[VHFcontesting] ARRL ...VHF/UHF Awards and Contesting...

[Hare,Ed, W1RFI]

> So more publicity is definitely required which means 
> more news in QST.

Let me add my personal view. (My professional responsibilities at ARRL HQ have no direct impact on contesting or the QST publications policy.)

I agree, QST and the other magazines are a good outlet for publicity about the fun of contesting.  I just don't think that page after page of contest line listings are the way to accomplish that.  The ARRL decision not to publish line scores in QST has nothing to do with costs.  QST's size always has been determined by the number of pages of advertising. More advertising means more pages, with the general guideline that the editorial content shall be approximately 50%.  The decision to move the contest line scores from QST to the web was strictly one of content of QST.  The premise that that the pages freed up by eliminating line scores can and will be used to have more articles and features. Unless advertising falls off, this change will not make the magazine smaller. (And it will not make room for more ads -- trust me, if ARRL has advertisers lined up, they go in the magazine and the editor has to scramble to find more editorial content to meet the 50% mark!  Those ad revenues are part of what keeps dues at $39 a year rather than $139 a year like my IEEE dues!)