A Plea to the ARRL Zed.L.R. Calling.

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Good Day Everyone,


 To the Powers that Read this statement, it is no longer a passing thought or whim that there is concern more and more now about the service and it's Surviving, and the concern demonstated by members and non-members of the league.

 We are all aware of the power and financial ability of the League to accomplish tasks and the access leading members of the league has down in DC and the FCC.

 I have a Request and a Demand i'd like to put forth to anyone Willing to progress the Service.


 This is the Day and Age of Info-mercials WHERE IS OUR Info-Mercial How about prying open some availible funds to Produce a Positive for the Service, activity demands it and so do I as a Member of the League.


I know this Board is read Daily and i know the power and accessability the power of the written word has, But if the concern is about Stagnation and Falling numbers then Please get up and Do something Positive in the Public Eye.

 This can be done with the Scouts and Scouting other connections can be demonstrated to bring forth Interest.


 It would be in the Leagues Best interest to get up and access Video.


 Where's Ed..?

[Pete, WA2CWA]

Jack:
You should read the various sections of the ARRL web site more often.
Go here to the ARRL Public Relations Section:
http://www.remote.arrl.org/pio/

or here
http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/07/13/6/?nc=1

or here (Boy Scouts)
http://www.remote.arrl.org/news/stories/2005/07/21/2/?nc=1

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Good evening Pete,

 FB i've read them, OK and From the Top, I couldn't wait to get home from work today because of this Idea i'm thinking about and my thought was to put an eye catching post up to stir some thinking on Video.

 Now Pete i'm fully aware of the local level and field day presentation Ham fest ETC. Now, Listen, What I don't see is what is needed 'The Public Eye" my Idea is Simply this: [an input wud be appreciated] i like to hammer things out on the board here.

 A one hour program, exposie, OK, begining with what an where Amateurs are today, A scope on all the modes, what can and can't be done for emergency communications, the latest technology and how the melding of computers and radio has progressed and the new innovations up an coming and promoting the Digital wave, OK, that covers alot of ground but you get my drift, Now, something like this[ and Ideas are appreciated here again] done tastefully with a good moderatoring voice over and touching all facets of the Service with interviews and Videos of some of our greater Hams and their Shacks with a contemporary Family Feel to it, Americana...it can't go wrong...

 Now along with this and we all know that life is a series of connections in everything we do, OK, Bring in the Manufactures Now wouldn't they like a 30 second exposie in the program, get them onboard to help and exibit their wares... Pete it's a can do thing if constructed right, done tastefully..

 Further after this has been accomplished and written, dialog built and video gathered, By approaching the national Public service networks and discussing with them this idea, Amateur Radio, Family, Mothers Fathers and sons and Daughters a family Feel , they'll eat it up.. and show it...

 A one hour program in this direction with this kind of Feel to it done on national TV, Pete it's a can do thing here... if we want to increase anything we need to increase education about the service..i'm thinking large and bold here, the possibilities are endless...

and the bottom line the bean counters will see in 6 months an increase i would gamble 12%to start with...


Think about it, don't think about me think about the idea...on a national Level...

[Pete, WA2CWA]

You might want to contact this guy to get his feedback on your proposal. From the ARRL BoD meeting, July 15/16, motion 17:

17. Moving to Agenda item 7, on motion of Mr. Isely, seconded by Mr. Bodson, it was unanimously VOTED that the ARRL Board of Directors designate Jerome E. Martin, KC9BDA, as the recipient of the 2005 Philip J. McGan Memorial Silver Antenna Award. Mr. Martin has helped build public awareness for Amateur Radio via television, radio and print, and has reached out to the public through informational displays and speaking engagements (Applause.)

[W1GFH]

Jack, the guy you want to get in touch with is Dave Bell, W6AQ.



------------------------------------------------------------------------

David L. Bell's biograpy from QRZ.COM:

"If I have a claim to fame in amateur radio, it's probably that I produced the first documentary about ham radio that got worldwide distribution, and then I made several others before I "retired" from the ham radio film/video hobby-within-a-hobby and got to making a living producing TV Movies, specials, documentaries (mostly for HBO) and TV series and a few theatrical feature films.  One of my TV Movies won an EMMY as best movie, and also a Peabody.   My docs have won numerous film festival awards.  Hey, if you don't blow your own horn, who's gonna?  Some of the ham radio films were titled THE HAMS WIDE WORLD, THE WORLD OF AMATEUR RADIO, THIS IS HAM RADIO and MOVING UP TO AMATEUR RADIO (for CBers during that craze).  In mid 2004 the ARRL will have all of the preceding films plus AMATEUR RADIO TODAY on one DVD.  Now there will be a nostalgia trip.  I've also helped Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF and the late Roy Neal, K6DUE with a couple of their ham films.  Most recently, in 2002 I officially came out of ham-radio-film retirement to direct AMATEUR RADIO TODAY, a 6 minute video about emergency preparedness which is downloadable from the ARRL Website.  I hear it's been downloaded about 20,000 times, which is great.  It is narrated by Walter Cronkite, KB2GSD, (who is a very nice guy, incidentally and more than just casually interested in amateur radio) written by Alan Kaul, W6RCL, produced by Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF, and Bill Baker, W1BKR, and edited by Keith Glispie, WA6TFD.

