Blame (or Thank) These Guys

Former HOT ROD editors look back on what was hot, what was not.

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Being the editor of HOT ROD has changed a lot in the 75 years since Robert E. Petersen and Robert Lindsay published the first issue out of the offices of the Tailwaggers Dog Club. Then again, in many ways it hasn't changed at all. The editor's core responsibilities, then and now, boil down to planning future stories (though now we substitute "content" for "stories"); working with the staff to execute current stories/content; and taking the heat when the readers, management, or accounting (or all of the above) don't like something. There's staff to manage and advertisers to appease. Events to plan. Stories to write. Cars to build. Cars to drive. And while doing all that, the editor is supposed to have a finger on the pulse of automotive performance, to ensure trends are covered or, better yet, set.

The digitization of media has changed the editor's tasks, but not those core duties. When print was king, editors worked with (or fought) the circulation department to maximize newsstand sales. Now, search engine optimization (SEO) is key to attracting eyeballs. Today's editor and editorial staff must create in many different media and face deadlines that are hours away, not days or weeks. And staff sizes are a fraction of what they used to be, so everyone is doing more with much, much less.

Twenty-four men have occupied the HOT ROD editor's chair. Nearly half of them have passed away, most recently Pat Ganahl. Here we present firsthand recollections from many of those who are still around of what it was like to helm what used to be known as "Everybody's Automotive Magazine."