Have I missed a discussion about the PDGA doing a magazine RFP somewhere?

And wouldn't the point of doing a RFP be to select the best magazine, thereby eliminating the need for question #2?

"If DGWN is not choosen (sic), will we have a worse product?"

I would trust the point would be to choose the best product.

The concept of going through an RFP on a PDGA sponsored magazine, on the surface, appears to be a good idea. Like many good ideas it may be half baked.

The arguments for and against the magazine have played out here on this site numerous times. They have included succinct information concerning the cost structure of DGWN as compared to other magazines of comparable nature. That information has suggested that DGWN is brought to us at a reasonable cost. Yet, we now find ourselves in the position of looking to see what is available! Of requiring RFPs and utilizing staff time to evaluate those RFPs.

Let's think realistically about this. An accomplished publisher with great skills in putting together such a magazine is going to be unlikely to have the experience to know what should go into such a magazine. Best case scenario, they're going to reap the benefits of what DGWN has done. Those with the experience in our sport will be unlikely to have the experience that Rick has in putting this magazine together. Are we likely to get a "real" bid that "really" competes against DGWN in a credible fashion given this?

In our zealousness to bring accountability to the PDGA and to make it responsive to our membership, we are requiring it to do things that bigger more robust organizations sometimes do. While those business tactics can have merit, their usefulness can be mitigated by circumstances and size. This is one case where IMO common sense would tell you the benefit will be limited.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that some would want the prestige publishing the official magazine of the PDGA would bring. Even if they didn't have the real ability to deliver. In the event that DGWN is not accepted, one has to wonder what we will get to replace the writers who appear regularly in DGWN. Take a look at the most recent publications. How do you replace the experience of Carlton, Rick, Chap, Peter, Gregg and the many other long term players who contribute to that magazine?

BTW - do some research on the cost of mailing magazines. There is a battle brewing over this very issue. The big publishers are pushing for a postal rate hike on mailing mags and similar documents. Why? Because small publishers can't compete and it gives the Time/Warners of the the world control.

We may lose our options all together if this rate hike is approved.

Disclaimer, I have to admit I don't really know if this impacts DGWN and the PDGA. We may be so small that we don't get a mailing break anyway.

will the proposed RFP requirements allow the possibility of an e-magazine?

I have been out of the loop for quite a while, so I don't know what disc golf publications are out there, but is there another pub other than DGW that can meet this stipulation from the RFP:

"The magazine guarantees no fewer than 80 interior pages, of which 24 to 48 are in color, and features a full color cover."

That would, IMO, be a very ambitious goal for a mag if it wasn't close to providing that now.

I don't think it's wise at this point in time to assume that the quality of DGWN will suffer without the news and official communications of the Association included, or that this content would suffer if it was included in some other magazine.

I look to the current issue of Disc Golf Magazine as just proof. There are outstanding feature articles on: <ul type="square"> the PDGA International Disc Golf Center grand opening in Augusta back in April a preview of Am Worlds 2007 in Milwaukee, WI an article about event promotion by PDGA Marketing Director John Duesler
a step-by-step installation guide for teepads by Pat Farrell of DISConcepts. a course design article by Chuck Kennedy. These two articles are must-reads for anyone involved in course installation. interviews with touring golfer Billy Crump and Bowling Green Am Champion Steve Whitson [/list]

In short, it's no leap of faith whatsoever to imagine news and official communications of the Association included in Disc Golf Magazine.

I don't think it's wise at this point in time to assume that the quality of DGWN will suffer without the news and official communications of the Association included, or that this content would suffer if it was included in some other magazine.

I look to the current issue of Disc Golf Magazine as just proof. There are outstanding feature articles on: <ul type="square"> the PDGA International Disc Golf Center grand opening in Augusta back in April a preview of Am Worlds 2007 in Milwaukee, WI an article about event promotion by PDGA Marketing Director John Duesler
a step-by-step installation guide for teepads by Pat Farrell of DISConcepts. a course design article by Chuck Kennedy. These two articles are must-reads for anyone involved in course installation. interviews with touring golfer Billy Crump and Bowling Green Am Champion Steve Whitson [/list]

In short, it's no leap of faith whatsoever to imagine news and official communications of the Association included in Disc Golf Magazine.



