From a kid in the San Fernando Valley and then making the cover of the April 1968 cover of HOT ROD at 25 years old, to the head of HOT ROD’s Automotive Group, John Joseph Dianna was the classic “basement to penthouse” ascendancy in the automotive publishing business. He died on September 28, 2016 at 74 years of age. He first came to HOT ROD’s attention at the 1968 NHRA Winternationals with his L/SA 1956 Chevy sedan delivery; but it wasn’t long before HOT ROD’s Jim McFarland hired him as a Feature Editor. That was the beginning of a trajectory at Petersen that included editor positions at Car Craft, HOT ROD, and Motor Trend. Swapping hats between editorial and sales, he took over as Publisher for Car Craft and then HOT ROD in the 1980s, becoming Group VP by the mid-1980s, and finally President of the Automotive Group through the end of the millennium. Says former HOT ROD and Car Craft editor Jeff Smith, ” (HOT ROD Publisher) Harry Hibler and I fought with JD to do the first centerfold in HOT ROD. He refused to spend the money. We talked the circulation department into funding the effort and when I showed JD the First-Run copy he looked at me with a completely straight face and said, ‘You know, I’ve wanted to do this for years…'” Dianna oversaw HOT ROD’s 50th-anniversary content and celebration, and helped transition the initial sale of Petersen Publishing to the Chicago investment group who went on to take the company public, and again when British publishing giant Emap purchased the company at the end of the 1990s. With the sale complete, Dianna left the company to start his own automotive publishing company at a time when the publishing world was consolidating. Buckaroo Communications started in Camarillo, California, with titles like Street Rod Builder, American Rodder, and Super Rod, building up a sizable list of mostly automotive titles. Moving the business to Chattanooga, Tennessee, it appeared as though Buckaroo and Dianna had beaten the odds and were ahead of forecasts, but the company quietly dissolved in 2009. Dianna maintained a low profile after the demise of Buckaroo, showing up occasionally at the SEMA and PRI Shows. Though you may not have known the man, as HOT ROD readers you’re aware of some of his hires and fires, including Jeff Smith, David Freiburger, Rob Kinnan, Pat Ganahl, Jerry Pitt, Drew Hardin, Steve Anderson; and on the publishing side Jim Savas, Doug Evans, Joe Sebergandio, DeEtte Crow, John Cobb, Jim Ryan, and Brit White. Smith said of Dianna and his ascendancy within the company, “My impression was that no matter what job title hung on his door, John never did that job – he was always aiming at the next rung on the corporate ladder.” Says Sr. VP of Automotive Content David Freiburger, “He was a polarizing figure, for sure. He yelled at me a few times, but I am grateful first to Jeff Smith and second to JD for giving me a career.” He was a controversial figure inside and outside of HOT ROD, but he left a legacy that in some cases continues right up to today.
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