Yeah I got mine 2-3 days ago. Didn't figure it was worth mentioning as I never even open the bag on these now that it's three months into the new year. I get my "free" calendar every year from State Farm. I'd rather have an issue I can read.
John
Can anyone explain why the publisher of this “magazine” that touts itself as the “world’s foremost pinball publication” seemingly gets a pass while appearing to be engaged in the same business model as Paperflock?
I don’t consider this a magazine at all. Just a pinball calendar that may or may not show up each year.
This publisher is older now and had some major health issues. His past work was excellent. He still reports on pinball news. The magazine always had any radic publishing schedule. It has been noted on the order forms and website as far back as I recall. I only started subscribing about 20 years ago.
The subscription price was very modest. Also, regarding shipping costs when you made a purchase of other books that can game girl sold; his shipping costs were very modest is he understands how to use Media Mail.
In the old days there was less online content. All we had was RGP for the most part. PGJ and Gameroom magazine where great reads that you could always look forward to for news and entertainment. Gameroom was monthly and PGJ was more random but maybe 6-9 a year. Times changed and Gameroom eventually went away and Jim from PGJ got cancer. Clay did some issues during that time that were pretty darn good. Jim recovered and continued on but at a slower pace.
He's a good guy that I believe still loves pinball but has been through a lot. 2005-2008 I was making pinball calendars as a side gig. PGJ and Gameroom used to sell them. It was kind of fun but turned into mostly a pain in the ass for little profit. I told Jim he could do it from then on. Since then I'm not sure he has printed more than a couple regular issues. I think doing the calendar is just enough for Jim to carry PGJ along.
I preferred the Pinball Trader (Dennis Dodel, then Tim Ferrante) and Pinball Collector’s Quarterly (Steve Young) simply because they published on time. We bought, sold, and traded games and parts using the classified ads and (very expensive) long distance phone calls.
Most of us quit advertising in the PGJ’s “Good Shtuff” because by the time an issue was published, the game/parts we had were already sold.
That hasn’t stopped me from supporting Jim. I’m one of the few remaining original subscribers.
Quoted from FrankJ:I preferred the Pinball Trader (Dennis Dodel, then Tim Ferrante) and Pinball Collector’s Quarterly (Steve Young) simply because they published on time.
I subscribed to all of these and have to correct you on a couple points.
Pinball Trader was started by Dennis Dodel, then taken over by Jack Simonton. I think that Tim Ferrante got some of their assets while he was publishing Gameroom, but Tim did not publish any PT issues. Under Dennis and Jack, PT was issued sporadically. The "Good Shtuff" was in the PT, not PGJ.
Gameroom was started by Dave Cooper, then went to Tim Ferrante, then Kevin Steele, and finally the Pinball Company. Under Dave and Tim, it came out on a dependable monthly schedule, as you say.
Loose Change was another 'zine that came out on a dependable monthly schedule, until some illness or family issue intervened. Once it got off track, it became extremely irregular.
Others, like Pinhead Classified and The Flipside, were irregular in their schedule.
.................David Marston
Quoted from 1963BSARGS:Can anyone explain why the publisher of this “magazine” that touts itself as the “world’s foremost pinball publication” seemingly gets a pass while appearing to be engaged in the same business model as Paperflock?
I cannot speak for anyone else but I used to have a near complete run of Pingame Journal and they were an amazing resource at the time that was really done out of love and not for profit. He gave the pinball community decades of enjoyment and since the last three or four years he has dealt with some health issues the issues dried up. I think he did an issue when Aliens was released and then one with Bare Naked Ladies but otherwise it has been calendars that usually arrived in April.
People did not give him a pass when the delays started but as their subscriptions ended so did the complaints leaving subscribers like me who keep renewing just to support someone who did so much for the community. I am excited to get the calendar in January this year though, each years gets hung in the game room and it sucked to skip the first quarter of the calendar.
Quoted from dmarston:I subscribed to all of these and have to correct you on a couple points.
Pinball Trader was started by Dennis Dodel, then taken over by Jack Simonton. I think that Tim Ferrante got some of their assets while he was publishing Gameroom, but Tim did not publish any PT issues. Under Dennis and Jack, PT was issued sporadically. The "Good Shtuff" was in the PT, not PGJ.
Gameroom was started by Dave Cooper, then went to Tim Ferrante, then Kevin Steele, and finally the Pinball Company. Under Dave and Tim, it came out on a dependable monthly schedule, as you say.
Loose Change was another 'zine that came out on a dependable monthly schedule, until some illness or family issue intervened. Once it got off track, it became extremely irregular.
Others, like Pinhead Classified and The Flipside, were irregular in their schedule.
.................David Marston
I’m old and forget more than I remember... I stand corrected! I completely forgot about Jack too.
