[QCWA] Journal expense

[Jeffrey D Angus]

ve6afo at rac.ca wrote:

> For those who are familiar with the printing business - you all know that
> the first copy of any magazine is where the initial costs are 
> incurred. After
> this, running off another 8000 copies is usually very minimal in costs. 

And

> If it were all that easy, and fool-proof, I am sure the ARRL and others
> would seek the alternative way - as you mention. 

Most newspapers that publish an "electronic" (usually html web page)
version of their newspaper do three things that are different between the
two versions. (a) No or very limited pictures (b) HTML text version and
(c) only a portion of the "full copy" is published on line.

Secondly, if you go with a full scale Adobe PD. version, such a "print
ready" of the journal, you now have the burden of the bandwidth require-
ments to feed a very large document to a large number of viewers every
month.

Additionally, if you go with a scaled down version for an "online" copy,
then you require a staff member who's job is to convert the print version
to the online version.

Also, consider the first comment of "the first copy is the most expensive."
On a publication with the circulation that the ARRL's QST has, the 
additional
overhead of doing a conversion is easier to absorb over a large production
run. Especially considering that a majority of the publication is paid 
for via
the advertising. (Side note, which to me at times appears to be over 50% of
the magazine).

If a majority of QCWA subscribers were to "opt out" for the online version,
it would require that the remaining "paper" subscribers (or the QCWA) would
have to pay a larger percentage of the publication costs which remain 
relatively
fixed.

Lastly, despite a vocal minority of posters here on the QCWA reflector, I
doubt that there are enough people that would want a an electronic version
of the journal available. Bob? Someone? What are the numbers on these?
QCWA Journal subscription totals, vs Reflector subscribers vs actual
number of posters to the Reflector?

Jeff
wa6fwi


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