Excellent point and I did not mean to "directly" imply that either thing would happen. I did mean to stimulate a discussion and make sure we think about those possibilities.

The PDGA requirements comprise a total of six pages for membership info, six to eight pages for event results (which are already being communicated in a more complete and timely manner through this website) and two to four pages for the event schedule (which is often incomplete at press time and is also being communicated through this website in a timely manner complete with hyperlinks to real-time information).

Why then does the RFP call for no fewer than 80 interior pages? Is there some assumption of an appropriate number of pages devoted to advertising and an appropriate number of pages devoted to other content?

Why is there a color requirement? Does the color requirement call for spot color or full color?

BTW, 80 interior pages is a kinda strange number, printing- and publishing-wise ... Unless you are counting the inside front and back covers as cover pages, 78 interior pages would be the best number in that range. If you count all four as covers, 76 would be the best. When added to the front and back covers the final number should typically be divisible by four (and preferably 8 or 16) assuming the magazine is being produced by an offset press.

Finally, in this day and age, why doesn't a forward-thinking RFP address the possibility of an e-magazine as an option, either as THE vehicle or partnered with a print magazine?

If the Board is looking to give member's an option in '08, wouldn't it be cool to have the option of an e-magazine instead of a print copy (or even both) with appropriate pricing on each option

Given the current costs associated with mailing and, as Lyle noted, a brewing battle to price small publishers to the brink of solvency, it seems a prudent time to at least explore these options. I would hope that a publishing company with the ability to produce both a print magazine an an e-magazine would be far more appealing than one or the other.

If printing and mailing costs do skyrocket in the future making the cost of a print magazine prohibitive, the Board will have a leg up on a necessary transition. (Not to mention the likelihood that the majority of members will be getting the majority of their information by computer anyway in the not too distant future).

Here is the link to the RFP BTW:

PDGA Magazine RFP (http://www.pdga.com/documents/2007/RFP-Magazine2007.pdf)

How about a "green" initiative to print on recycled paper? We are, in fact a pretty green sport, and letting our publications get greener would be a wise move in these days of environmental awareness.

Excellent points, insofar as I understand them. I've argued, not here, but with other members, that an e-version would be best. I'm now convinced that isn't true.

Yes, it would work at some level but it ignores the fact that by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here or even go on-line. Those of us who come here are too enamored with this site. Yes, it is important and it does have a huge impact (bigger than it should IMO) but it really ignores the biggest part of our membership.

Go search Peter Shive's comments on the magazine and why he feels it's important (on his ask candidate thread). Our magazine, and yes I consider DGWN as our magazine, has cache that e-magazines have not yet engendered.

On the other hand, practically speaking, we may have no choice.

The PDGA requirements comprise a total of six pages for membership info, six to eight pages for event results (which are already being communicated in a more complete and timely manner through this website) and two to four pages for the event schedule (which is often incomplete at press time and is also being communicated through this website in a timely manner complete with hyperlinks to real-time information).

Why then does the RFP call for no fewer than 80 interior pages? Is there some assumption of an appropriate number of pages devoted to advertising and an appropriate number of pages devoted to other content?

Why is there a color requirement? Does the color requirement call for spot color or full color?

BTW, 80 interior pages is a kinda strange number, printing- and publishing-wise ... Unless you are counting the inside front and back covers as cover pages, 78 interior pages would be the best number in that range. If you count all four as covers, 76 would be the best. When added to the front and back covers the final number should typically be divisible by four (and preferably 8 or 16) assuming the magazine is being produced by an offset press.

Finally, in this day and age, why doesn't a forward-thinking RFP address the possibility of an e-magazine as an option, either as THE vehicle or partnered with a print magazine?

If the Board is looking to give member's an option in '08, wouldn't it be cool to have the option of an e-magazine instead of a print copy (or even both) with appropriate pricing on each option

Given the current costs associated with mailing and, as Lyle noted, a brewing battle to price small publishers to the brink of solvency, it seems a prudent time to at least explore these options. I would hope that a publishing company with the ability to produce both a print magazine an an e-magazine would be far more appealing than one or the other.

If printing and mailing costs do skyrocket in the future making the cost of a print magazine prohibitive, the Board will have a leg up on a necessary transition. (Not to mention the likelihood that the majority of members will be getting the majority of their information by computer anyway in the not too distant future).

