Ed,
I share your sadness on this. I wrote the ARRL DX results for a few years and
generally managed about a 3 to 4 page article for the print version. A more in
depth version that I wrote was placed online with a link provided. The
explanation I always received was that "polling shows that contest results are
one of the least popular items in the magazine". This was NOT from the contest
editor, Ward SIlver, a great guy...just from the CT powers that be.
On the last year I did the article, it was cut at the last minute from the one
page of text I provided along with the tables, down to about half a page. With
the usual link to an online version. This was said to be due to some last
minute advertiser pullout. But that was the last stroke for me - if it was
only worth a page in QST, why was I putting all the effort in? I dropped the
job that year.
As I see it, contests are very popular events, among the highest in radio, and
the current thinking dumbs down the magazine to the lowest common denominator
of guys that don't operate...not the true ham hobbyists. I always get strong
denials on this, but just read the magazine. A new dipole to build? Operating
mobile on your floating inner tube? A highlight piece on some guy with a high
profile job who isn't really on the air? You all get my point. *Yawn*
But, I don't see any of this as likely to change. The focus is on numbers, not
quality.
73,
Drew K3PA
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Message: 1
Date: Sun, 25 Aug 2019 18:57:14 -0400
From: Edward Sawyer <EdwardS@sbelectronics.com>
To: "cq-contest@contesting.com" <cq-contest@contesting.com>
Subject: [CQ-Contest] ARRL DX CW Contest in QST
Message-ID:
<0D39B6681B67B44DAEC5D6AD99294A8E04CF403F59FA@SBEMAIL.sbelectronics.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"
I am not sure if anyone else was struck like I was as to how sad it was that
QST was down to 2 pages for the ARRL DX CW coverage in the August magazine. No
write-up, just some top 10 totals boxes and plaque winners.
I never understood why QST dumps virtually all of its adds in the back. It's
an advertiser's nightmare. Why not allow a couple of advertisers to sponsor a
6 page spread per contest on the 2 ARRL DX contests and get their ads
conspicuously displayed? I am thinking they would be interested.
Ed N1UR
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