I'm the former chairman of the ARRL's PR Committee and a fairly frequent speaker at ham radio gatherings, and have MC'd many of the International DX Convention banquets for the Southern California DX Club of which I'm a past president.  As a result of my MCing and other activities on their behalf, the SCDXC foolishly made me DXer of the Year in '84.

For my films and general ham radio boosterism, I received the Ham of the Year award at the Dayton Hamvention, also in '84.   In 2003 the ARRL gave me their first Lifetime Achievement Award, for my work on films and videos about amateur radio."

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Well fellas I guess there's alot I don't Know, my hearts in the right place that's what matters, yunns guys know i get an Idea and I have to know, did somebody go this way or try that, has it been done.

I could at least try, it would be Nice to see more things on that darn TV that's Constructive and Positive.

[W1GFH]

Jack, notice that according to Dave Bell, there hasn't been a new ham radio video produced for a couple of years now.  If you feel strongly about this, you might email the ARRL and try and spur them into action to make a new one.

Best 73,
Joe

[Jeff 'OGM]

The thing that makes info-mercials viable is that there will always be a small percentage who will buy anything by calling a toll-free number with their credit card handy...  Which means that if the ARRL wanted to use this avenue for the sale of handbooks, or "intro to ham radio" books, then they'd get a predictable return on their investment into the making of the info-mercial, plus the cost of buying the time from some media outlet.

Consequently, I'd predict that the only licensed hams that came out of such a promotional campaign would be "compulsive buyers".  They'd probably fit right in with the upcoming dropped morse code requirement, and the Yaesu/Kenwood/Icom marketing departments' wet dreams.

Jeff
KA1OGM

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

I don't know Jeff, I watch the Model Railroading program done on WQED and it's done with some tact, put together fairly well, of course I'm no engineer, it's a Nice program though.

I do know we have in our ranks some very talented Audio and Video specialists if a team could be put togther and get the details hammered out i think a nice treatise of Amateur Radio could be accomplished. I do notice today fellas of my age and a little younger or older do tend to watch Public Television and the Science channels alot regular TV Stinks.

I'm going to open up my e-mail and send off some messages today the boys at HQ and see if, and what's up Can't hurt.

[Pete, WA2CWA]

I can't imagine the startup cost to get something like this rolling, not to mention the cost of air time. Someone would have to put together a business plan to support the cost and benefits.

Great thing to do but someone has to pay for it. Got to have a good bang for the buck.

[Jeff 'OGM]

Oh, well, if you're talking about a documentary, maybe somebody who frequents this board can put a bug in Ken Burns ear about doing his next project on Amateur Radio.  The material available for such a project is certainly abundant, and the people involved in this activity since its inception are noteworthy and interesting.  A Ken Burns style documentary would certainly be the biggest promotional thing that ever happened to Amateur Radio.

Jeff
KA1OGM

[Jack-KA3ZLR-]

Hi Jeff,

 That's the idea and where is it, all i see is ARRL goes to Washington and ARRL goes to Guatamalla and ARRL goes to everywhere except on National Public Service TV.

 I find it hard to believe with the considerable talent in our ranks and capabilities that this hasn't been done, or maybe it has and I missed it.

 But the bottom line is this, I see the league higher ups traveling around at much expense to areas that effect a local level audience, when a little of our donations could go a much longer way and have a greater impact if something was done nationally in all the publics view.

It's a simple idea and the Cost wouldn't be that great in consideration of all the other traveling expenses incurred by the league, how about putting up some of that money to the national public good.

[Jeff 'OGM]

The idea is not a bad one, Jack, even if a bit uninformed concerning the kind of money that would be needed to get national exposure with a film or video.  Do you get the local cable company to show it for free, or will they want you to pay for a half hour of air time?  And that's just one half hour on one day, inside of one community.  

But the prospect of someone doing the legwork, having the time and energy, and also having the right contacts, to interest one of the documentary filmmakers that do shows for PBS in taking on the project of a documentary on amateur radio... this might be realistic.  You'd just have to pique someone's interest for a thing like that, which is what we're obviously trying to do here.  Maybe someone's reading this thread who knows Ken Burns, or knows someone who knows Ken Burns... or maybe who knows another documentary filmmaker or producer that works with PBS.