Here is the link to the RFP BTW:

PDGA Magazine RFP (http://www.pdga.com/documents/2007/RFP-Magazine2007.pdf)



Actually, 80 interior pages is pretty typical in the magazine world. Two forms of 32, one of 16 (or 5-16s depending on the press), and a separate heavier stock cover form of 4. Very few magazines use the same cover and body stock. You don't get the 'pop' on your cover if using 50 lb offset vs. a nice gloss cover stock, and the cover will never stand up to any wear.

Quote from Lyle:

"Yet, we now find ourselves in the position of looking to see what is available! Of requiring RFPs and utilizing staff time to evaluate those RFPs."

By saying that he couldn't publish the magazine if it were optional, Rick in a way forced the PDGA to look else where for bids.

I work as a manager in a publishing/print shop. I am calling BS to the fact that DGWN could not be operational at a lower circulation level. I believe it was a power play to stop the optional magazine iniative.

I have NEVER seen a gravy train publication like this in my experience. DGWN has an automatic circulation base that increases with general membership. There is a large amount of advertising space (compare it to other similar niche publications). The content can be boring as hell because the subscription to magazine comes automatically with membership.

There are many options that make small run printing affordable. The quality of digital printing is getting to a point where it is better than traditional offset printing. There is no plate costs and most digital printing presses will let you print as few as one publication for a reasonably small cost. Amazon is using digital printing to print many of their books on demand at the time of order. Did Rick look into printing DGWN digitally?

It was much easier to threaten to shut down the whole thing than to adapt to change.

Here is a link to the press that many digital printers are using to do small run publications.
http://h30267.www3.hp.com/country/us/en/...?pageseq=546607 (http://h30267.www3.hp.com/country/us/en/products/digital_press/5000/prodinfo_overview.html?pageseq=546607)

I have NEVER seen a gravy train publication like this in my experience. DGWN has an automatic circulation base that increases with general membership.



Perhaps not in your plant, but they're pretty common. Ultimate Players have the UPA magazine. My 'TechNet Magazine' comes quarterly or bi-monthly (not sure which) with our subscription to the Microsoft TechNET service. Examples of such arrangements are plentiful and easy enough to find. And in many cases, the magazine wouldn't survive without the captive circulation.

Actually, 80 interior pages is pretty typical in the magazine world. Two forms of 32, one of 16 (or 5-16s depending on the press), and a separate heavier stock cover form of 4. Very few magazines use the same cover and body stock. You don't get the 'pop' on your cover if using 50 lb offset vs. a nice gloss cover stock, and the cover wil never stand up to any wear.



Good point. Yes, absolutely if you are using different stock.

I hate that the PDGA jumped to this conclusion! All people wanted to know was how much the magazine costs its membership. So the PDGA, instead, said "Screw it! We'll make it optional!"
I personally, don't care for the magazine. It has no use to me except my girlfriend reads it in the bathroom. I just wanted to know what the difference in price would've been. The PDGA is very reluctant to take action, and when they do, they go WAY OVER THE TOP!

Do they have as much advertising as DGWN? Usually organizational publications have little or no outside advertising.

colin, the base cost is somewhere around $14/year. i need to check to remember if that number includes postage... i have the breakout at home.

there was a breakout of how Membership fees are allocated across various services and expenses that made it into fairly widespread public circulation. if/when i can find it i will get you the exact numbers.

an e-magazine doesn't have to "live" here.

If we accept that "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here" which, I assume, you can substantiate, it doesn't neccessarily follow "or even go on-line."

I am not sure what information that second assertion is based on, but as the TD of last year's SN Championships my database of 450 Southern National players has 125 WITHOUT e-mail addresses, the majority of whom did not register (and thus did not get a chance to supply that information to me).

The vast majority of those players hail from Alabama, Arkansas, Mississippi, Tennessee, and Louisiana. I realize that with the possible exception of Tennessee, there are a dirth of actual PDGA members from those states ... but unless there is something about the Southern Nationals which attracts a particularly technically savant disc golfer, I would argue that at the very least two thirds of disc golfers have access to the Internet (and my gut tells me that number is closer to or higher than three-quarters).

