BCA magizine

[Guest imported_buickfan1]

I got my renewal form today and I am not sure I will renew.I do love Buicks and would like to be a member of the Buick clubs.I have been a member of the GSCA,BCA,BPG for many years.The reason I am considering not renewing to BCA is the club magazine is lame at best.I knew the BCA did not concentrate on the GS buicks in large numbers when I joined and that did not bother me as wanted wanted to see and learn about other model Buicks.My beef is the club magazine does not really feature many cars at all.Two pages every month to list new members is a waste of space then add two pages for chapters,page for tech advisors which gets old because it doesn't change.That info could be in the member roster special that is published once a year or so.Then take out the advertising and not much left at all.Why don't they publish some features of Buick cars and the story of the car and owner;that is what I wanted to see when I joined the club.Does anyone else feel the same way???????I don't expect other car magazines to feature many Buicks but I do expect a "Buick only" publication to feature some Buicks!!!!!!!!!!

[Guest my3buicks]

While I sure would like to see more articles on cars in the Bugle, and I'm not overly impressed with the current printer, I do look forward to it monthly. The new members pages are used by Chapters and others to contact them. If they where not listed people would not have access to them for a year. Also it's amazing how issues get around and that issue laying in the tire shop might just bring a new member into the BCA when they contact a chapter in their area for info. Another problem is lack of people submitting articles to be published. There are allot of GS people in the BCA and over the years allot of articles on GS's. Constructive critizism is what makes for a better publication so yours will be seen by the correct eyes here.

[NTX5467]

With all due respect, I do feel the current magazine is better than what we had several years ago. As mentioned, members are the main source of the car articles instead of members typically being approached about doing articles on their cars (as a consumer magazine with free lance contributing editors might do). No submissions, no articles. The tech articles might not be of the vintage that you desire, but they are informative from what I've seen. True, some are more complete than others, but still better than nothing.

I will admit that perhaps the car articles might not fully reflect the true diversity of the Buick automobiles that have been produced in more recent decades and this might be something to work on in the future. Seems that I remember seeing many more car articles on "full size" Buicks rather than Riveras or GS or Reattas over the years and that might be something you're seeing too. By the same token, there were many more mainstream Buicks built rather than the more speciality models I mentioned. Did you see the article on the ElCamino-style GS before the Kokomo meet?

Maybe now that we're past the Centennial Celebration and the related early history of the corporation and its founders being in print, we can see more car articles on the various decades of Buicks from the early days to the more recent times? Considering the number of pictures that many took at the Flint event that have been posted on various websites (including this one), our magazine operatives might get together with the Buick historians and do a monthly article on the various eras of Buicks from the early days to more modern times? This could continue the historical aspect that has begun and perhaps put many things into their correct perspective with respect to where Buick's been and how it got to where it is in more modern times, for example. A shame to let all of those pictures be out there and not put some historical perspective to them.

By the same token, with all of the Buick knowledge that resides in the Michigan area, there could be some articles on Buick engines and/or transmissions and their development. Lots of that knowledge and experiences might need to be put in print before those involved leave this world. Did you see the recent article on the TripleTurbine FlightPitch DynaFlow?

Every automotive enthusiast has their own respective needs that they desire to be met with car club organizations or other similar groups. All groups are not or can be all things to everyone, unfortunately, so it might take some time, but finding the group that's best for the particular person's orientations can be good when it's found.

If, per chance, the BCA is not meeting your particular needs, maybe the BCA needs to consider what's happening and alter its course somewhat to be more responsive to the members' needs or perhaps there's another Buick enthusiast group(s) that's already more closely meeting your needs. Everyone needs to be happy with the organization(s) they are or are considering being a part of--even if it means we lose you from the ranks of the BCA after your "check us out" period.

Sometimes a more generalized organization might not meet the needs of particular members quite as well as a more specialized organization (i.e., GSCA, Reatta, GN, Riviera, BPG) might. To me, the key thing would be that you enjoy your vehicles and find others that are similar in that respect such that all associations are mutually beneficial for all involved.

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

[The Old Guy]

Any magazine is only as good as the information it has available. If you read the "Bugle" you will see that almost every month the editor asks for input from the readers. If you have not sent in an article to him, with decent pictures, then you are part of the problem. I think they are doing a good job! there is more info than there was and they cover the complete hobby as well as they can.

just my .02

[Guest]

the "rag" is to gernric, and stories out of date. The CLC Seft starter, and the AACA is worse.

I get all three, and flip thru them once, and on the pile they go. I'd rather be a member for a cheaper price, and not get the magizine..... like the NRA!!! (not a member)

since, i put out a newsletter, I know want a pain it is to come up with new stuff....

I save them though, I've got 15 year worth in a box... I don't know why..!

[GSTURBO]

Joe,early last fall, I sent in an article about the last day of Buick City with several pictures I took of the last car built in Flint.Twice I e-mailed them to find out if they got it and never heard from them. Norb

[Centurion]

I entered the Forum this morning intending to start a thread about the March "Bugle" -- and how much I enjoyed it. I'll still do that thread, but must add that I agree with those who have noted that the "Bugle" reflects the article contributions from the membership. I have intended to submit an article for several months; it's time for me to get it done!

I find the monthly New Members list very useful. My chapter watches for new members in our area, and issues invitations to upcoming tours and shows.

[Guest Skyking]

Since I've been a member, I've had three cars featured in various Bugles.....There is one thing that should be noted.....The best part of the article is having your car on the cover, be it front or back....Remember there are only two covers.. I personally don't think there is any wasted space in it....

