Like many of the people who visit these pages, I am a fan of television and films. I am particularly drawn to genre projects. Like most science fiction fans, I have been a long time subscriber to Starlog Magazine. For a lot of years they have been the definitive source to information on just that kind of entertainment. I still own every issue going back more than 15 years. Second only to Famous Monsters, I have long enjoyed the rich tradition the magazine established.
Well….since Issue April #374 Starlog has ceased publishing. That alone marks a sad end to an era for most genre fans. It’s unfortunate, but it happens. What makes this passing more tragic is the way that the Starlog Press has decided to treat its loyal customers. It’s been 4 months since we’ve gotten a magazine. As of several issues ago, subscriber service contact information disappeared from the magazine. This was likely in anticipation of the end. Since that time no communication of any kind was offered by the company. Finally I visited the web site where I discovered no mention of the publication’s end, or a way to contact anyone if we had outstanding subscriptions. Finally, in the forum of sister magazine Fangoria there were posts about the missing issues. The Fangoria staff responded that a letter was sent to inform subscribers of the ending and offer them refund options. Of course, the posts that followed showed the letters were never given out. I had 21 issues still coming to me and was never sent such a letter. I’d love to hear from anyone who has ever seen this elusive “letter”.
I’ve come to your rescue. I have an E-Mail address to a woman named Dee Erwine.
( dee.erwine@starloggroup.com )She has been at the subscriptions department for at least the last 5 years. If you write to her, she’ll take care of you. If you’re hoping for some kind of bonus or even a single apology, you won’t get it from Dee or anyone else. Your options will be to receive back issues of Starlog or transfer your remaining issues to Fangoria. I reluctantly chose the latter. I gave Dee a chance, three times, to give me something from them that I could include in my post. She declined, only referring to the fact that the magazine ended with the aforementioned issue. Make sure you let Dee know exactly how you feel about the situation. The company has been uninformative and remarkably short and terse to the community that lined their pockets with cash for many years. It’s a rather unfortunate policy.
And so… I find more than a bit of tarnish on a staple of the industry for many years with no obvious regret coming from the tarnished. I should have known things were bad when they changed their logo to that awful monstrosity in the final few issues. Enjoy your Fangoria issues, my gentle readers, They have a lot to prove to me before I even consider resubscribing to that magazine when my 21 issues run out. A private source tells me Starlog might eventually return. My reply? Unless you’re going to make this up to us, don’t bother.
12/21/2009 @ 3:59 pm
If starlog died, isn’t Fangoria next on the chopping block? Is it safe to give them any money?
12/21/2009 @ 4:52 pm
I worry about that as well.
Right now they appear to be doing fine, but if the Starlog incident has taught me anything, you won’t know they’re going until it’s been months since you last got an issue. I’d only get a year at a time. Good point.
12/23/2009 @ 12:12 pm
I too, did not ever get a letter…it wasn’t until today that I caught this info about a contact to e-mail, so who knows if I’ll ever see reimbursement for my missing issues (I was due a year and some change…maybe 14 to 16 issues).
As someone who religiously bought Starlog for years, even at their outrageous cover price (more than a porno mag!), it’s a shame loyal subscribers got treated in such a poor, poor manner.
01/19/2010 @ 2:04 pm
I wouldn’t send Fangoria any money or else the same thing could happen. I’ve written to Dee Erwin several times and have not gotten a single reply. Also, I tried to access the Starlog website (www.starlog.com) and the only thing that appears is their logo. I’m afraid the website may be gone too.