I understand the attachment to a physical product along with the cachet. As a life-long reader and having worked as both a print journalist and in electronic pre-press for the printing industry I am quite fond of reading something I can hold in my hands ... it harkens back to nights of stolen pleasure under the tented covers of my childhood bed racing a dying flashlight to the end of a Hardy Boy mystery or the latest Batman comic book.

On the other hand, an e-magazine in, for instance, PDF format can be pretty cool too:

I could print the whole darned thing.
I could print another eight copies of the schedule pages only and post it at all the courses in Mobile.
I could print out just the article about tee pads and take it Citronelle when we install pads up there in the next year.
Done right, the e-magazine is searchable, so a year's worth is easily indexed and searched ... or "e-bound" and sold as a separate product.
Done right, it can include hyperlinks and e-mail addresses. How handy would it be to have a live link throughout the e-magazine to take you to additional content, a DISCussion page, an advertiser's site, the TDs tournament web page?

Interesting side observation ... I love my library card. I bring home a stack of books everytime I go. But every year the shelves get smaller ... bit by bit every library with an eye to the future is shrinking the number of actual books and making space for DVDs and audio books and ESPECIALLY computer terminals.

This may not be THE year, but I think the Board needs to make this a focus as the organization goes forward ... because if this isn't the year there's a really good chance that next year (or the one after that or ...) will be.

It would be a really good idea to have done the homework.

Do they have as much advertising as DGWN? Usually organizational publications have little or no outside advertising.



Do you know what their ad cost structure is? Your making some assumptions. I admit I don't know either but I know that Terry posted some comparisons that suggested what we're getting is comparable with other similarly sized organizations.

Also, I take umbrage with your notion that the content, since there is a captive membership is boring. But then, that's personal perspective for you.

The current TechNET magazine has 88 body pages, pretty much all color, and good deal of ads that's close to what is in DGWN. It is published monthly, but of course has a good deal of money behind it in the form of Microsoft. I would assume there would be more ads except a Microsoft competitor would probably find the venue less than receptive. If I had to guess, I would say that the subscriptions alone aren't paying for it as Microsoft gets a great deal of benefit by having the magazine published.

Boy's Life (from scouting) went 'optional' a couple of years ago. Many scouts (families) have 'opted out' to save the $5 (yes, a good percentage of families decided not to get the magazine for their boys just to save a Lincoln), and the quality of the magazine offered has gone down (cheaper paper, less pages, less color, poorer articles).

quickly, I don't know about SN but I do know local. Most of the guys I play with aren't on-line. Some of our biggest supporters never go there. Even this site, how often do you see Barry, and other top Pros here? How many of the 11,000 members post regularly or at all? There's a tight group of a couple of hundred members who come here frequently, but most don't. The argument sounds good, and it makes sense, but it ignores what is really happening.

I think an e-magazine would be great. Even if it just supplemented the printed copy.

Sometimes an image looks alot better on a computer screen than it does in print. That had to be the case with the cover of the latest issue of DGWN. It took me a couple looks to realize that the champ didn't have a bad rash.

(a) Having just had the opportunity to read the RFP, I do not see that it calls for a magazine with a minimum guarantee of 80 pages. That number of pages is mentioned within the Background section as what the current magazine provides. There is no overall page number requirement in the Scope of Services section.

(b) I find it curious, in light of comments I have heard over the years, that I can find no specific mention of PDGA control of advertising or sharing advertising revenues.

(c) I also find it curious, in light of comments I have heard over the years, that there is not more specific suggestion of PDGA editorial decision making over the content.

Okay, I think (b) and (c) may be too subtle if I stop there.

Over the years, when I heard criticisms of DGW from PDGA leadership people at various levels, they were mostly about (b) the PDGA not sharing in advertising revenues and (c) the PDGA having no editorial control over the content outside of its own 6 pages. I truly expected the RFP to address both of those issues in a pretty vigorous manner.

But, maybe not?

If we accept that "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here" which, I assume, you can substantiate, it doesn't neccessarily follow "or even go on-line."



quickly, I don't know about SN but I do know local. Most of the guys I play with aren't on-line. Some of our biggest supporters never go there. Even this site, how often do you see Barry, and other top Pros here? How many of the 11,000 members post regularly or at all? There's a tight group of a couple of hundred members who come here frequently, but most don't. The argument sounds good, and it makes sense, but it ignores what is really happening.



I'd say a fair amount of members have e-mail addresses. What does posting on the MB have to do with anything?