I don't think the money spent annually by ARRL on travelling expenses will cover even the cost of a competent film editor in the making of such a documentary, however.  Just the making of a documentary that is done well enough to gain national exposure is way beyond any of the financial resources ARRL has available.  

Sure, you can get a video done cheaply, but then what've you got?  You've got a video.  Now you have to get it played where people will see it.  To get widespread exposure, the thing has to be a bit more appealing than a local production about model railroading, otherwise who's going to give away their air time for free?  Well, I suspect that nobody's going to give anything away for free, even for a non-profit like ARRL... at least not often enough or widespread enough to have any slightest impact on the future numbers of licensees.

So, you need to get somebody else to spend the money.

For an "info-mercial", this would mean putting together a business plan and selling the idea to a marketing group that uses info-mercials to sell all those ditsy products with the toll free numbers...  This is a big business, and if they see that you have a product that can sell, they'll spend the money to produce a slick info-mercial that'll entice people to call and buy.  In this case, the product would be a "how to get your amateur radio license" package, and this product could be ARRL materials.  The marketing company gets their percentage, ARRL gets their percentage, and the prospect of this being successful might actually put a dent in the future numbers of licensees.  But all the numbers would have to add up to a profit for the marketing company, before this would happen.

The considerable talent and capabilities in our ranks might include someone with the right contacts to pitch this well enough to actually get it done.  Of course, then they'd also have to have the time and inclination to actually take on this time consuming and exhaustive project of just pitching it to the right people.

The bottom line is that promotion ain't cheap.  The trick with this idea is that somebody else would spend the money, because this is WAY out of the League's financial capabilities.

I'll agree with you that it "feels like" the league really hasn't got any bright ideas on promoting the hobby.  Instead, I see a bunch of guys inside the league who are, essentially, just like the rest of us in our enjoyment of the hobby, but who are also interested enough in putting more of their energy into the league activities than we are.

I'm definitely not interested in putting more of my energy into league activities.  In fact, I'm not interested in putting ANY of my energy into league activities.  I freely admit that the only thing I put into league activities is my annual dues.  Consequently, I take a mild interest in how the money gets spent, and I see that they spent three and a half million on publications last year, and made slightly over three and a half million on selling them.  And I see that they made a bit over seven million on dues and advertising revenues, and they spent a bit over seven million on programs and services.

I mean, it's a non-profit organization, run by average guys who are into ham radio.  The 2004 annual report states that there were 151,727 members, a 1.8% drop from the previous year.  So, the membership in ARRL represents about one quarter of all licensees.  It represents about the equivalent of half the people of the town I live in.

That they don't have ongoing activities that show up on national TV that interests prospective hams in getting licensed on a regular basis is no surprise to me.  I mean, all we're talking about here is a small niche activity, administered by a few dozen really busy people.  I shouldn't expect that they're rubbing elbows with nationally recognized, award winning documentary filmmakers, or info-mercial tycoons like Ron Popeil.  So I don't expect that any of these guys will be coming up with any bright ideas to get national exposure on a regular basis.

I mean, c'mon, let's be realistic about this...

But your idea has possibilities, and I think that talking it up here in this thread is worth the meager effort that we're putting into it for the prospect of catching someone's eye who might actually have the contacts and interest to make something happen...

Jeff
KA1OGM

[W1GFH]

Don't know Ken Burns personally but he did make the very fine doco, EMPIRE OF THE AIR: THE MEN WHO MADE RADIO aired on PBS which covered a tiny bit of early ham radio history. I notice that Burn's docs (THE CIVIL WAR, EYES ON THE PRIZE, BASEBALL, MEN WHO MADE RADIO, etc) all have wide audience appeal and very dramatic storylines and I'm not sure if ham radio has enough conflict to make Ken Burns or PBS interested, but anyone can email these people and at least ask. Just to give you a ballpark (no pun intended) idea of the stakes involved, his BASEBALL doco had an 8 million dollar production budget.

Another guy worth emailing and picking his brain is Dave Bell, W6AQ, a (semi retired) Hollywood TV producer who has made no less than FIVE ham radio documentaries for the ARRL. The budgets for these videos were considerably less, 30 to 60 thousand. I'm certain Dave could give you the straight scoop on the League's experience with distributing these documentaries and if they ever considered the use of infomercials.

Yet another guy you may want to get in touch with is Bill Pasternak, WA6ITF who has been involved in the production of every major ham radio promotional video and/or film about Amateur Radio since 1974.

Also of interest is a Danish ham group who made this very stylish (english language) music video http://www.hamband.com/html/video.html exhorting viewers to come join the fun in ham radio. Again, I'm not aware of the distribution efforts they've undertaken or considered.