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Author Topic: 2016 Will Bring Big Changes at the ARRL  (Read 39442 times)
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« on: January 08, 2016, 02:20:26 PM »

From the ARRL web site dated 1/5/16:

Highlights
"After serving three 2-year terms, ARRL President Kay Craigie, N3KN, of Blacksburg, Virginia, is stepping aside, and the Board will choose her successor — and the League’s 16th president — when it convenes on January 15. The Board also will elect other officers, as well as vice presidents, Executive Committee members, and ARRL Foundation directors.

The annual meeting also will be the last for ARRL Chief Executive Officer David Sumner, K1ZZ, and for ARRL Chief Operating Officer Harold Kramer, WJ1B. Both are retiring this year. Kramer will depart at the end of February. Sumner has targeted May 1 as his last day.

The Board of Directors also will receive the report of the Strategic Planning Working Group, which has been working on a revised Strategic Plan to guide the League in the coming years. In addition the Administration & Finance Committee will ask the Board to ratify the operational budget plan for 2016-17."


So, with so many of the existing senior members moving on, and changes within their structure, it will be interesting to see how all this plays out going forward over the next several years.
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Steve - K4HX
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« Reply #1 on: January 08, 2016, 04:19:32 PM »

Going forward? What else is there, unless we've developed time travel.
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Jim, W5JO
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« Reply #2 on: January 08, 2016, 05:22:00 PM »

The last issue of QST seems smaller than usual.  I wonder if advertising is dropping off and the outlook for the long term is not as good as I would like to see it?
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Pete, WA2CWA
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« Reply #3 on: January 08, 2016, 06:00:53 PM »

The last issue of QST seems smaller than usual.  I wonder if advertising is dropping off and the outlook for the long term is not as good as I would like to see it?

Page Count (not counting front and rear covers):
Oct. 2015 - 160
Nov. 2015 - 160
Dec. 2015 - 168
Jan. 2016 - 160
Feb. 2016 - 160

Dec. is holiday edition; more advertising.
With magazine structuring, page count increases in groups of 8.
So, if you have filled 160 pages, and you need to add one article, one ad, one page, etc., you have to add and fill 8 pages.
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« Reply #4 on: January 08, 2016, 07:46:39 PM »

Going forward? What else is there, unless we've developed time travel.

 Grin Grin Grin

Going sideways? Axe any crab you meet.


I would count the ad pages as a good indication of viability.  It's surprising that QST, or any magazine for that matter, still exists.  How many of you still have magazine subscriptions to anything?  I used to have quite a few, but now get everything off the web.

Same with newspapers. Dying industry.  

And same with books - I "read" about 5-6 books per month but 80% of them are downloaded audio. (Audible e-book)  I find my comprehension is better with audio vs: visual anyway.  That's strange considering that light (eyes) has a huge bandwidth advantage over audio (ears).

T
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« Reply #5 on: January 08, 2016, 08:39:29 PM »


I would count the ad pages as a good indication of viability.  It's surprising that QST, or any magazine for that matter, still exists.  How many of you still have magazine subscriptions to anything?  I used to have quite a few, but now get everything off the web.

I would suspect manufacturers of ham equipment embrace publications like QST and CQ to get their products visibility. With pop up and ad blockers used by many on the Internet, it's difficult to gauge how many would/could read their ads if they were to throw them out there. And, I would suspect, that the majority of the costs associated with getting QST out every month comes from ad revenue.

Printed magazines still have use. I always bring one or two when I wait for my car to be serviced, doctor's visits, and other places where you have to sit and wait and wait for attention. Looking at a smart phone screen is not my idea of reading. After a few minutes, my eyes hurt.


Quote
And same with books - I "read" about 5-6 books per month but 80% of them are downloaded audio. (Audible e-book)  I find my comprehension is better with audio vs: visual anyway.  That's strange considering that light (eyes) has a huge bandwidth advantage over audio (ears).

T

When I was little, my mother use to read books to me. Now I do it myself.  Cheesy
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« Reply #6 on: January 09, 2016, 12:23:05 PM »

You're old Pete. Anyone under 30 does all their reading on a phone or tablet. Just the way it is. The sooner QST and the ARRL wake up to this, the better for them. Otherwise, they will slide into irrelevance like so many other print publications.
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« Reply #7 on: January 09, 2016, 01:47:38 PM »

You're old Pete. Anyone under 30 does all their reading on a phone or tablet. Just the way it is. The sooner QST and the ARRL wake up to this, the better for them. Otherwise, they will slide into irrelevance like so many other print publications.

