[QCWA] Journal expense

[Norm Gertz]

Jeff....all very true however the QCWA Journal is suffering from a serious 
lack of advertising which is the lifeblood of any publication.

I would suggest a look at the K9YA Telegraph which is enjoying growing 
popularity as an example of a sucessful digital publication.
http://www.k9ya.org/index_telegraph.htm

Interesting to note that Rod Newkirk VA3ZBB/W9BRD is a regular contributor 
to the K9YA paper.  My very old friend Rod is a long time QCWA member.  I 
wonder if he has ever been invited to participate in our Journal?

I think that increasing the dues to offset the expense of the Journal was 
the wrong approach.  The Journal could be self sustaining if the proper 
efforts were made to boost the advertising.

One man's opinion...

73  Norm  K1AA


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Jeffrey D Angus" <jangus at socal.rr.com>
To: "Discussion of QCWA" <qcwa at mailman.qth.net>
Sent: Sunday, December 24, 2006 11:39 PM
Subject: Re: [QCWA] Journal expense


> 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
>
>
> -- 
> "They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
> safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." Benjamin Franklin
> "A life lived in fear is a life half lived."
> Tara Morice as Fran, from the movie "Strictly Ballroom"
>
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