[CQ-Contest] Future of Paper Certificates

[Randy Thompson K5ZD]

" The publishing business is all about eyeballs and without the contests
there will be no eyeballs."

Sadly (for us contesters) this is not true.

If you look at reader surveys conducted by both CQ and ARRL, contest
coverage and line scores receive some of the lowest interest marks.  This is
why you have seen the line scores migrate out of the magazines and on to the
web.

Let's say there are 75,000 active contesters.  And there are 200,000 active
DXers.  Now compare that to a global ham population of 1.5 million hams...  

One of the great aspects of ham radio is its diversity of interest areas.
Covering that range of passion is what sells magazines.  Contesting is just
one part.

Contesters and DXers are active.  And they do buy stuff.  But, they are not
the market makers.  This may have been different many years ago when there
were fewer hams and getting on the air was more of an achievement.

All that said, we love what we do.  We take pride in building skills,
improving international goodwill, and enjoy a competitive fun outlet.
Contesting fulfills many of the purposes of ham radio and that's why the
National ham radio organizations support and promote it.  The question is
who should pay for it...

Randy, K5ZD


> -----Original Message-----
> From: CQ-Contest [mailto:cq-contest-bounces at contesting.com] On Behalf Of
> Rudy Bakalov via CQ-Contest
> Sent: Sunday, August 30, 2015 12:16 AM
> To: cq-contest at contesting.com
> Subject: Re: [CQ-Contest] Future of Paper Certificates
> 
> I personally don't care about a paper certificate, but do remember the
> excitement of receiving my first one. In fact, it was the certificate
> that encouraged me to come back to the contesting world having left it
> when I was in my early 20s.
> 
> One thing that I genuinely don't understand is what exactly is CQ
> Magazine's sponsorship? If they have a problem with mailing the
> certificates then what's left?
> 
> The way I see things, it is the contest that is funding the magazine, not
> the other way around. Without the different contests the magazine will
> have no appealing contest, circulation will go down, advertisers will
> pull their marketing dollars, the magazine will cease to exist.  The
> publishing business is all about eyeballs and without the contests there
> will be no eyeballs.
> 
> Rudy N2WQ
> 
> Sent using a tiny keyboard.  Please excuse brevity, typos, or
> inappropriate autocorrect.
> 
> 
> > On Aug 29, 2015, at 9:15 AM, Joe <nss at mwt.net> wrote:
> >
> > Extremely interesting.
> > I like the idea of the printable also.
> > Just curious tho.
> > With the paper they make certs, how down the scores did they go in say
> 2013? Where they automatically sent one to someone?
> > I just looked for the fun of it, went to CQWW and entered my call, and
> it tells me all the times I entered CQWW. Pretty cool, but then I see
> that a cert is there too! what?!
> >
> > Aparantly I took 2nd place for CQWWSSB 10 M low power 9 land, and I
> never knew it. And too bad only ran 12 hours a few more maybe one more
> and I could have had 1st place! I was that close in second place.
> >
> > BUT I know for sure I never got a Paper cert. so just wondering I know
> things may be changing, but in say 2013, how deep in the winners listins
> did they go and send out paper certs.
> >
> > Joe WB9SBD
> > Sig
> > The Original Rolling Ball Clock
> > Idle Tyme
> > Idle-Tyme.com
> > http://www.idle-tyme.com
> >> On 8/28/2015 10:01 PM, Randy Thompson K5ZD wrote:
> >> There is an important conversation about the future of paper
> >> certificates happening on the CQWW blog.  Please visit
> >> http://cqww.com/blog/the-future-of-paper-certificates/ and add your
> >> opinion to the mix.
> >>
> >>
> >> Randy Thompson, K5ZD
> >> Director - CQ WW DX Contest
> >> email: k5zd at cqww.com
> >> web: www.cqww.com
> >> Facebook: www.facebook.com/cqwwdx
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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> >
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