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#493244 - 03/09/08 11:42 AM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: 1DandyDaves]
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MrEarl
Long Time Member
Registered: 07/14/03
Posts: 3534
Loc: NE Georgia
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Well here's my forty two cents worth.(since the phrase "two cents worth" came from when it use to cost two cents to mail a letter to the newpaper editor).
If for some reason I ever had to give up all my club memberships and magazine subscriptions except one, The BCA would without a doubt be the one to keep. The Bugle is a great magazine and certainly PROMOTES the BCA well and showcases what the BCA is all about.
However, I think the membership dues and what one currently gets for their buck are NOW fair and equitable. In fact I recall thinking shortly after Peter took over as Bugle Editor that "OK now I'm gettin my full 35 dollars worth". BUT I fear that an increase in membership dues to, in affect, paying for increased number of pages in the Bugle, might possibly hurt the membership numbers. Some folks ie fixed income retirees, young family guys just trying to make ends meet, simply don't have the extra $10-15 to pay for $45-50 membership in an old car club. I think it would also be shocking to those new to the antique car market that membership dues are that much and they would decline membership. AND THAT we can not chance happening. The majority of those people would just be seeing it as paying membership dues and maybe even not know about the excellant quality magazine that comes with it much less that it costs so much because there are 16 more pages than there use to be at some point of time.
Now if there is a need to increase the dues $5.00 for reasons of increased postage, increased administrative costs (as in giving Peter a raise) and general inflation then so be it. But if you can't squezze an additional 16 pages into the Bugle for that amount then MrEarl says no.
I'm just weighing it all out and I don't think adding 16 pages to an ALREADY great magazine is worth chancing lossing new or old members due to their not being able to afford it or their feeling membership is not worth it.
Edited by MrEarl (03/09/08 02:14 PM)
_________________________
Lamar in Athens, Georgia
BCA- 39474, 1959 BDBCA-0021, AACA-228846  1954 BUICK "The Beautiful Buy"1954 Roadmaster 76R, 2 DR HT - DoraB, (Irene,gone down under) 1954 Roadmaster 72R 4 DR - Buttercup, Dakota, Blue Belle, Virginia, Marietta, "High Society" (thank you Paul Meyer) 1954 Century 66R 2 DR HT- "54Muscle" w/3 speed stick(thank you Jim Schilf & Norm Kortus), Mary Jane Verkauft bis ein, wer 54 Buicks in Deutschland liebt, dankt Freund 1954 Special 41D 4 DR Deluxe Sedan 3 speed- Sugar Magnolia
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#493268 - 03/09/08 12:57 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Bill Stoneberg]
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Mark Shaw
Member
Registered: 06/08/05
Posts: 930
Loc: Vancouver, WA
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Having read the first day of this thread I believe further analysis is in order before we jump off this bridge.
1. Many of our members are retired and may not have the budget for such an increase.
2. I like the membership only option (many members can share their copies of the Bugle).
3. What are the major costs?....Postage, Publishing, etc.
4. Would we need a dues increase if membership increased?
My two cents.....
Edited by Mark Shaw (03/09/08 12:58 PM)
_________________________
Mark Shaw
BCA PWD Director
HCCA Member (Skagit & Portland)
1913 Model 31 Touring
1915 Model C-25 "Speedster"
1924 Model 45 "Roadster Truck"
1929 Model 29-27 Sedan (Now my son's car)
1931 Model 57 Sedan
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#493275 - 03/09/08 01:21 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Mark Shaw]
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Bill Stoneberg
Member
Registered: 03/11/00
Posts: 2412
Loc: Austin, Texas
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I appreciate all the comments and the different point of views, Please keep them coming.
Bill
Edited by Bill Stoneberg (03/09/08 01:23 PM)
_________________________
Bill
1950 Buick Super Estate Wagon
1947 4 Door Sedan
1964 Riviera
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#493286 - 03/09/08 02:21 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Bill Stoneberg]
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MrEarl
Long Time Member
Registered: 07/14/03
Posts: 3534
Loc: NE Georgia
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OK, given the high quality of the magazine, I am surprised there aren't more business's banging on the door for advertising. I would think a couple more pages of ads would more than buy 14 more pages of good writing and glossy photos. This might have to be done through actively soliciting for it. NO I don't like some advertising but it might be an option especially if we select who to solicit from.
