Jean Knows Cars – And She Wants to Share
Automobile Magazine’s Irrepressible Editor in Chief Has Created a New Online Resource to Navigate Car Ownership…
EL SEGUNDO, Calif. (October 3, 2012) – Source Interlink Media LLC (SIM) announced today that Jean Jennings, Editor in Chief of Automobile Magazine, is launching a new interactive online community called Jean Knows Cars. It goes live on Thursday, October 4, 2012. After three decades in automotive journalism, Jennings has designed Jean Knows Cars as a toolbox to help all people—and especially women, who haven’t had an automotive media brand to call their own—have a positive experience buying, servicing, owning, and selling a car. As the site’s tagline says, readers of Jean Knows Cars can expect to enjoy a lot more car love with a lot less car hassle.
Jean Jennings has been in the car business her whole life. She started out as a taxicab owner and operator who taught herself to work on her own car. Then she worked as a crash-test mechanic before becoming an automotive journalist in 1980. In 1985, she was the first executive editor at the launch of Automobile Magazine and became its editor in chief in 2000. During these years, her feature stories and columns became legendary for the adventures she detailed and the sense of fun she brought to automotive journalism; she won the Ken Purdy award, the top prize in automotive journalism, and became a sought-after speaker worldwide.
Now Jean will take her lifetime of adventures and experience in the auto world into this new site. Having spent all those years being one of a few women in the world of cars, she has gathered a lot of information and resources, and she wants to share them with other women. She will provide information that most people can use. In her words, she wants to take the mystery out of car ownership while keeping all the emotion and fun. Jean Knows Cars will serve as an authoritative resource for women and their cars, while at the same time, provide a space that allows them to share their own experiences. Women will not only learn from Jennings’s knowledge and passion for cars but also interact with one another and the Jean Knows Cars staff. There’s even a space to share personal car confessions.
“Jean Knows Cars is a trustworthy, informative resource for women—but we’re also smart, funny, and interactive,” said Jennings. “We have created a community that is highly experiential and provides the freedom for women to share their stories and enthusiasm for cars, while never being patronizing, pretentious, or exclusive. In other words, you don’t have to know the secret car handshake to hang with us.”
Jennings has long been known in the auto industry for her unique style and personality. Her interests go way beyond cars, so the Jean Knows Cars community will get to know Jennings personally – her love of hats, dogs, cooking, gardening, fashion, and much more.
“Cars are part of a well-rounded life. It’s the last thing we put on in the morning,” continued Jennings. “At Jean Knows Cars, we’ll go on adventures and talk just about as much about style as about cars. People love cars, and you don’t have to limit yourself to technical talk to be enthusiastic about cars.”
Jean Knows Cars will feature three cornerstones where her presence will be strongest. “You Auto Know” will provide instruction for women looking to purchase and service their cars; “Jean’s Driveway” is a series of short and sweet video reviews of new cars, and “Car Confessions” will allow readers to share their personal stories and interact with Jean and the staff.
Jean Knows Cars will be featured in weekly morning news segments on 18 Tribune affiliates with vehicle demonstrations, tips, and interviews with industry leaders. It will also have a multi-media presence across YouTube, Google TV, Tablet, and mobile platforms. In addition, Jean Knows Cars can be followed on Twitter at https://twitter.com/JeanKnowsCars, on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/JeanKnowsCars and on Google+ at https://plus.google.com/u/0/b/112100834357947783048/.
About Jean Knows Cars:
Jean Knows Cars provides women with a toolbox to help them with all aspects of car ownership, from buying and servicing to owning and selling a car. Jean Knows Cars captures Jean Jennings’s expertise and sense of fun, already well known from the enthusiast publication Automobile Magazine, but this time tailored for a general population of intelligent, discerning online readers. In addition to covering all things automotive, Jean Knows Cars features a personal look at Jean and her interests, including her dogs, her hats, and the world of fashion and design. Jean and her staff have created an online destination that provides women with a community with which they can interact, find information, and share stories and adventures.
About Source Interlink Media
Source Interlink Media, LLC is the premier source of special interest media in the United States. With more than 75 publications, 100 Web sites, 800 branded products, 50+ events, and TV and radio programs, SIM is the largest provider of content to enthusiast communities interested in automotive, action sports, home theater and other niche activities. The division’s strategy is to wholly focus on targeted audiences by leveraging and expanding upon its core market-leading brands through a multiplatform media approach.
