secsy1 Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 Lets face reality and put it as it is. The Speedway Star caters for the 50-70+ age bracket. With 2 articles on Anders Rowe - thought I had early signs of dementia after reading first article and the a few days later realising their were 2 articles. Nothing wrong with the West Ham memories, but to include details of Australia test match in same issue? Might be good reads, but for which age group? How can British Speedway Improve- Well lets deliver a magazine that entices a new generation to buy it as something is in it that is actually relevant to the new youth generation. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigcatdiary Posted March 10 Report Share Posted March 10 On 3/6/2025 at 11:51 PM, SharpenRake said: Are you planning a monthly attack on the Speedway Star? For the record I think they do a very good job. Certainly better than Royal Mail do in delivering it, I live 26 miles from where it’s printed and yet it takes on average 4 days for it to arrive on a first class stamp, RM are a complete mess. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmuncie Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 13 hours ago, secsy1 said: Lets face reality and put it as it is. The Speedway Star caters for the 50-70+ age bracket. With 2 articles on Anders Rowe - thought I had early signs of dementia after reading first article and the a few days later realising their were 2 articles. Nothing wrong with the West Ham memories, but to include details of Australia test match in same issue? Might be good reads, but for which age group? How can British Speedway Improve- Well lets deliver a magazine that entices a new generation to buy it as something is in it that is actually relevant to the new youth generation. I would actually disagree on that front, for the Star to survive it needs to cater for the older generation as they are the only people that pay for print media these days. A magazine that caters for the younger an generation won’t sell as the younger generation don’t buy magazines/newspapers and I would imagine (although don’t have the stats to prove it) also are on the lower end of paying for media content that is online behind paywalls 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikebv Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 (edited) 21 hours ago, secsy1 said: Lets face reality and put it as it is. The Speedway Star caters for the 50-70+ age bracket. With 2 articles on Anders Rowe - thought I had early signs of dementia after reading first article and the a few days later realising their were 2 articles. Nothing wrong with the West Ham memories, but to include details of Australia test match in same issue? Might be good reads, but for which age group? How can British Speedway Improve- Well lets deliver a magazine that entices a new generation to buy it as something is in it that is actually relevant to the new youth generation. There is no "new youth generation" to talk of... Mainly kids go with parents and grandparents until around 11 years old and then sack it off as video games and sports clubs training nights kick in, and then "hanging out" with mates when becoming a teenager is the usual evening time agenda... And any kid who still attends football matches mid week, or weekends, will need to catch up on homework, with not too many prioritising Speedway over Football .. The main opportunity for the sport is to get more "gone aways" back... Those thousands of 40+ something's who "used to go" but got dissilusioned by the sport and simply "gave up" on it... (But still watch pretty much every Speedway meeting on the TV)... Maybe start to listen to those who complain about the Mickey Mouse rules, lack of entertainment, and admission costs, and some may come back..? Much easier to get them older ex fans, with more disposable income, to attend, than expect a 12 to 16 year old attend each week... Anyhow, got my Star today from Tesco's and it again had a barcode issue.. The assistant took a photo of the barcode on her phone and it scanned using that photo... A great read again, what a tremendous production for such a small sport... Edited March 11 by mikebv 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secsy1 Posted March 11 Report Share Posted March 11 11 hours ago, gmuncie said: I would actually disagree on that front, for the Star to survive it needs to cater for the older generation as they are the only people that pay for print media these days. A magazine that caters for the younger an generation won’t sell as the younger generation don’t buy magazines/newspapers and I would imagine (although don’t have the stats to prove it) also are on the lower end of paying for media content that is online behind paywalls So according to your philosophy when this existing generation pops their clogs, speedway is done? Whether it be magazines, internet, book or stone etchings on tablets everyone needs to wake up and embrace the new technology and push our great sport forward and stop digging the grave deeper. It can be done and the sport re invented, just some bright spark to have the right idea and do it instead of continually living in the past. For me snooker is just as dire and boring as it has always been, but it gets worldwide coverage and enormous sponsorship. Darts is more about the personal experience at tournaments and a happy bunch of pi22heads attending and look at the media coverage. Speedway is far more exciting but it needs a guru to drag it into this year and help them exploit the potential it has. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted March 12 Report Share Posted March 12 I maybe in my 50s now but have been buying the star since I was in my early 20s 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buck Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 (edited) I've also taken Speedway Star for a very long time - since I first followed Birmingham in 1953, and I think they do very well to produce such a good quality magazine - especially during the close-season when there is not too much going on for them to report on. If I have a criticism, I think far too much space is devoted to foreign affairs. Last week there was a double page spread about a training camp in Denmark and this week's edition has an extensive similar feature which has just taken place in Poland. There is also the weekly "Polish Scene" and quite extensive reports of European, Australian, and American events and plans, none of which I find particularly interesting. Rider interviews are tending to be a bit repetitive too - with a big overuse of the description "cool" in too many of them - and I dislike and object to, the growing use of casual bad language in some features. These are generally, fairly minor criticisms and I'd say overall, that Speedway Star is still a pretty good read. Edited March 14 by Buck 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
arnieg Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 51 minutes ago, Buck said: If I have a criticism, I think far too much space is devoted to foreign affairs. Last week there was a double page spread about a training camp in Denmark and this week's edition has an extensive similar feature which has just taken place in Poland. There is also the weekly "Polish Scene" and quite extensive reports of European, Australian, and American events and plans, none of which I find particularly interesting. Rider interviews are tending to be a bit repetitive too These are generally, fairly minor criticisms and I'd say overall, that Speedway Star is still a pretty good read. For a contrary view I usually turn first to the Foreign Newsdesk - all the contributors do a great job and I'd happily see them given more space. I agree with you that it's rare to find a rider interview that is genuinely illuminating and that given the circumstances the Star does well to keep going. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FromBendThree Posted March 14 Report Share Posted March 14 1 hour ago, arnieg said: rare to find a rider interview that is genuinely illuminating Usually over-written and filled with cliches and platitudes. Few if any real characters in the sport and others scared to say boo to a goose. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted March 15 Report Share Posted March 15 Speaking for self, I much prefer physical copies of magazines as I spend most of my working day staring into monitors, online stuff is great when it works. When it works. The Star is a great, tho not perfect magazine, there is more foreign news by necessity as with quite a few clubs sadly closed in the UK it follows there is less UK news to report. The biggest problem area with Speedway Star is the distribution which can be pretty random, after weeks of being on time so far in 2025 my copy has been late the last 3 weeks, regular post arrived, still not received this week's 13 March issue, tho was on sale in Asda.... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pinny Posted March 19 Report Share Posted March 19 I always found as a kid that the star was a brilliant read due to not having the internet at the time. Every Thursday evening it would be full of news that you didn't know about, used to find out about signings every week in it even for my home team. As soon as we got internet on our computer, the star became a waste of time and money as everything in there was already on the internet. It will have interviews and maybe pictures not seen online but all the main news is already out there by the time its released. I do think the star is a great product though. Well presented, neat and tidy. Well it was the last time I seen one. This forum used to be alight during the winter back in the day. I was just browsing various sub-forums on here then and to see it so quiet is quite sad. The main forum on here now is the General Discussion forum, which I think says it all and even that hasn't had a post for over a day. Very sad to see as even though it has its faults, its been the center of the British Speedway fans community for over 20 years. Hopefully picks up during the season. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
