I think Saul's comments make a lot of sense. Print/paper media of all kinds are suffering. Those who embraced the digital world early enough were able to adapt and survive. Many of the younger generations read about 95% in digital formats - they don't buy paper. More recently, the advent of readers has put a larger dent into print media.
I also agree with Les that we have to acknowledge that these issues contribute to what we're seeing here. Finally, we have to also recognize that the entire spectrum of radio hobbyists is shrinking in addition to going more and more digital. I haven't personally bought - nor even read - any of the ham/radio hobbyist magazines in probably a decade or more, and similarly I've been taking my club bulletins in digital format for about as long as each club has made them available. Print media is being hit even harder than terrestrial radio is, and I'm not sold on the idea that the CQ publications are going to survive over the long haul as these consolidations are long overdue. Russ Edmunds 15 mi NNW of Philadelphia Grid FN20id <wb2...@yahoo.com> AM: Modified Sony ICF 2010's barefoot FM: Yamaha T-80 & T-85, each w/ Conrad RDS Decoder; Onkyo T-450RDS; Tecsun PL-310 ( 2); modified Sony ICF2010 w/APS9B @ 15'; Grundig G8 w/whip; modified Sony ICF2010 w/whip -------------------------------------------- On Thu, 3/13/14, Les Rayburn <l...@highnoonfilm.com> wrote: Subject: Re: [NRC-AM] [WTFDA] CQ and CQ Plus Situation To: wt...@googlegroups.com, "a...@nrcdxas.org" <a...@nrcdxas.org>, "irca@hard-core-dx.com" <irca@hard-core-dx.com> Date: Thursday, March 13, 2014, 11:36 AM Honestly, I think we (amateurs and DX'ers alike) should ease up a bit on CQ Magazine. My March/April issue arrived yesterday, and the "Plus" portion included a really nice article about mapping resources for the MW DX'er, a great article on building SVHF antennas at low cost, and the usual solid amateur coverage. I know that the situation with freelance writers for the publication was not handled well. And subscribers to Popular Communications and CQ VHF did not receive the proper communication about the situation. But as a former business owner, and current manager, I have some sympathy for that situation. The fact is that CQ has provided some great hobby publications for what, 40+ years? They offer the only effective counterpoint to the ARRL's stranglehold on the amateur press, and they actually stuck with Popular Communications a lot longer than most publishers would have. This is a niche market, and print is increasingly becoming something that is only affordable for mass market consumers. I'm pretty happy with them since the transition to electronic versions, and plan to subscribe for as long as they want to publish. -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -- 73, Les Rayburn, N1LF Maylene, AL EM63 Member NRC, IRCA, & Medium Wave DX Circle Former CPC Chairman for NRC/IRCA Perseus SDR, SDR-IQ,Funcube Pro, Wellbrooke ALA-1530+ loop, LF Engineering Active Whips, Quantum Phaser, Kiwa Loop, Palstar MW Pre-Selector -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ The NRC AM mailing list Questions? ow...@nrcdxas.org Antenna Pattern Book Now Shipping AM Radio Log is now shipping! FM Atlas 21st Edition Close Out Prices! Details at http://www.nrcdxas.org _______________________________________________ IRCA mailing list IRCA@hard-core-dx.com http://montreal.kotalampi.com/mailman/listinfo/irca Opinions expressed in messages on this mailing list are those of the original contributors and do not necessarily reflect the opinion of the IRCA, its editors, publishing staff, or officers For more information: http://www.ircaonline.org To Post a message: irca@hard-core-dx.com