Rear View Mirror(RVM)is currently a 48-56 page quarterly trade publication that has been distributed free of charge to the Metro Boston Taxi Industry for the last 7 years,beginning in the spring of 2002. Designed as an easily accessible roadside guide and source directory for products and services crucial to the taxi industry, RVM's pages also include a variety of scheduling information, local industry specific news,automotive reviews, commentary, and driver oral histories. While RVM contains much industry specific information,a good editor's imagination is really the limit here,and there's room to expand and cover all kinds of ground in the area of content. RVM could easily morph into a publication targeting a much wider audience than the local taxi industry. There is also considerable room to expand RVM's solid ad base which now consists of between 30-35 regular (mostly longtime) advertisers. I have a full time job within the industry and other business obligations. Due to these time constraints I haven't solicited any new advertising for 2 years now.In that time,new advertisers have found their own way to RVM,which is not the best way to grow a publishing business. Boston Mayor Tom Menino is fond of referring to taxi drivers as "ambassadors to the city," a PR asset I've never really tried to capitalize on. Cabbies are a crucial link between the hotels and places to eat and drink, and they're always being asked by visitors to the city to recommend good places to go for seafood,steak,Italian ,etc. Expanding RVM's format to include restaurant and night club reviews would open a door to a large area of potential ad revenue that RVM has never tapped. After 7 years of publishing,the ground work has been laid for a successful niche publication with good growth potential that isn't threatened by competition from the internet.Cab drivers like having the hard copy readily at hand. Much of RVM's regularly repeating industry specific content can be easily learned,and doesn't depend on having p

Started by Rear View Mirror Magazine on 28 Jun 09

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