Competing with AMA
06-08-2007, 11:51 AM
#151
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: JUGFLIER
STL, Market price in first and foremost by the cost of doing business. MA cannot continue to do business for less than its costs indefinitely. As printing costs rise and these costs are passed on to us in dues, at some point you reach a point where members will not pay it. Then you are forced to raise ad rates. Your argument does not wash.... At some time MA HAS TO RAISE RATES.
I'd agree with you if MA could lower their rate, but you still don't understand that the rate is a market price, MA doesn't have the power that YP has because they are not a commercial magazine, they are a membership periodical. MA does not go into every RC'ers home, only AMA member’s home, YP has power. Also why don't you just ask the ED or your DVP why their rates are so low, Hoss says they do it intentionally, ummm ok.
The AMA or MA is not a commodity like you may be thinking. It's hard can't compete in commodities, metals, dairy products, oil, etc. their costs are fixed down to the penny on a daily basis, but marketing ads are not fixed. They are only priced on what and how and manfufacture can spend per on their ads and a lot of competition.
As far as MA costs, I told you MA has a fixed budget for MA. I read it somewhere it was $12 or 16, I forget what it was. That means MA is budgeted about 20-25% of AMA membership dues directly towards the publication. Right now it's beating that budget with lots of room to spare. Once MA breaks that budget, then they have to come up with solutions, until then each AMA member will continue to to receive their magazine and pay their $8 a year happily to receive it.
Once again, why debate, ask the AMA, sounds like they are answering important questions.
06-09-2007, 11:35 AM
#152
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: STLPilot
I would happen to agree with you if RCU's AMA forum was the majority, but it's not. If you were to poll all AMA members to drop the rag or to continue to pay $8 towards their membership, I know what they would say. First off they would lose the magazine and any type of periodical they would ever receive from the AMA. Do you have any idea what kind of impact that will have in the long run? Not just for the members but for everyone, including the advertisers. It's a touchy subject Hoss, one that has many long term effects. Dropping the magazine or simply raising the rates sound real easy, but is very typical of a person who is just pissed off.
Jug I think you need to be in the RC industry to understand what you are really talking about. 90% of the RC companies out there are doing what they are doing is a "labor of love" for the industry and what they like to do. Saying you don't care about these people is not too respectful of the work they do for you and others to keep you and others flying.
You are all for AMA starting cottage industries to help MAKE A PROFIT to help pay AMA costs and reduce dues. At the same time, YOU ARE AGAINST THE MA magazine doing the same thing. You think the AMA should publish ADVERTISING ADS for the cost to publish those ads to perform a public service. CAN I ADVERTISE MY MACHINE SHOP IN THERE? When the cost of MA magazines losses are offset by dues, common sense tells me the most effective way to reduce costs to AMA members and thus keep dues down is to stop the losses at MA. As in any business, you have to charge more than your overhead in order to MAKE A PROFIT or GO OUT OF BUSINESS. Only AMA has the ability to just raise rates to offset these losses. This is not good stewardship of OUR MONEY.
Jug I think you need to be in the RC industry to understand what you are really talking about. 90% of the RC companies out there are doing what they are doing is a "labor of love" for the industry and what they like to do. Saying you don't care about these people is not too respectful of the work they do for you and others to keep you and others flying.
The Check is in the mail!
I'll respect you in the morning!
I'm from the government and I'm here to help you!
Labor of Love!
That about sums it up! Money, sex and power are the three great motivators of life. Everything else is for the purpose of acquiring one of those three. Anything else is just BS!