EDIT: And does that qualify as sophism?

the point I was making is that it is a considerable leap from saying a only a couple of hundred members out of 11,000 come here frequently to drawing the conclusion that the rest don't have Internet access.

My wife participates in two forum discussions; one for dog agility and one for dog obedience. Her experience in those groups mirrors your numbers - a couple of hundred of the hard-core trainers and handlers getting together to use the forum as a sounding board for training ideas and to talk about rule changes and upcoming events or rehash past events.

OTOH every member of the local dog training club save one has an e-mail address. That means when the newsletter editor puts the finishing touches on the monthly newsletter she prints out two copies (one for the archives). Total mailing cost $0.41. Then she e-mails the other 78.

In the last five years the club's mailing costs alone (not to mention paper and printing) have fallen from $350 to under $5 annually.

chris, its a good idea. most mentions of making the internet more integral to Membership services have been shot down on the grounds that many of our most important and influential Members and benefactors do not use the 'net. please understand that i am not defending that perspective, just relaying it. an e-magazine is a wonderful idea, and one that could be a relatively lowcost complement to the printed mag. check out www.dgwn.com. (http://www.dgwn.com.) they already seem to be trying to make the web more of a focus.


btw, who were you quoting with the "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here"? every sample i took over the last few months indicated that as much as 10% of our Membership was logging on to the discusion board every week. i dont have numbers for how many viewed the site without logging on, but i agree it is wildly dangerous to state that a vast majority of our Members are not online.

That was Lyle, further upthread


Excellent points, insofar as I understand them. I've argued, not here, but with other members, that an e-version would be best. I'm now convinced that isn't true.

Yes, it would work at some level but it ignores the fact that by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here or even go on-line. Those of us who come here are too enamored with this site. Yes, it is important and it does have a huge impact (bigger than it should IMO) but it really ignores the biggest part of our membership.

Go search Peter Shive's comments on the magazine and why he feels it's important (on his ask candidate thread). Our magazine, and yes I consider DGWN as our magazine, has cache that e-magazines have not yet engendered.

On the other hand, practically speaking, we may have no choice.

colin, the base cost is somewhere around $14/year. i need to check to remember if that number includes postage... i have the breakout at home.

there was a breakout of how Membership fees are allocated across various services and expenses that made it into fairly widespread public circulation. if/when i can find it i will get you the exact numbers.


Let me know if you find that Pat. Meanwhile, is that $14 what we can expect to save by opting not to receive the magazine next year?

If we accept that "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here" which, I assume, you can substantiate, it doesn't neccessarily follow "or even go on-line."



quickly, I don't know about SN but I do know local. Most of the guys I play with aren't on-line. Some of our biggest supporters never go there. Even this site, how often do you see Barry, and other top Pros here? How many of the 11,000 members post regularly or at all? There's a tight group of a couple of hundred members who come here frequently, but most don't. The argument sounds good, and it makes sense, but it ignores what is really happening.



I'd say a fair amount of members have e-mail addresses. What does posting on the MB have to do with anything?

EDIT: And does that qualify as sophism?



Yes it does! :) One scenario is that we place the magazine as a PDF for download here. If no one comes here (see below) that is hardly a good way to get the information out.

Let's take our local case and two others.

I managed our club membership for a year. We had e-mails for 100s of people. Beyond the rapid turnover of e-mail addresses that occurred, there were issues with people complaining that they didn't use their addresses or e-mail, that the e-mails were often enough treated as spam, or they simply didn't like that format. In a club with 100 members I had over a dozen requests to remove members from our e-mail list because it annoyed them. That doesn't include the number of rejected e-mails, i.e. our server doesn't recognize this address as valid, that I got with each mailing.

Example two, myself. I've yet to read an e-mail from the PDGA. I got them from Terry, I'm now getting them from Steve, I don't read them

Example three, my boss. He's the CEO of a small insurance company. Insurance is all about technology. He trades on-line. He hates e-mail. He has to have it so his secretary prints out his e-mails and puts them in a folder.

Now, if I asked you to accept every thing I just wrote as the norm for every thing then you'd be right to comment that it was a sophist argument. Instead let me point out that e-mail, like this site, is not the end all in communication. I've posed a question numerous times to some board members and never gotten an answer. What percentage of our membership comes here? I've gotten the number of hits (and it's a lot) but never an accurate reflection of the real percentage of members that come here.

