Tom’s Take: The Motor Press Guild - A Downward Spiral Harbinger Of An Industry. Can It Be Saved?

On April 12, 2011, the MPG Monthly Meeting played host to Edsel B. Ford II who had this plea - “I need your help,” Mr. Ford said with the drone of jets landing at LAX during the luncheon at The Proud Bird. “I’d like you to tell all your friends that Ford has lost the punch bowl, and we want it back.” The Punch Bowl was the trophy won in Henry Ford's first race 110 years ago (from 2011)." Henry Ford entered a 10-lap, 10-mile race at the Detroit Driving Club in Grosse Point, Michigan in his self-built race car called “Sweepstakes” - given that the race was held at a horse racing track - and won. Image Credit: Edmund Jenks (2011)

Tom’s Take: The Motor Press Guild - A Downward Spiral Harbinger Of An Industry. Can It Be Saved?

By Tom Stahler

The overall interest in the automobile has waned in the last decade and its biggest fans are dying off at a rate similar to WW2 veterans in the 2000’s. Nothing could be more indicative than attending the Motor Press Guild “MPG Awards” on Sunday evening, February 24, 2019 at the famed Petersen Automotive Museum. I’m not ready to accept the swan song of the automobile just yet, and, I assume many readers aren’t either.

The Motor Press Guild is the largest and most famous association of Automotive Journalists in North America. The Dean Batchelor Award, named for the Guild’s legendary journalist/builder founder, was the highest honor bestowed on those in automotive media - short of winning a Pulitzer. That was until the viability of the Guild fell on hard times in recent years. There is no one person to blame for this - it has a much bigger picture problem than the individuals that dedicate time and effort to grow, network and educate current and future automotive media.

Tom Stahler (left) on the night of his 2011 Dean Batchelor Award with Dan and Evi Gurney, Evonne (DuQue) and Doug Magnon, Phillipe de Lespinay. Image Credit: Myles Regan (2011)

I won a Dean Batchelor Award for Best Article in December 2011 for my Vintage Motorsport magazine article: The Questor Grand Prix. Despite losing out the overall prize that year to the amazing Senna film documentary, I consider it to be one of the greatest accomplishments of my career. When I stood at the podium and gave my “thank yous,” I looked out over the audience and saw a most impressive collection of Hollywood stars, legendary journalists, notable race drivers, industry heavyweights… Some 400 - plus people.  Such a large crowd, that they literally ran out of food for the banquet. My then-wife and I ate at a Denny’s on the way home from the Petersen that long-ago night.

In contrast, the 2018 Awards Banquet, which had it’s date moved to the last weekend of February 2019, had an attendance of less than 100 people, a very rushed awards presentation, and aside from the finalist books, had little “excellence in automotive journalism” up for the awards. If there was, no supporting content in the presentation revealed anything. Honestly, I had not planned to attend, but then was invited by an executive from Mother’s Polishes and Waxes, a sponsor of the event, literally two hours before the show.

At the 2018 "MPG Awards" with (Left to Right) Bruce Meyer, Tom Stahler, Alex Xydias, John Clinard.

One great takeaway, however, was seeing several iconic racing cars that won the 24 at LeMans over the last 60 years from the Bruce Meyer collection - a current exhibit at the famed automotive museum. Meyer, the collector himself, was on hand for the event. The very generous and affable purveyor of amazing cars, was pleasant and passionate as always, and frankly the only “quasi-celebrity” in attendance. The people who were there were largely unrecognizable, as the usual crowd that frequented this event have either died or lost interest.

So what does this mean to the writer, videographer, photographer, blogger, influencer in the 21st Century in this particular industry? Having been in the Guild nearly ten years and very present in the industry for a lifetime, I have observed significant industry changes. I would like to analyze where things have spun off the track - and perhaps how there can still be a reversal of fortunes.

There seems to be a lot of doom and gloom in this particular niche. It’s a sad story of where Sunday Night’s Banquet devolved from that magical night back in 2011. The Motor Press Guild itself has lost credibility and viability. There are numerous reasons for this.

Tucked between the Nashville, Tenn., Armory and a car repair shop sits what is essentially the world's biggest vending machine. Why hasn't the MPG been given a Monthly Meeting presentation by this outfit? Image Credit: Carvana (2015)

The Automotive Industry is Changing

This, in of itself, is a gigantic can of worms.  Two years ago in this column, I wrote a comparison/contrast of the SEMA Show and Automobility (formerly the LA Auto Show). It was then I posed the question, “Why do the OEMs hate cars?” Sadly the new car business has less and less “enthusiasts” in leadership. The people at the top are not “Car People” beyond the title and manufacturer name on their business card. What they are is Top-tier B-School graduates who specialized in Finance and “branding.” If they didn’t get the job with an OEM, they would be an executive at a different consumer products company like Colgate or Kraft.

