Well, it was inevitable. Since my first day as editor of STREET CHOPPER, a day would come that would be my last day as editor of STREET CHOPPER. And you might have noticed that for the last couple months on the Masthead (that is the Staff Box to most regular, non-magazine employees out there) that my name shows up in a couple of places. Close to the top I am listed as the Editorial Director of the American Motorcycle Group. Then lower on the page I am also listed as the editor of this here magazine.
Starting with the January 2008 issue my name is only going to appear up by the top of the staff box and there is going to be a brand new name listed as the Editor of STREET CHOPPER and that will be (drumroll, please) Billy Bartels. That's right, Billy Bartels (Yes, his family owns the world famous Bartels H-D in West L.A.) is going to bring his top-notch photography and writing skills and his massive Rolodex and join the STREET CHOPPER staff to lead the magazine into the future.
Other staff changes include Ernie Lopez and Taryn Funcheon sliding over to our sister publication, Hot Bike, full time and the introduction of Toph Bocchiaro as Associate Editor of STREET CHOPPER. Toph is probably very familiar to those of you who have picked up Hot Bike on a regular basis and he has already been participating in the facelift we have been performing on STREET CHOPPER over the past year. If you look at the Road Test of the Big Bear Merc Softail a couple of issues back, he was our official test pilot. We welcome Toph and his considerable knowledge of choppers aboard to further help re-shape STREET CHOPPER.
And finally we will make it official. STREET CHOPPER is going to change frequency from a monthly publication to a bi-monthly publication. This is being done for a couple of reasons, but the straw that broke the camel's back is that the price of paper has gone up once again, making it prohibitively expensive to produce anything that gets printed on paper. The good news is that there will be more time to produce web-exclusive content that will be found on our website at www.streetchopperweb.com.
As far as I am concerned, my time at STREET CHOPPER was way too short for my personal liking. But I will still be around the Source Interlink Media's American Motorcycle Group offices, causing trouble as editor of HOT BIKE BAGGERS magazine, Editorial Director of the entire group, and general jackass of all trades. I miss you guys already!Courtney
"Billy Bartels is going to bring his top-notch photography and writing skills to lead the magazine into the future."