The Mule
06-11-2007, 07:55 PM
#153
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RE: Competing with AMA
ST
Why haven't they put MA online like RCU's mag....I mean alot is there
on the AMA site right now? Wonder if that would cost more...less, just
get rid of a few editors, writers, etc., mailing cost, printing, no need
for that....just a thought...
fly high be safe, later, budpro
Why haven't they put MA online like RCU's mag....I mean alot is there
on the AMA site right now? Wonder if that would cost more...less, just
get rid of a few editors, writers, etc., mailing cost, printing, no need
for that....just a thought...
fly high be safe, later, budpro
06-11-2007, 08:03 PM
#154
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RE: Competing with AMA
What about the AMA members who do not have computers (I know a couple)? I think we are stuck with a hard-copy magazine for a few years yet. Why would there be less need for editors and writers with an online magazine? Reduction in printing and mailing costs I can understand.
06-11-2007, 08:49 PM
#155
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RE: Competing with AMA
I think I counted 29 editors, and I didn't mean (all), just
cutting a cost, saving some money here and there. I'm
online for everything, so no biggie with me...maybe
some would just say okay, "I 'll read it online"' Those
with no PC, no problem they receive hard copy. This
is a subject for a survey, without doubt....
fly high, be safe, later bud
cutting a cost, saving some money here and there. I'm
online for everything, so no biggie with me...maybe
some would just say okay, "I 'll read it online"' Those
with no PC, no problem they receive hard copy. This
is a subject for a survey, without doubt....
fly high, be safe, later bud
06-12-2007, 05:06 AM
#156
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: budpro
ST
Why haven't they put MA online like RCU's mag....I mean alot is there
on the AMA site right now? Wonder if that would cost more...less, just
get rid of a few editors, writers, etc., mailing cost, printing, no need
for that....just a thought...
fly high be safe, later, budpro
ST
Why haven't they put MA online like RCU's mag....I mean alot is there
on the AMA site right now? Wonder if that would cost more...less, just
get rid of a few editors, writers, etc., mailing cost, printing, no need
for that....just a thought...
fly high be safe, later, budpro
Plus the fact you have potential for having magazine to go into the hands of more then just the people receiving them. They have the potential to go into barber shops, hobby shops, boy scouts and if we as members helped the MA, to put them into as many channels as possible, the potential is unlimited. Other orgs that I belong too really press members to pass their magazines on. I believe the AMA tries as hard as they can as well.
Plus the fact it's much easier to read articles in print for most people, especially seniors. And just to have the convience to read the magazine any place and time. Print is getting beat up in a lot of sectors in advertising. But it will never just go away. Paper is a hard good, it has value to members, advertsiers and the residual readers. There is a time and place for everything they say, well it's not time to just yank MA, yet. But don't think you could just drop those editors, whose going to write and edit the online versions if they made the switch?
So basically in a nutshell if you think it's that easy for MA to go into an online only version, they would have already done it and so would every other magazine. Perhaps it will happen one day but it won't happen until there is a chain reaction. MA is not the burden to the AMA like some believe, in restrospect it's really the only thing you can count on for your $58.
06-12-2007, 09:12 AM
#157
Senior Member
RE: Competing with AMA
I count on a little more than MA, although not in strong disagreement with STLpilot. My main value is the AMA card which allows me to fly in AMA sanctioned competition. Also there is the AMA function of contest scheduling, maintaining rule book, etc. I dropped my subscription to Aviation Modeller International ($75). I am not sure I would pay $58 a year for a general model aviation magazine subscription, and nothing else. Not with the availability of Flying Models at half the price or less.
I figure I get my money's worth out of the AMA. I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
I figure I get my money's worth out of the AMA. I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
06-12-2007, 10:14 AM
#158
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: Jim Thomerson
I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
06-12-2007, 10:34 AM
#159
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: littlecrankshaf
[sm=thumbs_up.gif] Hmmmm...somehow AMA's self preservation has got in the way of doing...nevermind...
ORIGINAL: Jim Thomerson
I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
I would just like to see more national-level effort to promote model aviation.
06-13-2007, 01:08 AM
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RE: Competing with AMA
ORIGINAL: STLPilot
At least associate some of the names of the members you speak so highly.
At least associate some of the names of the members you speak so highly.