Quoted from Motorcitypinball:I just received my 2021 Calendar in the mail.
One of my Favorite things to look at every day!
[quoted image][quoted image]
Well shoot. I tried contacting Jim on his email and even call to no avail! The phone number is apparently no longer valid. His website is extremely out of date.
He wanted the website for my Pinball Show this year in august and I tried giving him it before he published the calendar.
Does ANYONE have his info??? He’s a hard man to get ahold of. He tried PMing me on Pinside but his account isn’t verified and his contact info was scrubbed.
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:Well shoot. I tried contacting Jim on his email and even call to no avail! The phone number is apparently no longer valid. His website is extremely out of date.
He wanted the website for my Pinball Show this year in august and I tried giving him it before he published the calendar.
Does ANYONE have his info??? He’s a hard man to get ahold of. He tried PMing me on Pinside but his account isn’t verified and his contact info was scrubbed.
Email address on his website is correct. You could also email Kelly.
Mine arrived and was able to display the month of January for 2 days, before it was time to flip it to February. First time in a very long time and quite satisfying, thanks Jim! Hopefully next years arrives before Christmas this year.
It's not really an issue is it? It just seems to be an advertisement for Legends of Valhalla, and I believe it was the LOV crew's idea to release this LOV info in the Pingame Journal format, not that I'm against that. I was surprised to see this show up in my mailbox yesterday, as I let my subscription lapse long ago due to the apparent death on the vine of Pingame Journal, but after thumbing through the whole thing, it doesn't appear to be a standard issue like the old days.
Damn, I'm still waiting for the back issues I ordered and paid for over a year ago, i emailed him about it and was given covid related excuses, pretty much told me he would get to it when he gets to it. absolutely no customer service
Quoted from Moses:Damn, I'm still waiting for the back issues I ordered and paid for over a year ago, i emailed him about it and was given covid related excuses, pretty much told me he would get to it when he gets to it. absolutely no customer service
Odd, never had an issue dealing with Jim. I think Kelly deals with subscriptions. Email again.
Quoted from Rum-Z:It's not really an issue is it? It just seems to be an advertisement for Legends of Valhalla, and I believe it was the LOV crew's idea to release this LOV info in the Pingame Journal format, not that I'm against that. I was surprised to see this show up in my mailbox yesterday, as I let my subscription lapse long ago due to the apparent death on the vine of Pingame Journal, but after thumbing through the whole thing, it doesn't appear to be a standard issue like the old days.
Yeah,
Definitely more news in pinball than LOV!!
Never received my pinball Calendar issue so I emailed him, Jim said he would send a replacement, it didn’t come emailed again he said he will send another, never received.
Quoted from Pinballlew:Never received my pinball Calendar issue so I emailed him, Jim said he would send a replacement, it didn’t come emailed again he said he will send another, never received.
Here is the contact info. Hope this helps. Try contacting Kelly.
http://www.pingamejournal.com/contact/
Quoted from zerbam:is the a new calendar for 2022?
No. Expect it around April or May of 2022
Quoted from poppapin:Here is the contact info. Hope this helps. Try contacting Kelly.
http://www.pingamejournal.com/contact/
Yeah the 2021 year is almost up so I’m not going to worry about it now, although I do enjoy looking at the calendar pictures.
Quoted from chuckwurt:No. Expect it around April or May of 2022
Hey, last year they came in January! So you never know...
Quoted from Adipocere:Hey, last year they came in January! So you never know...
I’ll go with the odds. Before last year it was April or May if you got it at all.
Quoted from chuckwurt:I’ll go with the odds. Before last year it was April or May if you got it at all.
I remember. Just being offensively positive. I realize that is highly discouraged in this cesspool, but I don't care.
Quoted from Eric_S:Anyone get a 2022 calendar yet? I was hoping with the Legends of Valhalla issue that PGJ might get back to a more normal schedule.
Nope, and it's March...later and later every year. 
Quoted from Eric_S:Anyone get a 2022 calendar yet? I was hoping with the Legends of Valhalla issue that PGJ might get back to a more normal schedule.
That was basically just an advertisement for Legends of Valhalla.
Quoted from Rum-Z:That was basically just an advertisement for Legends of Valhalla.
Nevertheless, it took a lot more editorial effort than the calendar issues.
.................David Marston
Quoted from Eric_S:Look at what was in today's mail.
[quoted image]
I got my show dates in just in time, 
Happy to report I received this years calendar and it’s pretty dang cool. Still can’t believe 3 issues got lost in the mail last year and I never was able to receive it.
Quoted from Isochronic_Frost:I got my show dates in just in time,
Do you have to let them know about show dates? We were on the calendar in like 2019 and haven’t been on it since.
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Moe