Audiophile purgatory is...maybe a job flippin burgers?

 

@BigAIMc

 

A)  He has not "lost his livelihood", it's a mere shift - you will see him soon enough...baybe at the next audio show you attend demoing some magic cable or  other or perhaps Synergistic Research black boxes

 

B)  Corporations are not the problem, Voodoo Corporations are

 

C) Just any "independent" review won't do - it really has to be independent.  ML's views were standard Audiophile drivel.  A multiplicity of drivel is not a good in of itself.

 

 

To quote Meatloaf...You Took The Words Right Out Of My Mouth...

[Brinkman Ship]

1 hour ago, cjf said:

Lol...probably one of the funniest things I've seen written here in a long time, I love it! 

I agree...

[Brinkman Ship]

4 hours ago, Speedskater said:

Other than JA, how many other writers depend on Stereophile for their livelihood?

I thought that most write so that they will be treated as VIP's at hi-fi shows and to get lots of expensive loaner equipment.

I believe that Michael Fremer, Art Dudley, Jana D, and few others were the only full time employees. All other writers were contractors. If anyone has any info that is different, feel free to correct. I am unsure about Reichert.

[Brinkman Ship]

What a way to end the weekend..check out a post on this thread, then Michael Fremer's response...WOW!

 

Post:

 

"Stereophile and AnalogPlanet are little more than trade "advertorial" vehicles. I would guess that Steve Guttenberg, through his videos and articles on CNet, drives much more traffic on his own than all of the writers combined on Stereophile and AP.

Fremer response:

 

In the old days, for calling my HONEST hard work in Stereophile (including a good share of negative reviews) and in my website AnalogPlanet little more than trade "advertorials" I'd respond by telling you to go **** yourself.

But I've since mellowed. So instead I'll say GO **** YOURSELF.

What's more, your "guess" about Steve's traffic compared to our combined traffic is nothing more than ASS JUICE you should wipe up.

Now after essentially calling me corrupt, it's your turn to act all offended and write that me telling you to GO **** YOURSELF is "proof" that you've hit a nerve and what you've charged must be true.

I'm used to dealing with irresponsible, so predictable ****bags like you who spout off but have never actually READ what I write because had you, you'd not have posted such puss."

http://forums.stevehoffman.tv/threads/stereophile-and-related-sites-sold-layoffs-have-begun.744070/

 

[Brinkman Ship]

Here is Michael's post to me:

 

"Michael Fremer here:

The comments here indicate a lack of knowledge and/or understanding of publishing and business in general. Aside from some particularly insulting comments calling Stereophile and my website "little more than advertorials" there's a lot of hysteria and ridiculous speculation so let's all calm down and understand what's happened.

The new owners took a look at the spreadsheets and the numbers and here's what they found: they bought the group because it makes money.

It is a successful overall enterprise led by Stereophile which is probably the most, or among the world's most successful audio magazines with a print circulation in excess of 70,000 subscribers. Stereophile unlike its only print competition is an audited book. Stereophile's web traffic is enormous as any of its many advertisers will tell you—in the hundreds of thousands of page hits monthly (or whatever term is normally used to measure traffic).

The new owners made some decisions based on the numbers. Numbers don't lie. Some parts of the group are more successful than others. That doesn't mean everyone who remains agrees with everything that was done but that's not the point. Stereophile will remain healthy. In fact it will be healthier. People panicking here about losing subscription money ($12 or so?) are just been hysterical.

Tyll Hertsens' InnerFidelity headphone-based site has extremely good traffic and advertiser support. Tyll has long been considered one of the leading headphone authorities and has been since long before the recent 'headphone craze'. He's not going anywhere.

Speaking personally my website, AnalogPlanet started strong and has shown healthy growth every year over the past six years. AnalogPlanet's YouTube channel has more than 15,000 subscribers. Stereophile has been doing a series of videos showing reviewers' rooms. The one of my room shot by Jana Dagdagan is approaching 200,000 views.

I was extremely upset that Jana was let go. I think it was a mistake. Perhaps the new owners will reconsider. She was just over to my place last week and we shot a few hours' worth of video. One, a review of Pro-Ject's VC-S cleaning machine was edited before the surprise layoffs and in the one day it's been up on the YouTube channel it has more than 5000 views.

Robert Baird has had a long run at Stereophile and I don't know why he's been let go. Certainly not for cause. His end of mag column was always great. On the other hand, IMO some of the reviewers he had, while good writers and musically knowledgeable, had no audiophile creds and so weren't capable of telling reader whether the recording was great or meh. Yes, it's about the music. But it's foremost an audio magazine so sound matters in a review. My guess is that the magazine derives zero income from the record industry (such that there is today) and so the cost/benefit ratio of having a well-paid long at the mag music editor as seen by those in charge was extremely low.

