first off, hotvws is a great mag with an amazing history and the way they have supported every aspect of the acvw world (street, strip, sand, off-road, vintage, show coverage and sponsorship, etc) is phenominal. i grew up reading hotvws and vwtrends and have to say that without those mags i would probably not have been as into acvw's as i am today. for that, i am thankfull.
but imho, ultravw has raised the bar and hotvws hasnt really gotten any better, they've just stayed the same.
Along with a 6 page feature, and the cover, HOT VWs asks to have other VW mags 'hold back' until the feature comes out. HOT VWs asks for some loyalty where the european mags can be ruthless. This is why when a car is starting out a shoot, the HOT VWs stickers are put on the 1/4 glass. 40 years in business VS 4.
that seems like alot of \"loyalty\" to ask for imho. it would seem more reasonable to ask the owner of the vehicle for exclusivity. i'm not sure i understand the 1/4 window sticker thing. i know it's on the car for the hotvws shoot, but it probably doesnt stay on there for much longer than that. and if hotvws is this way about feature cars, i wonder how they feel about their writers/photographers working for the other mags.
i know ultravw has only been around for a few years, but volksworld has been around for awhile, hasnt it?
while i certainly can't speak for HotVWs or Ultra VWs, i can confirm that there's no bigger piss-off for media types to suss out a great feature subject, do the research, assign the photos and write the story, only to be scooped by your competition. at my paper, if my direct competitor does a story before i get the chance to print it, my story won't see the light of day. the nature of competition requires us to do different stories/features -- otherwise, why would one reader choose to read ours versus theirs?
i'm totally picking up what you're putting down and the same can be said for alot of businesses. competition is fierce, and sometimes you have to be extra creative, extremely unique and offer that \"special something\" in order to get the people to pay for your product rather than someone elses.
i'm just analyzing this from the outside looking in. like lanny said, rk & dean could explain it better and i'm sure there is alot more to the whole story. i just like a good, clean discussion and i also enjoy learning more about how it all works.
regardless of all the politics and everything else involved, i will continue to support hotvws, ultravw and volksworld by buying their mags.