ARRL does provide QST in digital form each month, I believe, for at least the last 2 or 3 years. I know my son opted for only the electronic version each month. And yes, maybe in time when all of us old farts die off, they'll move to an only electronic format. Probably in a couple of hundred years, children will be born with a smart screen embedded in the palm of one of their hands (depending if they're left or right handed).  Cheesy

But I'm still happy; besides my print CQ and QST, my AARP, AAA, Consumer Reports, National Geographic, and several of my trade magazines still come in print form.
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« Reply #8 on: January 09, 2016, 04:12:55 PM »

You're old Pete. Anyone under 30 does all their reading on a phone or tablet. Just the way it is. The sooner QST and the ARRL wake up to this, the better for them. Otherwise, they will slide into irrelevance like so many other print publications.

I'm old, too, and so are a lot of other hams. When your target audience is old hams, you sell the things old hams can buy - big ticket radios that offer a lot of features. That's why the well-known equipment manufacturers keep buying ads in QST: young hams don't have that kind of cash.

Of course, QST will, at some point, have to cease printed publication. Wayne Green tried it when 73 was on the ropes: the time wasn't right, but now there has been enough of a transition to keep QST afloat without the dead tree version. Of course, that means the ARRL will have to hire lots of web designers, instead of having an "online" edition which is a photo-image of the printed one.

FWIW. YMMV.

KW4OC
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« Reply #9 on: January 09, 2016, 04:20:01 PM »


 but now there has been enough of a transition to keep QST afloat without the dead tree version. Of course, that means the ARRL will have to hire lots of web designers, instead of having an "online" edition which is a photo-image of the printed one.

FWIW. YMMV.

KW4OC

I believe they use recycled papers.
Why more web designers; what's wrong with the current digital version?
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« Reply #10 on: January 09, 2016, 04:40:05 PM »

Getting away from QST for a moment and back to the overall changes at ARRL, we know there has been a significant increase in dues for 2016. I can tell you from experience there has been a significant increase in advertising rates in QST over the past year. And we a seeing a replacement of top management. My suspicion is that ARRL has been stung by the lobbying efforts of the real estate and HOA associations and, the board has come to the realization that in Washington money and influence = legislation.  My guess is ARRL is about to become  a larger player in Congress with top leadership that is  politically experienced and politically connected. It will be interesting to see the backgrounds of the new leadership. I will bet they will have Washington connections.
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« Reply #11 on: January 09, 2016, 05:00:15 PM »

I prefer the hard copy version too. Then again, I'm old. Cry
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« Reply #12 on: January 09, 2016, 05:09:01 PM »

I prefer the hard copy version too. Then again, I'm old. Cry

I remember when you were young  Grin
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« Reply #13 on: January 09, 2016, 05:10:18 PM »

Getting away from QST for a moment and back to the overall changes at ARRL, we know there has been a significant increase in dues for 2016. I can tell you from experience there has been a significant increase in advertising rates in QST over the past year. And we a seeing a replacement of top management. My suspicion is that ARRL has been stung by the lobbying efforts of the real estate and HOA associations and, the board has come to the realization that in Washington money and influence = legislation.  My guess is ARRL is about to become  a larger player in Congress with top leadership that is  politically experienced and politically connected. It will be interesting to see the backgrounds of the new leadership. I will bet they will have Washington connections.

The new president will come from within; the CEO will come from the outside.
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« Reply #14 on: January 09, 2016, 05:16:23 PM »

As long as we CAN remember...... Smiley

I prefer the hard copy version too. Then again, I'm old. Cry

I remember when you were young  Grin
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« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2016, 05:35:10 PM »


 but now there has been enough of a transition to keep QST afloat without the dead tree version. Of course, that means the ARRL will have to hire lots of web designers, instead of having an "online" edition which is a photo-image of the printed one.

I believe they use recycled papers.
Why more web designers; what's wrong with the current digital version?

It is a literal copy of the print version.

