[CQ-Contest] QST vs. NCJ vs. CQ

[K7LXC at aol.com]

In a message dated 1/13/02 8:58:42 AM Pacific Standard Time, 
HHBrakob at email.msn.com writes:

> I presume that CQ Magazine (being a commercial enterprise) makes
>  content decisions based on what their market research says will sell
>  the magazine.

    CQ market research? That's a good one. (They do have reader responses 
regarding articles now but that's a fairly recent development.) 
>  
>  If contest line scores are not desirable to their intended market, the 
>  scores wouldn't be there. 

    Gee, I forgot it was so simple. 

    Please remember that the CQWW has a history that goes back many years. 
And times (and costs and readerships and markets, etc.) are much different 
than they were 60 years ago. It ain't easy to turn a huge ship around with 
that kind of momentum.

    Consider this:

    QST subscribers = around 150K
    NCJ subscribers = about 2500            1.7% of QST

    CQ subscribers = around 90k
    CQ Contest subscribers = about 2500 2.8% of CQ - now 0%

    Even if all the NCJ/CQ Contest subscribers bought those issues with 
contest results, it's still only 2500 people who would be putting the money 
up for those contest results. (Okay - I'm making some broad generalizations 
and leaving out those people who subscribe but are only interested in contest 
results like me but hopefully you get my point.)

    But this is the 21st century, boys and girl. Now that the vast majority 
of scores are being submitted electronically, which publishing option makes 
more sense both from a worldwide information dissemination and cost 
standpoint - paper or website? You don't even have to guess which way the 
publishers are going. 

Cheers,
Steve    K7LXC
Tower Tech  


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