Next, what percentage of members have e-mails and what is the rejection rate on e-mails that we do have?

Let me end by saying, I'm not against an electronic version, in fact, I'm fairly irritated that there isn't one, and indeed at the cost of the paper one. I'm just a whole lot more cautious about my approach to jumping in feet first to an all electronic medium or in making moves without understanding the full consequences of those moves.

BTW - when I comment that it is a small percentage of members that come here, I spend a lot of time on this site. Given that we have 11,000 members, and the number of names I see here is nowhere near 11,000, I feel pretty comfortable in the assertion that most members don't come here. Of course until someone coughs up the real numbers we won't really know.

chris, its a good idea. most mentions of making the internet more integral to Membership services have been shot down on the grounds that many of our most important and influential Members and benefactors do not use the 'net. please understand that i am not defending that perspective, just relaying it. an e-magazine is a wonderful idea, and one that could be a relatively lowcost complement to the printed mag. check out www.dgwn.com. (http://www.dgwn.com.) they already seem to be trying to make the web more of a focus.


btw, who were you quoting with the "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here"? every sample i took over the last few months indicated that as much as 10% of our Membership was logging on to the discusion board every week. i dont have numbers for how many viewed the site without logging on, but i agree it is wildly dangerous to state that a vast majority of our Members are not online.



Wildly Dangerous? Would you go for possibly inaccurate.

10% of our membership. So worst case scenario, 1 in 10, this site is hardly getting to all of our membership. Best case scenario, each week, it's a new 10% (something I'm not buying) so every two and 1/2 months you hit all our membership. Acceptable, but again, I doubt that is what's happening.

Take a look at the top TDs for the biggest events. How many of them come here at any other time than when their event is on? How often does John Houck come here (and he has a vested interest in being here). How often does anyone from the rules committee come here? How often does the current Chair from the DC come here? How often does Brian come here; yes I know he's here but he hardly lives here. How often even is Steve here?

The MB and e-mail are great, they're easy and even fun. Someday they'll be the primary mode of communication without question. But not today.

Now you might ask the question. Is is essential that we get the info in the mag out to our membership? I'd say you have a good argument if you say no and therefore it isn't a good use of our money. Peter Shive gives the best argument against this IMO. It looks good and gives our sport cache. Is that essential...

chris, its a good idea. most mentions of making the internet more integral to Membership services have been shot down on the grounds that many of our most important and influential Members and benefactors do not use the 'net. please understand that i am not defending that perspective, just relaying it. an e-magazine is a wonderful idea, and one that could be a relatively lowcost complement to the printed mag. check out www.dgwn.com. (http://www.dgwn.com.) they already seem to be trying to make the web more of a focus.


btw, who were you quoting with the "by far the majority of our membership doesn't come here"? every sample i took over the last few months indicated that as much as 10% of our Membership was logging on to the discusion board every week. i dont have numbers for how many viewed the site without logging on, but i agree it is wildly dangerous to state that a vast majority of our Members are not online.



BTW - in the statistics classes I took, 10% is not a majority, in fact it is by far the minority. I've still yet to see evidence that anywhere near 1/2 of our membership comes here, little alone at some frequency. Oh, I consider greater than 1/2 a majority. I might even argue that the notion that 10% of our membership a week means you're getting to a majority of our membership is a... sophist argument. Again, that doesn't mean we're not getting to a majority, I just haven't seen any evidence that we are. Of course given the frequency that this issue comes up, I'd think some curious soul would have gone to look; and since the argument would easily be solved with that information, you'd think it would be here. Now that, is a sophist argument!

I don't think it's wise at this point in time to assume that the quality of DGWN will suffer without the news and official communications of the Association included, or that this content would suffer if it was included in some other magazine.

I look to the current issue of Disc Golf Magazine as just proof. There are outstanding feature articles on: <ul type="square"> the PDGA International Disc Golf Center grand opening in Augusta back in April a preview of Am Worlds 2007 in Milwaukee, WI an article about event promotion by PDGA Marketing Director John Duesler
a step-by-step installation guide for teepads by Pat Farrell of DISConcepts. a course design article by Chuck Kennedy. These two articles are must-reads for anyone involved in course installation. interviews with touring golfer Billy Crump and Bowling Green Am Champion Steve Whitson [/list]

In short, it's no leap of faith whatsoever to imagine news and official communications of the Association included in Disc Golf Magazine.



good points ... just looked at my copy ... some truly excellent articles ... Chuck Kennedy's and the teepad installation are keepers and I might have to frame Dr. D's.

