Bob:
I can understand your frustration regarding the cost cutting measures the
ARRL Board of Directors will consider this coming weekend at the ARRL
National Convention. As you have heard on the reflectors, one of the cost
cutting measures under consideration is a modest reduction in the number of
pages in QST each month. One of the items in QST that is being considered
for elimination, because of the page reduction, is contest results.
Ever since this proposal was made public, there has been a significant
amount of e-mail both to ARRL and on the various reflectors in opposition to
the proposal. I have read some of it, but not all. What almost none of
those opposing the proposed action have addressed is how does ARRL cope with
declining membership, declining advertising revenue, and deficit financing?
There are approximately 120 employees of ARRL in Newington (and a few in the
Washington DC office), all of whom are paid salaries, although significantly
less than what they would make doing the same or similar jobs in the private
sector. I am one of those employees. In addition to maintaining staff in
Newington and DC, the ARRL has the expenses of maintaining its facilities,
W1AW, costs of mail, printing costs, .... in a nutshell, the costs of doing
business.
Just recently, ARRL has created and filled a new position, that of chief
fund raiser (can't recall her correct title, but that's the general idea).
This new employee will be charged with solicitation of bequests and
donations, in much the same way that similar positions act at other
non-profit institutions, particularly schools and universities. It is hoped
by the Board and all employees that aggressive voluntary funding
solicitation will offset some of the funding sources currently in decline.
ARRL has been deficit funded in 2001. If the Board does not accept the idea
of cutting back the expenditures on QST and other proposed cost cutting
measures at the upcoming Board meeting, then the only other choice they will
have is to deficit finance expenditures for 2002. Any organization can only
engage in deficit financing for so long, before debts exceed assets, and it
goes out of business.
It would be helpful for ARRL members to understand the financial pressures a
non-profit, membership based organization like ARRL is under. I agree that
reducing the content of QST is, perhaps, not the best option. As proposed,
the elimination or reduction of contest results from QST will not be well
accepted by the contest community. I would be terribly disappointed myself
if the Board votes to solve its financing problems in this way. But,
something has to give to accommodate the reduced membership based income and
advertising income. In addition, significant efforts are being made now to
increase funding, as I alluded to above. It is NOT helpful for ARRL members
to propose nasty tricks such as you have proposed to show their displeasure
with the situation. It would be much more helpful, if you, and the many
other members who feel as you do, to encourage new hams to become ARRL
members. It would be helpful if you would encourage more people to become
amateurs, go through the process of attending radio club meetings, take the
license exam training courses, etc. These are the kinds of activities that
will, in the long run, help to save amateur radio and our national
organization.
I would encourage you to look carefully into how ARRL works and how it funds
its membership based activities. Simply reacting negatively to proposed
funding actions and services reductions without fully understanding the
issues driving these considerations does a disservice to yourself and the
amateur radio community.
73,
Jan Carman, K5MA
Book Team Manager
ARRL
Newington, CT
Home: k5ma@capecod.net
Work: k5ma@arrl.org
----- Original Message -----
From: "Bob Johnson" <rjohnson@tmlp.com>
To: <cq-contest@contesting.com>; <yccc@contesting.com>
Cc: "Tom Frenaye" <frenaye@pcnet.com>; <w5jbp@arrl.org>; "Frank Butler"
<w4rh@arrl.org>
Sent: Friday, January 11, 2002 10:22 PM
Subject: [YCCC] Proposed QST changes, Hit 'em where it Hurts $$$
>
> As I see it the League is about to embark on another one of there ill
advised
> "Cost Cutting Schemes" at our expense sometime next week!!!
>
> If we want to maintain FULL Contest coverage in QST, we might consider one
of
> the following:
>
> 1) If you are an ARRL member and the vote goes against us, call the League
and
> cancel your membership and request a full refund on the balance of your
> membership term.
>
> 2) If you are an ARRL member and your membership period is near renewal,
renew
> NOW by credit card and then cancel if the vote goes against us.
>
> 3) If your NOT an ARRL member, you might consider joining by credit card
> BEFORE
> the vote next week and then cancel your subscription after the vote if you
> want. It is not going to cost you anything but the time to make a couple
of
> 800# phone calls!!!
>
> The only way to get the Leagues attention is with $$$, so lets vote with
our
> pocketbooks.
>
> I have been a League member and supporter since I became a Novice in 1971,
> with
> the exception of a few years when I was working two jobs and going to
night
> school.
>
> It seems that the only the League can think of lately is to cut services
and
> raise prices. Now when I think about it in that context, it sounds more
and
> more like a Governmental Agency, "Cost of Incompentency" Tax Increase !!!
>
> 73 and hit 'em where it hurts
> Bob, K1VU
>
>
>
>
>
> Thank you
> Bob, K1VU
>
>
> --
> YCCC on WWW: http://www.yccc.org
> Submissions: yccc@yccc.org
> Administrative requests: yccc-REQUEST@yccc.org
> Problems: owner-yccc@yccc.org
>
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