Always amusing to see non-researchers and non-journalists critiquing trade and hobby publications...
The trades and hobby pubs are a business. They make their money selling advertising; singleton copies at the newsstand or online; and subscriptions (both hard copy and online). Content usually consists of either: industry news; trends; techniques; profiles; or reviews.
Typically, critical reviews are within editorial policy when the item receiving coverage is external to the central or "core focus" subject matter of the publication. The Chicago Sun Times, for example, is not primarily focused on (or supported by) the entertainment or hospitality industries. Its on-staff reviewers are thus permitted to submit critical reviews about movies, restaurants, music products, and the like. Likewise, "music products" are not the core focus at Stereophile. As trends have shown, Stereophile has no problem critically reviewing album releases. Shootout format reviews of Expensive Cables, not so much... :-)
Speaking of which, when the reviewed item does apply to the publication's core focus, then products given review coverage will typically be presented in a positive light and in a neutral tone. Negative coverage is usually only done in instances where the reviewed item does something egregious. Otherwise, a "negative review" is denoted via non-coverage. Simply put, stuff that's mediocre or outright sucks doesn't warrant column inches except in unusual or extreme cases. More often than not, reviews are more about finding "hidden gems" (e.g., Sam Tellig's review of the LFD integrated) than it is about "bashing". At the same time, bashing or a "reality check" does happen on occasion (e.g. the recent Totem Forest "C" rating in Stereophile).
A good analogy to the editorial policy at HiFi magazines would be reviews found in Photography Equipment Hobbyist publications. These magazines generate most of their income from photo equipment manufacturers and dealers buying advertising. Products that are given coverage in featured reviews are presented in a positive light almost without exception. Again, stuff that's crud, with rare exception, simply doesn't warrant coverage.
Also, Breitling is a privately held company and as such doesn't release exact unit sales figures. So, how exactly was the Breitling earnings factoid determined?
That, and I highly doubt the comment that a car reviewer earns $180K a year for published reviews. $180K is about what a Managing Editor gets at a nationally distributed monthly. Please feel free to correct me, but more than likely, your neighbor is paid $3000.00 for a published assignment, with each assignment containing ~5 reviews. This would yield an annual salary of $36,000, which is much more in line with current market rates for Staff Writers. Two assignments a month bumps that up to $72,000 a year, which is consistent with current market rates for Senior Writers. (Again, please feel free to correct me).
Disclosure: I have 20+ years working as a staff & freelance journalist. I've been nationally published and have sold over 150 assignments in 19 markets. These days, my primary income source is working as an IT consultant, where I earn my keep conducting Human Factors & Marketing Research. A substantial part of the job entails authoring deliverable reports and presentations.
The trades and hobby pubs are a business. They make their money selling advertising; singleton copies at the newsstand or online; and subscriptions (both hard copy and online). Content usually consists of either: industry news; trends; techniques; profiles; or reviews.
Typically, critical reviews are within editorial policy when the item receiving coverage is external to the central or "core focus" subject matter of the publication. The Chicago Sun Times, for example, is not primarily focused on (or supported by) the entertainment or hospitality industries. Its on-staff reviewers are thus permitted to submit critical reviews about movies, restaurants, music products, and the like. Likewise, "music products" are not the core focus at Stereophile. As trends have shown, Stereophile has no problem critically reviewing album releases. Shootout format reviews of Expensive Cables, not so much... :-)
Speaking of which, when the reviewed item does apply to the publication's core focus, then products given review coverage will typically be presented in a positive light and in a neutral tone. Negative coverage is usually only done in instances where the reviewed item does something egregious. Otherwise, a "negative review" is denoted via non-coverage. Simply put, stuff that's mediocre or outright sucks doesn't warrant column inches except in unusual or extreme cases. More often than not, reviews are more about finding "hidden gems" (e.g., Sam Tellig's review of the LFD integrated) than it is about "bashing". At the same time, bashing or a "reality check" does happen on occasion (e.g. the recent Totem Forest "C" rating in Stereophile).
A good analogy to the editorial policy at HiFi magazines would be reviews found in Photography Equipment Hobbyist publications. These magazines generate most of their income from photo equipment manufacturers and dealers buying advertising. Products that are given coverage in featured reviews are presented in a positive light almost without exception. Again, stuff that's crud, with rare exception, simply doesn't warrant coverage.
Also, Breitling is a privately held company and as such doesn't release exact unit sales figures. So, how exactly was the Breitling earnings factoid determined?
That, and I highly doubt the comment that a car reviewer earns $180K a year for published reviews. $180K is about what a Managing Editor gets at a nationally distributed monthly. Please feel free to correct me, but more than likely, your neighbor is paid $3000.00 for a published assignment, with each assignment containing ~5 reviews. This would yield an annual salary of $36,000, which is much more in line with current market rates for Staff Writers. Two assignments a month bumps that up to $72,000 a year, which is consistent with current market rates for Senior Writers. (Again, please feel free to correct me).
Disclosure: I have 20+ years working as a staff & freelance journalist. I've been nationally published and have sold over 150 assignments in 19 markets. These days, my primary income source is working as an IT consultant, where I earn my keep conducting Human Factors & Marketing Research. A substantial part of the job entails authoring deliverable reports and presentations.