_________________________
Lamar in Athens, Georgia
BCA- 39474, 1959 BDBCA-0021, AACA-228846 1954 BUICK "The Beautiful Buy"1954 Roadmaster 76R, 2 DR HT - DoraB, (Irene,gone down under) 1954 Roadmaster 72R 4 DR - Buttercup, Dakota, Blue Belle, Virginia, Marietta, "High Society" (thank you Paul Meyer) 1954 Century 66R 2 DR HT- "54Muscle" w/3 speed stick(thank you Jim Schilf & Norm Kortus), Mary Jane Verkauft bis ein, wer 54 Buicks in Deutschland liebt, dankt Freund 1954 Special 41D 4 DR Deluxe Sedan 3 speed- Sugar Magnolia
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#493342 - 03/09/08 05:50 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: MrEarl]
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Thriller
Member
Registered: 09/06/03
Posts: 2205
Loc: Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
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Not to knock anyone's comments on this thread, but I have trouble whenever anyone suggests that someone in the old car hobby can't afford a few dollars more. If they are in those types of situations, they have likely given up BCA membership as a luxury already (granted there are likely exceptions to the above statement). With the price of fuel what it is, Barrett-Jackson and the like driving up prices for cars, restoration costs, etc., a small increase isn't out of line. This isn't the same as an increase in electrical / natural gas / water and sewer rates that you can't get around paying on a fixed income. Now, what might be interesting before speculating any further might be a bit of a demographic analysis of the membership, and possibly a look at membership numbers over the last number of years.
We have the same problem locally...the same ones who complain the loudest about the cost of the membership dues are the same ones who go on all the tours getting 10 mpg, buying accessories for their cars, getting out for weekly gatherings and meals with their circle of friends, and so on.
As was stated earlier, ignoring any of the other factors of BCA membership, it is tough to get a comparable magazine for the price of the Bugle.
I understand the difficulty of attracting members to the local chapters when BCA membership is a requirement...I've toyed with the idea of trying to start a chapter up here...there's enough Buick owners, but not enough BCA members to do that...add in that a Canadian membership starts at $53 US, it becomes an even tougher sell (possibly part of the reason I am still just toying with it).
Getting off  now.
Now that I'm off the soap box, I have a (somewhat) relevant question. When was the last dues increase and how much was it?
_________________________
Derek Thille BCA #39416, CBC, MBCC #1984 66 Wildcat Custom Coupe - "Ellie" / 62 Special Convertible / 61 Invicta Convertible / 56 Special 4-door Sedan / 52 Roadmaster 4-door / 41 Special 41SE Sedan / 29 McLaughlin Buick Model 51 2006 Buick Rainier - "Ruby" / 2005 GMC Sierra K2500 - "Max" (the hauler) Thriller's Buick Page
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#493435 - 03/10/08 03:51 AM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Thriller]
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West Peterson
Long Time Member
Registered: 04/28/04
Posts: 2632
Loc: Dayton
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To that end, does anyone know reasons behind the improvement in submissions? Is it a chicken and egg thing with improved content leading to a better magazine leading to more desire to be published in the magazine?
In my opinion, yes. I've got the same situation (I prefer not to call it a problem) with Antique Automobile right now.
_________________________
MT2MB
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#493455 - 03/10/08 07:44 AM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: my3buicks]
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BJM
Member
Registered: 10/27/05
Posts: 1386
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If worried about attracting new membership, hand a potential member a copy of the "new and improved Bugle"
_________________________
Bryan "Jake" Moran
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#493471 - 03/10/08 09:04 AM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Bill Stoneberg]
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BJM
Member
Registered: 10/27/05
Posts: 1386
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No, increased due for a bigger Bugle is not a good long term strategy. It appears Pete will be our editor for some time, to be sure but it seems like everything is going up in price.
I would suggest that the club should NOT have to bear the expenses of increased postage so an increase in the membership dues by $1 from time to time I can understand.
How about a 13th magazine featuring restoration articles only?