I'm also sorry to see Mike Lavorgna go. I don't know what's going to happen to the AudioStream site he ran but let's be honest about one thing: computer audio (and by that I mean downloading files) is going away. Streaming is taking over. Perhaps the new owners looked at the numbers. One number is that the AudioStream YouTube channel has 574 subscribers. I have noticed that some of the other "computer audio" sites are diversifying and moving away from strictly computer audio. That includes the excellent site run by John Darko. He notes that Oppo has thrown in the towel and will no longer be making disc-based products. So perhaps the new owners are looking forward and see less of a need for a "computer audio" site since Stereophile already covers streaming audio products both online and in print. I'm just speculating there.

I'm trying to be HONEST here. It might even get me in trouble. At this point after doing this for 30+ years I care more about leveling with people especially in light of some of the hysteria here. However, when someone talks **** about me like that clown who called my site an "advertorial" you'd better believe there will be strong blowback!"

 

my response:

 

"Thank you very much for your informative reply.

-I certainly don't agree with any "insulting" posts posted here

-I agree completely that letting Baird go is a terrible idea. I think he was great.
-Jana D had a great future..agree there as well.

-Totally disagree about "computer audio"...but even IF streaming is the future..you still need a computer or a streamer and a DAC...hence..computer audio.

IMO...You can never get into "trouble" by being honest, so thanks for speaking your mind. "

 

and

 

"I might add, that it is only natural that your comments specific to the sale are going to have a certain spin, and I do NOT mean that in a negative way..

Others have commented that your group was not in line with T.E.N.'s financial goals, and the company that purchased you is really rather small...just to give another view of things.

I did post here further up that I did not believe anything would happen to Stereophile..personnel changes, sure, but the magazine is not going anywhere, and readers should not panic."

 

 

[Brinkman Ship]

5 hours ago, Miska said:

 

Yeah, "streamers" are computers, just single-purpose ones. And I don't think downloads are going anywhere either.

 

The fact that these old school magazines refuse to recognize computers, software and computer audio in general as growing part of HiFi scene is certainly one of their biggest losses. They try to behave like such thing doesn't exist and by behaving so hoping it'll go away. Stereophile to lesser extent than some others though. But probably they do it because "computer audio companies" don't advertise much on print press (*). And reviewing computer audio things is not as simple as reviewing a simple single box solution like an amplifier.

 

*) Advertising on print press is very expensive and reach if fairly limited, and for example I simply don't have money for such...

Yes, I found it mystifying that MF thinks that "computer audio" is a thing of the past and is confined to "downloads"..

 

I mean talk about out of touch....

 

If he returns I want to ask him if his "evaluation" and comments about MQA were "HONEST"....

[Brinkman Ship]

7 hours ago, mrvco said:

 

So obviously that post was removed by a mod, but it boggles the mind how he could think that vitriolic response to an otherwise forgettable comment helps his or his employer's cause in any way.

yes...indeed. And anyone one else would have been banned...

 

I was nothing but polite but later you will see he called me a "clown" because he did not like the thread title.  I think

he can become unhinged rather unpredictably...It IS good entertainment...

[Brinkman Ship]

42 minutes ago, HalSF said:

Michael Fremer is a great hi-fi journalist but I don't enjoy his vitriol any more than I enjoy his Jerry Lewis-in-France stabs at comedy. 

 

But sometimes I do feel a sneaking admiration for his willingness to kick back hard and mean as a snake when some audio troll insults his life's work or calls him a bought-and-paid-for advertorial hack. 

So you are ok with name calling and rudeness as long as it comes from a pseudo celeb or reviewer?

[Brinkman Ship]

"Following the acquisition, Stereophile's new owners took a long, hard look 
at the value each full-time employee brought to our ventures. As result, 
Stereophile music editor Robert Baird and AudioStream editor Michael 
Lavorgna were let go. In addition, they decided that at least for a while, 
our editorial coordinator and talented videographer Jana Dagdagan would
stay but as a contractor rather than a full-time employee."

 

John Atkinson

[Brinkman Ship]

24 minutes ago, HalSF said:

Yes. I'm super hypocritical that way. 

well thnks for honesty...

[Brinkman Ship]

...let’s add Mind Reader to your resume...

[Brinkman Ship]

1 hour ago, John_Atkinson said:

 

We announced at AXPONA yesterday that Jana Dagdagan is the new editor of Audiostream.com. She will also continue to produce videos for us.

 

John Atkinson

ditor, Streophile

Good move chief. Does Jana have a reference system?