martinmauger Posted March 21 Report Share Posted March 21 (edited) On 3/19/2025 at 1:51 PM, Pinny said: I always found as a kid that the star was a brilliant read due to not having the internet at the time. Every Thursday evening it would be full of news that you didn't know about, used to find out about signings every week in it even for my home team. As soon as we got internet on our computer, the star became a waste of time and money as everything in there was already on the internet. It will have interviews and maybe pictures not seen online but all the main news is already out there by the time its released. I do think the star is a great product though. Well presented, neat and tidy. Well it was the last time I seen one. This forum used to be alight during the winter back in the day. I was just browsing various sub-forums on here then and to see it so quiet is quite sad. The main forum on here now is the General Discussion forum, which I think says it all and even that hasn't had a post for over a day. Very sad to see as even though it has its faults, its been the center of the British Speedway fans community for over 20 years. Hopefully picks up during the season. Speaking for myself I look in several times everyday often whilst supposed to be working, don't post much as without a team of my own I have a somewhat helicopter view of the sport. I do keep in touch with occurances with who is doing what & have TV fixtures & the meets I hope to make it to written up on my wallplanner, I'm very much looking forward to the new season. Still a great sport, Star was on time this week too so all is well😀..... Edited March 21 by martinmauger Added praise of Speedway Star Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hackett Posted March 24 Report Share Posted March 24 Same issue in Asda this week. Barcode doesn't scan ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
secsy1 Posted March 27 Report Share Posted March 27 Well today sees an absolute stunner edition of Speedway Star. Credit due when it is deserved, well done to everyone at Speedway Star. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko Posted Friday at 12:06 PM Report Share Posted Friday at 12:06 PM This weeks bumper issue actually scanned at my local WHSmiths, I almost fell over in shock lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Hunter Posted Sunday at 09:41 AM Report Share Posted Sunday at 09:41 AM Are there two Drew Kemps? According to the Star the one who rides for Leicester was born in Germany and the one who rides for Berwick was born in England. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesterfieldTiger Posted Sunday at 07:40 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 07:40 PM On 3/28/2025 at 12:06 PM, marko said: This weeks bumper issue actually scanned at my local WHSmiths, I almost fell over in shock lol I had to tap the barcode in when getting mine at WHSmiths this week. I don’t know if this has been mentioned, but the barcode doesn’t seem to be very ‘sharp’. Almost like a before picture when advertising glasses. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChesterfieldTiger Posted Sunday at 08:13 PM Report Share Posted Sunday at 08:13 PM On 3/11/2025 at 10:24 AM, gmuncie said: I would actually disagree on that front, for the Star to survive it needs to cater for the older generation as they are the only people that pay for print media these days. A magazine that caters for the younger an generation won’t sell as the younger generation don’t buy magazines/newspapers and I would imagine (although don’t have the stats to prove it) also are on the lower end of paying for media content that is online behind paywalls I think it would be very dangerous for the Speedway Star, to move away from its current audience. If the attempt to get more younger readers fails, it would probably be left with fewer readers if people stop getting it. As a member of the younger generation (20s) I’d kind of disagree that my generation don’t buy a magazine/newspaper, instead I’d say digital copies are more popular. I suppose this leads to those in charge having to think about balancing digital editions with print, should interest in the sport grow with a younger demographic. I’d also guess that we are on the higher end of paying for media content. Subscriptions like ‘The Athletic’ are quite popular with my peers and other sports media outlets, such as the Cricketer, have released a subscription Mendel to accompany the magazine. The main problem, that is often talked about, is that younger people just aren’t interested in the sport at the moment. For this to change the people in charge need to target social media and making it accessible. Formula 1 has grown massively in interest with my generation since they started sharing the characters involved in the sport and making the behind the scenes more accessible. Speedway has the characters to do this, but unless you’re actively looking for speedway content you probably won’t come across any (unless you already follow them on social media). Once younger people are viewing the sport and taking an interest the star could then think about adding some different content, but for now I’d say they are doing a good job. I like the news from around the sport being put in one place, instead of having to look all over for it. The reports, averages and previews interest me and I regularly like the ‘just saying’ part. I tend to have a flick through the throwback bit, but my dad reads it and occasionally starts reminiscing about the sport. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted Tuesday at 06:46 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 06:46 AM Still waiting for my copy , so bought another one from Smiths on Friday knowing it would probably be late… Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
topaz325 Posted Tuesday at 10:19 AM Report Share Posted Tuesday at 10:19 AM 3 hours ago, topaz325 said: Still waiting for my copy , so bought another one from Smiths on Friday knowing it would probably be late… Just arrived with 7 other letters…. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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