_________________________
Bryan "Jake" Moran
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#493520 - 03/10/08 12:48 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: BJM]
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dcdpgh
Member
Registered: 06/27/06
Posts: 61
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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I may only be a BCA newbie, but I would not be in favor of increased dues even if it meant more Bugle content. As someone mentioned earlier in this thread, some BCA members have more than one club affiliation, and multiple memberships plus local chapter dues when multiplied by something greater than one starts to add up. I realize my opinion is in the minority (nor very popular), but I still believe in one person - one vote, so thats my vote. If this does come to be I would ask that the increase be kept to the absolute minimum.
_________________________
Dan Dolan
ROA #11333
BCA #43257
1968 Riviera
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#493524 - 03/10/08 01:04 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: BJM]
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HurstGN
Member
Registered: 03/05/03
Posts: 198
Loc: Pittsburgh, PA
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I for one am AGAINST a dues increase. It's hard enough to convince people to join the local chapters when you hit them with the $35 requirement for national membership. While you appreciate the Bugle, and I do to (Thanks Pete, for an incredible job each month), perhaps it is GOOD to have a backlog of articles. What happens if articles dry up a bit? Are we going to publish a Bugle with blank pages? Unless an article is time sensitive, it can wait a bit. When I had my car published in Hemmings Muscle Machines, I was told some people have waited up to 4 years to get in that publication. I'd rather see good articles each month like we have now instead of Pete clamoring for fill because there's now 16 pages more to fill and new articles have dried up. It wasn't too long ago when we heard pleas for more atricles because there weren't enough to fill a Bugle.
What about the loss of members due to the dues increase? Will we have a further glut of leftover Bugles due to a loss in membership? We already have plenty of leftover Bugles going into the archives for sale by the Porthole Chapter.
Has anyone looked at the economy? Gas prices are skyrocketing, and there doesn't appear to be any relief in sight. The housing market is in a record slump. Reports recently said that the average homeowners equity is now less than 50%. More and more people are in severe credit card debt. Leading economists can't decide if we're in a recession or not, but most lean more towards using the "R" word than ever. The dollar is getting weaker and the euro is getting stronger.
We're preparing for a change in leadership in the federal government. Whether it's an R or D that wins the election, I don't hear any candidate running on the "I'll maintain the status quo" ticket. Everyone is demanding change, and we're going to see some change.
Has everyone gotten the same yearly increase in salary and same bonus this year? News reports are mentioning that employers are cutting back on raises and bonuses more than ever before. Oh, not to mention the unemployment figures are rising.
Has anyone taken into account the new postal rates coming our way this spring? Rates are going up, and if the economy dips, don't be surprised to see the postal system ask for another rate increase before years end on top of the spring increase.
Plus, does anyone have any idea how much money the BCA has in the bank accounts? I know some huge figures were passed around in the past 5 years. That was just the money that didn't have a home and needed to be invested somewhere. Maybe we hold stable and wait and see. If we hit a minor short term crunch, we dip into the savings a little to stem the tide, and when things turn around, then consider an increase. But for now, I just can't think of a worse time to ask for more money.
As much as everyone would like a bigger edition of the Bugle, lets stop and think. Lets take some time to see where the economy goes over the next year. I remember the old joke, "That and a quarter will get you a cup of coffee". That joke has morphed into "That and $50 will get you a tank of gas, maybe". Lets not see it morph again into something like "That and a bar of gold will get you a membership in the Buick Club".
_________________________
Visit the Pittsburgh Tri-Shields from your PC Dan McCann BCA #34734 October 2007 Hemmings Muscle Machines Feature Car - 1982 Turbocharged Grand National
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#493539 - 03/10/08 02:18 PM
Re: A larger Bugle and an increase in dues
[Re: Bill Stoneberg]
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JZRIV
Member
Registered: 01/23/07
Posts: 29
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No I would not support a dues increase to add 16 pages. I think the Bugle offers a great value. Its a good balance of content and cost.
I see most here support an increase however that may not reflect the views of the general membership. Most who watch this message board likely have a greater enthusiasm to their car and BCA VS those who do not frequent the message board. It makes sense that those with the most enthusiasm would gladly pay more because of the enjoyment they get in return.
Maintaining memebership seems to be a fairly common concern and topic. Perhaps there is a better way to gauge what the membership loss would be if the dues were increased X amount? If information gathered indicates there would be some drop outs, then its possible new memberships would decline as well due to the increased cost.
Would the increased content attract more members than we would lose?
_________________________
Jason Zerbini
ROA/BCA
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