ORIGINAL: BillyGoat
ORIGINAL: Dave Mathewson
Assuming the audit report paints an accurate picture of the magazine operation, in round numbers, it appears as an expense of roughly $1,000.000. Divide the million by, say 155,000 (figuring that not all youth memberships or 2nd family members receive the magazine) and that works out to about $6.45. So the question becomes could we create a black & white "newsletter" including paper, ink, printing, postage and the labor to put it all together for .54 per copy? I don't know.
Dave
Dave, by your numbers MA represents $6.45 of my dues. Which I will have to admit is a bargain even though I rarely read it. As our club’s newsletter editor I’ve calculated it cost us approx $.90 to print and mail a single, three page, edition of the newsletter to a member. For the AMA to send an entire magazine for $.54 is great!
So in reality MA is an operating marvel (at roughly1/3 of it’s allocation of $18.00) instead of the money-losing proposition it has been labeled in this thread? [&:]
Personally I’d like to see the stock on which MA is published changed. As an example R/C Report is printed on a non-glossy paper, unlike MA. And I’ll read R/C Report twice before reading MA. Publishing on a “newsprint” certainly has to be less expensive, plus once R/C Report’s glossy cover is taken off it’s suitable for recycling, again unlike MA. Since the purpose of MA is a newsletter for AMA members, the shinny glitz of full color glossy print is just unnecessary excess.
Hi Bill,
I think it was at the beginning of this thread where I tried to explain the reference to $18 that appears in the magazine. I'm certainly not saying that member dues don't subsidize a portion of the costs of producing MA. If you'd like to see a better breakdown than what I've offered here it can be found in the 2003 annual audit in the member's only section of the AMA Website. On page 3 you'll find the general income and expense entries and on page 16 there's a breakdown of MA direct costs.
There was a time MA was printed on newsprint. I think there was a time when most of the major mags were. Which makes me wonder if there are other factors involved in determining the cost of production other than the type of paper the publication is printed on. In today's PC world I suppose we shouldn't ignore the environmental issues.
Dave