Last changed: Thursday 13-Aug-98
Sorry for the perma-grin. It's not appropriate to this announcement.
It is with great regret that I have to inform you that the October 1998 issue of CU Amiga will be the last ever published. CU Amiga Magazine recently dipped into a state of unprofitability, from which it looked unlikely to emerge. The decision to close the magazine was taken by EMAP in light of the magazine's overall financial performance and the lack of prospects for any immediate or short term recovery.
It is ironic that CU Amiga should close as the world's best selling Amiga magazine, but recently its financial returns have started to outweigh its overheads. While it has been customary for costs to be cut in order to stave off the closure of magazines, it was decided that CU Amiga would be laid to rest without suffering the indignities of having half its pages removed and the remaineder printed on toilet paper in black and white. Neither will it be sold off to another company to be published on a shoe string and run into the ground.
The CU Amiga editorial team were obviously very sorry to hear the news and would like to pass on their sincere thanks to everyone who has helped make CU Amiga such a success and so much fun to work on over its many years of existence.
Tony Horgan
Editor, CU Amiga Magazine
Q: How can the best selling Amiga magazine not make a profit when other smaller
magazines manage to do it?
A: Smaller magazines have different publishing set-ups, different costs and different
distribution channels. Many are run at a slight loss or at break-even by dedicated
people as extended hobbies. CU Amiga is published by a major magazine publishing
company (EMAP), and as a Publicly Limited Company (PLC) EMAP must show its shareholders
that it is making their money work, which means they cannot publish magazines that make
a loss. EMAP are a multi billion pound international corporation; they have stuck with
the Amiga as long as they could. Much smaller firms left years ago claiming the market
was too small for them.
Q: Why are costs not cut in order to save the magazine?
A: That's not what CU Amiga is about. We have always tried to make CU Amiga a watchword
for quality. The editorial staff and our publishers feel it is better to leave on a
high note than continually reduce the size of the magazine, remove the disks, reduce
staff and investment in the title to keep it going regardless of quality.
Q: Surely though something can be done?
A: We could reduce the magazine to a low quality pamphlet that was poorly researched
and written but then it wouldn't be worth the £4.50/£5.99 cover price.
Q: Why don't the staff all take a pay cut?
A: Would you? And where would it end?
Q: Why have you lead us to believe the magazine would not close?
A: We have always been honest and said that there would come a time (if things did
not pick up) when the magazine would no longer be profitable. No-one knew when that
time would be. We have been making money until very recently - this has turned out to
be one summer lull too much for us.
Q: Is this a ploy to get Amiga users to buy PCs?
A: No. CU Amiga's publisher has no PC magazines anyway.
Q: Will "CU Amiga" be turned into "CU PC"?
A: No.
Q: I have a subscription. What happens now?
A: You will be refunded for the outstanding issues. Follow
this link for details.
Q: Why isn't the magazine sold to a publisher who can make a profit from it?
A: Sacrifices would have to be made by any pubilsher that would compromise the magazine
so that it would no longer be the CU Amiga you currently know. EMAP have made the
decision that they want to close CU on a high rather than sell the name on to let
another publisher exploit.
Q: Will CU Amiga return when the new Super Amiga is released?
A: We hope so, although we cannot make any promises on that one. That decision will
be in the hands of our (ex) publisher (EMAP).
Q: Can I take this opportunity to thank the team for their dedication to the
magazine and the Amiga community?
A: Of course you can. Thank you.
Q: And what about us?
A: Well, there's always Amiga Format (as far as we know at this point anyway).
Nick and Ben will look after you. We really are very sorry to have to leave you
like this. We would all love to go on working on the magazine well into the future
but it's just not possible. One way or another we'll be around when the Super Amiga
surfaces, even though it most likely won't be a Class of 98 style reunion of the
whole team under the old banner.
Q: So is it time to pack the Amiga away for good?
A: No! Keep on keeping on and we'll see you soon in happier times. We have been a
point of contact for the Amiga community, but we are not the Amiga, just a magazine
about it. New products will go on being available, and your old ones will work just
as well without CU Amiga in the newsagents.
Q: How do I contact you about anything?
A: Please do not email any of our personal mail accounts with your comments or
queries. We anticipate a lot of mail coming in over this, and we still have one more
issue to produce - flooding our mailboxes will make this harder. You can send us email
on goodbye@cu-amiga.co.uk - we will
welcome your comments and will be printing a selection of them in the last (October
cover dated) issue.
The general@cu-amiga.co.uk address and the goodbye@cu-amiga.co.uk addresses will remain for a little while yet, and while we cannot promise answers in the future, someone will be looking in on those accounts. Obviously our normal section related mail (Q&A, backchat) will not be dealt with any more. Please do not mail us with technical queries in the future, there will be no-one to answer them.
|
Your guide to CU Online
| |
The most updated section of CU Online, this section regularly has news and
important events added.
|
Here you can find the contents of the current issue of CU Amiga along with
hints on the next issue.
|
Special features will appear periodically, usually updated from back issues of
CU Amiga. A valuable resource!
|
Readers pictures on display from the Art Gallery section of the magazine
and also some exlusives. Please send us yours.
|
Missing an issue? Want to know what was in previous issues? Or just want to
gaze at past covers.
|
Stop in here if you want to get the World's best Amiga magazine each month,
every month and fast!
|
Not only the contents of the CDs but also solutions for problems some
readers may have with our Cover CD-ROMs.
|
Rather than a boring links page, we have regular guests to do their own
surf around favourite sights with links.
|
Who does what on CU Amiga. Mug shots, E-mail contacts and mailing list
details can be found here.
|
Hot tips on what's coming in the next issue of CU Amiga magazine. Can you
afford not to look here?
|
| All material on this site is copyright EMAP Images or reproduced with the permission of the respective copyright owners. No material may be reproduced in any form without prior permission from EMAP Images. |