An attractive page for a printed magazine is different than an attractive online presentation. They are two different art forms, with separate academic disciplines and training.

KW4OC
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« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2016, 06:50:24 PM »

Move over guys and make room for another old fart.  I like the paper copy too.  There's a reason why I call the "head" the "QST Reading Room."

BTW, I do read portions of the digital version also, especially the reviews that have a movie.

Al
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« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2016, 07:35:32 PM »


It is a literal copy of the print version.

An attractive page for a printed magazine is different than an attractive online presentation. They are two different art forms, with separate academic disciplines and training.

KW4OC

Actually, since the entire magazine is done in electronic form first, the print edition is the printed copy without the additional features.

The web site is already there if changes need to be made for some further "enhanced" electronic version of QST although I see no advantage and reason to do so. Further, since their first president proposed and made available the membership journal back on day 1, tradition might dictate keeping the journal, whether print or electronic, in a similar format to what we have had over these last 100 years.

Speculation can hurt my brain, so I really don't know and probably really don't care, since I get all my monthly amateur information from the owl.
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« Reply #18 on: January 10, 2016, 12:15:52 AM »

The both versions have online links to more info or details on a particular subject or article. Not a bad idea.
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« Reply #19 on: January 10, 2016, 09:45:26 AM »

The ARRL is no longer relevant. They haven't had the ears of the FCC in decades and their membership is only a small portion of the total amateur population.

Darrell
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« Reply #20 on: January 10, 2016, 03:24:53 PM »

The ARRL is no longer relevant. They haven't had the ears of the FCC in decades and their membership is only a small portion of the total amateur population.

Darrell

The ARRL has been a strong advocate of our amateur radio for the last 100 years.  Without them, we would have no advocate representing the general and specific interests of amateur radio and, most likely without them, amateur radio would be and look a lot different today, if it even still existed. I don’t recall the ARRL ever having “the ears of the FCC” (whatever that really means) for any kind of preferential treatment involving amateur radio over these last many years.

Having roughly 25% of the total amateur population as ARRL members is not a bad percentage considering that many amateurs just want to sit back and have a free ride. The free loaders don’t want to be members and support the ARRL, don’t really have interest in what the ARRL does, probably care less about amateur radio interests other than their own, and, in the long term, probably don’t care if amateur radio survives or not. If they really did care about the future of amateur radio, they would support the only advocate the amateur radio community has for them.
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« Reply #21 on: January 10, 2016, 05:18:55 PM »

There are a lot of amateurs who's vision of what amateur radio should look like is in stark contrast to the ARRL's vision. That doesn't make them freeloaders. Why should they support an organization who goals are diametrically different than their idea of what the hobby should look like?

Darrell
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« Reply #22 on: January 10, 2016, 05:57:27 PM »

There are a lot of amateurs who's vision of what amateur radio should look like is in stark contrast to the ARRL's vision. That doesn't make them freeloaders. Why should they support an organization who goals are diametrically different than their idea of what the hobby should look like?

Darrell

What's a lot?? 2, 10, 100, 1000??

You might want to set some examples as to what these visions of amateur radio should look like from this "a lot" and how and why these visions would be beneficial to all of amateur radio. Further, what steps are these "a lot" doing to advocate and promote these visions? What other amateur radio organizations are supportable that can advocate for all of amateur radio? Has the "a lot" made known and discussed their visions with the ARRL Directors, Vice Directors, and other senior management?
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« Reply #23 on: January 10, 2016, 06:49:22 PM »

There are a lot of amateurs who's vision of what amateur radio should look like is in stark contrast to the ARRL's vision. That doesn't make them freeloaders. Why should they support an organization who goals are diametrically different than their idea of what the hobby should look like?

Darrell
Being "Stark" doesn't make them right!   Let them form their own organization. Let's see what percentage they really represent.  Wink

p.s. I don't agree with everything the ARRL does or all the positions they take.  However, if there was no ARRL we amateurs would have no effective say in the hobby.
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« Reply #24 on: January 10, 2016, 06:50:25 PM »

Pete,

The point is simple. Why would someone support an organization that advocates a point of view they disagree with? Since you clearly agree with their objectives, by all means support them. But I, and I assure you others, find the path they've taken the hobby down objectionable. We have are not freeloaders and have no obligation to provide an alternative.

Darrell
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