Ford is abandoning cars for trucks and SUVs. Image Credit: Ford

Even the designs of car have become uninspired. With the advent of the nefarious socialist Green New Deal in the news, OEM’s continue to respond by removing fossil-fueled power plants to replace them with electric motors.  Naturally this comes with a whole new list of complications. Porsche just announced that its' Macaan SUV will be going electric, for example. While I never liked the “Macabre,” as I refer to it, now I like it even less. Bob Dylan managed to survive “going electric” but for all the folkie detractors, he still had raving fans.

Let’s not even breach the topic of self driving cars… But that is the 2,000 pound gorilla in the corner.
Government bailouts of the Big three in the last three decades has even pushed more bureaucratic interference/influence into the mix. Heck, Ford is abandoning the car business almost entirely to only produce trucks and SUVs. I could go on and on, but clearly the car has become an appliance, some nicer than others, but nothing more and nothing less.

The Way We Consume Content Has Changed

Ultimately, this is because the consumer is changing too. The smartphone changed the way we communicate and consume content. It has taken over the “Freedom clause” that used to be reserved for the automobile. Most everyone now has the knowledge base of the entire world in their pocket. Content comes in snippets and distracting 140 character phrases.

It's so funny, we just don't talk anymore... Image Credit:Medical Daily

The people who once devoured Car and Driver and Road & Track cover to cover are now looking at stories exactly the way you are looking at this one now: on a device. Need a print subscription to any of the big car magazines? They are usually close to free. There are however a few niche print publications that still have readers, but the ad revenue has decreased significantly as well.

The people now writing and photographing in the car business (and pretty much all other industries) have had to surf the waves of change. Rather than being a journalist, the writer/photographer now has to become a digital “influencer.” The number of followers on Twitter, Instagram, FaceBook and others has removed the conventional wisdom of quality - and replaced it purely in quantity. Five seconds of screen time is more important than meaning or intelligence in a long form story that shares sensation and experience. This is what, 15 years ago, I called the coming epidemic of “A-Literacy!” But hey, a picture is worth a thousand words, right?

The Enthusiast Has Changed

Go to any race, any car show, any big-time auction, any car-centric event, and you will still feel passion. There are enthusiasts. The cars themselves and the different interests have changed, but as I explain to anyone who will listen, “It doesn’t matter if it’ s 1960 or 2019: It’s 10:30 on a Friday night and the light from the open garage illuminates the driveway, revealing a group of people, usually holding a beer, standing around an open hood.” Here, the quality far outweighs the quantity as the vast enthusiast circle continues to shrink.

In all honesty, the 2018 Rennsport Porsche meet at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca revitalized my faith in auto-centric enthusiasm. A huge car count, a packed facility - record crowds for the Monterey circuit - and more passion than you could shake a stick. There are several large gatherings that attract and consolidate enthusiasts: The Mitty, The Rolex Reunion, The WeatherTech International Challenge, SEMA, The Acura Grand Prix of Long Beach… But the shifting paradigms have had a greater effect on much more of the grassroots events and activities.

The Buyer’s Market Hasn’t Changed

For the past 70 years, one generation has dominated the marketplace.  They have been catered everything - from diapers to investments to retirement communities - and grew up in an America that allowed them upward mobility, net worth, and unfettered opportunity. The Baby Boomers still dominate the marketplace today. Baby Boomers are notorious hoarders - as the kids of those who suffered the Great Depression and fought WW2 - and refuse to relinquish jobs, money, opportunity.

2019 Arizona Auctions. Barrett-Jackson certainly attracts a "seasoned crowd." Image Credit: Tom Stahler (2019)

Did they work hard and smart and earn this? Absolutely! But because people are now living longer - and are functional longer - this generation has not died off or stepped aside, like prior generations, to create opportunities for those coming up behind them.

In the collector and specialty car market, the same thing is happening. “The fact is, nobody needs to own a cool car. They want to own a cool car. Our industry is completely based on discretionary income, which a huge portion of the population does not possess now, and potentially won’t possess on track with previous generations moving ahead,” comments Darin Roberge, President of Motorwerks Marketing and auto industry expert. “We spend a lot of time collectively coming up with ways to cultivate passion in the younger generations in order to keep this hobby and this industry alive. All those efforts become completely irrelevant if we don’t also address the means in which people need in order to be able to afford it as well.”