From Business Week:

July 16, 2007, 10:38AM EST
Publish and Perish?
Small publishers say the July 15 increase on periodical class mail threatens independent media and the free flow of ideas
The U.S. Postal Service overhauled the way it calculates the amount that publishers must pay to mail periodicals in a change that took effect July 15. Postal officials say the new rates, based on a plan advanced by media giant Time Warner (TWX), give mailers incentives to be more efficient and will help curb the rising costs of mailing periodicals. But small publishers say the plan, which affects newspapers, magazines, and newsletters, threatens to drive up their costs at a time when many already face losses.

"We were all budgeting for around 11%," says Teresa Stack, president of the left-wing weekly The Nation. The Postal Service first asked regulators for that increase, which would have been about the same for large and small mags, in May, 2006. It was the fourth rate hike since 2000. After months of hearings, the Postal Regulatory Commission recommended in February, 2007, a modified version of Time Warner's plan that the governors of the USPS soon approved. "We were shocked because it quickly became clear that there was going to be a huge variation in increases," says Stack. (BusinessWeek publisher McGraw-Hill (MHP) filed a brief arguing that the Time Warner plan would cause "an unduly large number of unacceptably high rate increases, particularly for smaller mailers."

The coalition of 22 magazines Stack is leading�mostly small political and cultural journals on both sides of the political spectrum�faces hikes between 16% and 23%, she said. The Nation, with a weekly circulation of 186,000, expects to see a 17% increase in mailing expenses, meaning an extra $500,000 a year.

No Simple Transition
Postal officials point out that the cost of mailing periodicals has increased faster than for other classes of mail, and federal law requires each class of mail to break even. The new rate structure increases discounts for more efficient mailers who can bundle magazines going to the same Zip Code, ship them directly to a postal distribution center, and make them sortable by machine. Officials hope the incentives will be enough for smaller publishers to adopt these techniques. "There was a need to implement a rate structure based on what you use," says Nanci Langley, a spokeswoman for the Postal Regulatory Commission. "Some magazines roll their magazine and put a rubber band around it. Somebody has to unroll it."

The transition to the new rate system is not simple. The Postal Service gave publishers an extra two months beyond when other rate hikes took effect in May to plan for the change, but Stack and others say their printers are still struggling to figure out the new rules (see BusinessWeek.com, 5/14/07, "Beating the Postage Hike"). The Postal Service's March press release announcing the delay explained it this way: "USPS had proposed a single container charge for periodicals to encourage efficiency, but the [Postal Regulatory Commission] recommended 55 different prices based on container type, entry point, and level of sortation."

Jim O'Brien, vice-president of Time Inc., which, with 130 titles, is the largest U.S.publisher, says the rate change helps correct a system where big publishers pay for small publishers' inefficiencies. "Efficient mailers are still subsidizing inefficient mailers to the tune of 60� on the dollar," he says. "Is it fair for the subscribers of Time, BusinessWeek, Newsweek, and other larger publications to be subsidizing these other titles?" Time Inc. spends $250 million a year on mailing costs, he says, and expects that to rise by 11.1%, in line with the industry average 11.7% increase.

Level Playing Field
At the heart of the debate is whether the Postal Service should be a market instrument that benefits the most efficient players or a distribution system that levels the playing field to create a free flow of ideas.

"One of the reasons the Post Office even exists is to help engage in free speech, and nothing is more important in free speech than free political speech," says Jack Fowler, publisher of the conservative biweekly National Review. "Now it seems the reason the Post Office exists is more to circulate entertainment magazines and direct mail for time-shares in Hawaii."

Mail is such a retro concept.

Now that the closing date for the RFP has passed and without revealing any specifics of any individual proposal that the Board chooses not to reveal, how many different proposals that meet the guidelines were received?
And given that this decision about the future magazine will be made in majority by Lame Duckers on the on the outgoing Board can you give us some indication of the direction our magazine will take?

