Here's a new version, less the grammatical errors that Coy caught. 73, Walt W0CP ********************************* January 20, 2002 Dear Fellow League Members, A proposal to change the way we publish section news and contest line lists was presented by K1RO, QST publisher, and K1ZZ, Executive Vice President of the League, eight weeks ago at a meeting of the Administration and Finance Committee, which I chaired. The committee was persuaded by the rationale behind this proposal and voted to recommend its adoption at the January board meeting. The proposed changes will improve section news and contest coverage, free up editorial space in QST for items of greater general interest, and save money that can be spent on more pressing matters, like protecting our frequencies and our right to put up antennas. There are many more compelling reasons to support the proposal. However, due to the nature of the changes, the way the information got out ahead of the explanation, and the concerns expressed by some members, the board decided to wait until July to act on the recommendation. Perhaps by then, people will have a chance to cool down, get the information they need, and maybe even feel comfortable that this is actually a good thing. In the meantime, in a gesture of leadership and commitment, the board voted to relocate its meeting minutes from QST to the Web. Our editors are asking to publish "special interest" information on the Web site so that QST can be a better general interest magazine and be published more economically. Section News and contest line listings consume 176 pages per year, enough to fill an entire issue. The marginal cost of publishing this information in QST is about $100,000 a year (not including mailing). There's no doubt that section news has readers (I am one of them- and I read line scores, too!). That's not at issue. The problem is that few people, if any, read the entire section news. Just 27% read it at all. Most read just one or two of the 71 section reports. For example, we print 1.7 million copies of the Colorado Section News each year for about 5,000 members (as well as 1.7 million copies of the Virgin Island Section News for 77 members!). We print 30 million pages a year lines scores and Section News. That's a monumental waste of League resources. Contest line listings are also of large interest to a small group. There are those who argue that a call listing in QST is the primary means of recruiting new contesters. I agree with the QST editorial staff that general interest coverage of contest events is a better way to promote activity. Moreover, contesters as a group are already heavy users of the Web. The board and its management team have set some big goals for the League: 1. Attract young people to amateur radio. 2. Protect our frequencies from commercial interests. 3. Make it easier for us to put up antennas. We need your support and encouragement to improve our efficiency so that we can do a better job of funding these pressing issues. We are asking you to accept a few changes along the way to help us address the priorities of the organization. Let me to set the record straight. No one is arguing that section news or contest line scores are no longer important, or that these activities will no longer be covered in QST. Board level support of these activities is as strong as ever. We simply have a better, cheaper and faster way to deliver targeted section information and contest score lists than we had 30 years ago. To get a taste of it, go to the Web, click on your section in the upper right, and check out what has already been done by your section manager. To see a bit of the great potential of this new service, check the Santa Clara Valley section. Section Managers now have virtually unlimited space to upload timely information as well as photos and data tables. Also, check out our contest results in PDF (with searchable data files on the way). Whether you feel strongly or not, one way or the other, drop a note or an e-mail to your division director and let him know your views. 73, Walt Stinson, W0CP ARRL Director (RM)