Where is the GenX, GenY and Millennial Jay Leno, Bruce Meyer, Dan Gurney? They largely don’t exist, aside from those fortunate enough to have inherited large sums - and really don’t share their passion outside of their circle. Enthusiasm requires involvement. I for one still believe in the tag line: “Take a Kid to a Car Show.”

Lastly, All of the Automotive Journalism Guilds Have Not Changed

The Motor Press Guild is the center of Auto Journalism’s universe in North America. But it is far from the only one. A writer’s guild by design, a major component to the breakdown of this and several other organizations across the country was the inclusion of OEM Corporate Public Relations memberships. At this moment, there are three corporate PR executives sitting on the board of the Motor Press Guild - this is a tremendous mistake. The infiltration has handed too much power to the OEMs when it comes to those who write about cars. Again, most of these PR types are not car people, but corporate bureaucrats who throw influence around and alienate those who do not play ball.

According to Amelia Dalgaard, President of the Motor Press Guild, “The Motor Press Guild, like many of our peers organizations across the country, has challenges. Antiquated systems as well as the changing face of the industry itself are at the forefront. However, we also have a very dynamic, motivated membership who are willing and able to help us change.  From our current board, to some of our most tenured members and even some of the ‘new blood’, if we all work together we can recalibrate the organization to be stronger than ever.”

Amelia Dalgaard, aka "Motorhead Mama" is the current president of the Motor Press Guild. Image Credit: motorheadmama.com

Dalgaard believes that the guild should consider its position. Bloggers and New Media professionals need to be engaged.  Amelia herself is a blogger with her popular Motorhead Mama content.

“Of course the MPG has challenges,” admits Amelia. “Our industry has changed and the organization must pivot to adjust to the new realities, while serving the needs of our members both now and in the future. Some of these changes will be barely noticed but others may be painful.  However, we are a smart, motivated and dynamic group.  I think I speak for the rest of the board when I say that our future is bright if we all remain flexible and are willing to work hard together.”

Not that PR people should not be members in the Guild. However, they should have no voting rights - and most of all, should not have Board of Director Posts. If you look at other industry guilds, take for example, the travel business, which has had major changes in the past two decades, does not allow PR people voting rights or board positions - and charges double the journalist rate for membership. PR people continue to support the Society for American Travel Writers (SATW) and the journalists themselves remain in control to objectively write about destinations and services.

The highlight of every year for a number of us in MPG was Track Days. The OEMs would all bring out their coolest cars at places like Willow Springs and Auto Club Speedway allowing hot laps for qualified journalists on track. Again, you would see a large gathering of membership, with a number of notables in the crowd. For the second year in a row, the OEMs have boycotted the event, as “the cost of tires and wear and tear does not match the coverage.” So this event is gone.

In September, the MPG put on a "Drive Day" called "Miles for Miles." Several OEMs brought cars to the event at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu. The beneficiary of this charity event was auto journalist and MPG member Miles Branman, who was seriously injured in an accident caused by a drunk driver. During the event I had an extensive talk with one of the OEM Public Relations reps who told me in no uncertain terms would they invest the time, cars and manpower into any drive event -- except one that now is done under the guise of charity. So much for anyone besides what's left of "bigtime automotive journalism" getting exposure and opportunities to work their craft.

Just getting test cars from the OEMs is very difficult now - despite a journalist's readership and accomplishments! It never was this way until about two years ago. If you are not on a specific list — mostly those car magazines that now give you a subscription for a dollar a year - forget it. Those same “journalists” go on OEM sponsored trips all over the world to “Drive Land Rovers in Iceland” and "Porsches at the Nurburgring" for example. As a writer, try to be objective after you have been put up in five-star accommodations, wined and dined with international travel. The so-called “A-list writer” is a very small group. Then there are the rest, who continue to passionately write about the same topics - and frankly, are better and much more knowledgeable than the “corporate lackeys” at the top who regurgitate the PR speak learned at the event.

So What’s the Solution?

Do I have a crystal ball? No. Do I have the secret sauce? No. But the best advice I ever received from a successful businessman was “understand and recognize shifting paradigms and be ready to adapt.” Euthanizing the Baby Boomers is not an option, despite the idea and topic made into law by a fictitious US Government in the satirical Christopher Buckley Book, Boomsday.

I have identified the situation. But now it is up to us, the enthusiasts, to perpetuate passion — and pass it along — or it may go the way of the Wooly Mammoth. Perhaps a smart career move for me would be to learn how to write about a different industry or trade, like plastics.

Talk amongst yourselves...




TAGS: Motor Press Guild, MPG, Public Relations, PR, OEM, The Dean Batchelor Award, MPG Awards, Monthly Meetings, MPG Track Days, journalist