Fossil,

The PDGA office received 2 proposals that met the published guidelines. Hard copies of these proposals are being sent to the four newly elected Board members as well as the three members who are remaining in office. The three outgoing BOD members have access to a PDF file of the proposals and will be giving the new Board input, but the final decision will be made by the new Board.

I spoke with Rick Rothstein at the Pro Worlds in Wisconsin and he told me that he would not be submitting a proposal because he needed a break. While I am very disappointed that we will be losing Disc Golf World, I totally understand where Rick is coming from and I wish him the very best of luck in his future endeavors.

Regards,
Brian Graham
PDGA Executive Director

Brian
Thank you for the information.
As a 23 + year member and paid through 12/31/11 I too will miss Disc Golf World news. Because of a disc related injury I was forced to quit competition a few years ago but always maintained active Pro status to support this organization. The most valuable and about the only tangible asset I receive for my membership is the magazine which I use with the park managers and prospective sponsors for the events I volunteer with each year. Disc Golf World news has been invaluable in that regard. That nice cover always gets an immediate positive response from those I depend on to help with our area events.
With the new proposed/rumored magazine optional membership I wonder how a company can construct a business plan or yearly budget with the uncertainty this new option will create.
If the figure of about $13 a year for DGWN is about accurate I felt that was money well spent, far more than the travel expenses of a few staff members across the country or world to places I will never have the pleasure to visit.

I truly hope the folks in power know what they are doing with our organization.

Thanks again for your response.

Brian, what is the frequency that this is going to be put up for bid? Annually? Just curious.

Lyle,

The frequency of releasing an RFP is a matter for the Board to decide. I personally think that at a minimum, an organization like ours should review and re-evaluate the contracts with our vendors every 2 to 3 years, to ensure that we are getting the best deal for our members.

Regards,
Brian Graham
PDGA Executive Director

Thanks Brian,

You don't have to answer this question, but here goes; Do you think this process will help the Magazine and the organization? Again, I will understand if you prefer not to answer and I will admit that I am trying to form an opinion of your leadership. :D

Thanks Brian,

You don't have to answer this question, but here goes; Do you think this process will help the Magazine and the organization? Again, I will understand if you prefer not to answer and I will admit that I am trying to form an opinion of your leadership. :D



Lyle,

YES... I think this process will help the magazine and the association. Organizationally, the release of RFP's for services from time to time helps ensure that we are getting the best value for our members dollar. Competition is always a good thing, as the vendors must constantly improve their products and offer a better value in order to keep pace with their competitors.

Everyone is a winner. The PDGA gets a better deal, the member gets a better product and the vendors offer a better product.

Regards,
Brian Graham

Recent Post in PDGA announccements.


Dear PDGA Members,

The PDGA Board of Directors has selected Rich Givens and 4141 Disc Golf as the official magazine provider for the organization beginning in January 2008. The selection is the end result of a Request for Proposals (RFP) for magazine services that the association released earlier this year.

The new magazine will be 100% full color gloss, approximately 8 3/8� x 10 7/8�, and wrapped in a heavier, glossy cover stock with perfect binding. The provider will be using recycled (90%-99% post consumer waste) paper stock inside and out. There will be no fewer than 80 interior pages, including 14 full color pages dedicated to PDGA news. The publication will be produced bi-monthly (6 issues per year), providing extensive coverage and time sensitivity to calendars, announcements and communication to our members.

The tone of the magazine is planned to be contemporary and insightful with content and organization consistent with other successful sport and alternative sport publications. The magazine will include regular features and columns, reader feedback forums, humor, advertising and editorial. Contributors and staff writers will include prominent figures in the disc golf community, as well as non-disc literary professionals.

The anticipated newsstand price of the magazine will be $4.95 per issue or $29.70 per year but the PDGA has contracted to pay a special discounted rate of approximately $15 per year to include the magazine as a benefit of membership. Members wishing to opt out of receiving the magazine will be offered a $10 discount off of the standard membership fees in 2008.

The PDGA Board and staff look forward to the release of the first issue with great anticipation and we encourage all members to support this endeavor by choosing to receive the magazine.

Regards,
Brian Graham
PDGA Executive Director


Sounds like good news that there will still be a color magazine. Now the test comes in how many people sign up for it, or choose not to opt out. Thoughts?