Submit an article, it'll get in.........

[Guest 52buick72r]

In reference to the new members listing, I can agree in that our chapter finds it just as usefull for the same reason. I know of several members who have joined our local chapter because of that listing, myself included a long time ago. I myself am involved, or have joined, several clubs (BCA, BCA Yankee, AACA, Yesteryear of Oakdale), and while I am a bit more involved with some vs the others, I find that it's usually a small group of people doing the bulk of the work, while the others just talk about it. In one of the clubs I belong to, we have now gone with the 'Do It Program', in that when someone makes a suggestion, we offer to them to go and run with it. So far, it seems to be working. My local chapter needed help with the calendars, so I offered. It turned out to be a big relief to a few of the members, and the work I have put into it does not take a huge part of my free time. I also have been contributing to the local chapter newsletter .... one of the pieces I submitted is still on our web page off the BCA chapter site, and I am seriously considering submitting it to the Bugle, I just need to do a quick back-check in a previous issue for a reference in my article. In short, a little effort can go a long way. More articles means less "waisted space" suggested by some of the other members. My rant is done, but I hope some of it is taken to heart. The classifieds and articles that are submitted I find usefull and interesting.

[BUICK RACER]

Although all input it welcome, I find it discouraging that the posters do not include their real names. The ones that post all the time, we/I know but others not. Here's a email I received from my Brother, Chris, today, as I have not received my Bugle yet:

Got my bugle yesterday, cool article on factory 31. I had heard most of the

stories before but that put everything in order. Is anything left in there?

I knew alot of it went into 36 when rods came out.

They were still making some brake drums when I first got there.

I could never quite figure out where that picture of double staircase is.

Looks sort of like plant at Leith Street, maybe they added onto that

section for presses. The presses for hoods and fenders were still there in

1990, too, but hadn't run since RWD stuff stopped in 85. Pulled out to make

room for component machining that came out of chev V8 that was supposed to

close in 95.

Like already said many times, the Mag is only as good as the feature articles that are submitted and Norb I have confirmed they received your article on the last days of Buick City, and are probably waiting for a complimentary article to publish with it, cause I know your article is of interest.

RV

[Guest Dans 77 Limited]

In my opinion the Bugle is a good , but way overdone publication. I also find the new member listings very useful. We have gained several chapter members thru the new member listings.

My brother in law , who is a member of the National Monte Carlos Owners Association was recently telling me about the problems his organization was having with their club publication, I just happened to have a copy of the Bugle and I showed it to him . He was overwhelmed by the quality and content of the Bugle and is in fact planning to submit a copy of the Bugle to his club as a guide to improving their publication.

The only problem I have with the Bugle , is no secret . I have posted about it before. In my opinion the Bugle is "overdone" and can still have the same impact as now with less expense. I receive national publications that are sold to the general public that are nowhere near as elaborate as the Bugle. A perfect example is a magazine I buy for my other cars , called "Mopar Collectors Guide" This is a very good magazine , helpful with good feature storys and an expansive advertising section.It does not however have the heavy gloss pages throughout like the Bugle does, and does not cost nearly as much for a subscription as the Bugle does . But it will go head to head with the Bugle for tech , feature articles and sale listings. This is just one example , I have several other but my conclusion is the same. The Bugle can maintian the same quality of features , tech articles , and advertising as before . But it can also come in at a lower subscription price. There are at least 2 reasons right off the top of my head that this could benefit the club. It is stated that 34 dollars of your 35 dollar annual club dues goes toward publication of the Bugle. By lowering the publishing cost of the Bugle you can either retain the same dues structure and make the BCA more financially secure or you can actually lower the yearly dues fee and entice more Buick owners into joining the BCA , and thus improving the financial security of the BCA. Think of the hook for recruitment when you tell a potential member that the BCA still offers the same club services as before but at a lower dues fee.

Dan

[Guest imported_buickfan1]

I started this thread;my name is Rusty Davenport for those who wanted to know.I do think the club magazine is nice as for gloss paper,color,ect,but my complaint was and still is the new member listings,chapter listings,tech advisors listing every issue at the expense of car features[in my opinion] It is not that these listing are bad in themselves as some of you have stated they have been useful to you;but it seems to me that it keeps features on Buick cars from being published maybe.Why couldn't the club chapter and tech advisor listings [which rarely change]be published on the outer mailing cover thereby leaving magazine space for car features and tech articles????Why couldn't the new member list be sent in a letter form to the Club chapters to recuit from thereby leaving that space for something of interest to the 90% of the club membership that has no use for the new member listing [particlarly when a special issue is devoted to the club membership roster info anyway once a year or so???] I am not trying to run down those that labor on the magazine and I would like to stay a member of the BCA but the Magazine content needs to have some Buick CAR info and features in order for me to remain a member.

[Matt Harwood]

Now that we're discussing it, I have to agree with Rusty. Each month when the Bugle arrives, I eagerly open it and devour the contents. Ten minutes later, I'm done (and usually disappointed). For such a substantial and expensive magazine, content is <span style="font-style: italic">sorely</span> lacking. I've offered to write a monthly column on restoration and/or allowed them to take anything they please from my website (log entries or <span style="font-style: italic">Spinning My Tires</span> editorials), and have received no response. I thought members who don't have Internet access might also like to see my progress each month, but I guess not. It isn't for lack of trying.

I agree that the same stuff in there over and over just taking up space for the sake of space useage is borderline tedious (some of it is 18-point fonts just because they have excess space to fill). I actually like and use the new members section, but a lot of the other stuff is worthless. I read the president's message, any tech articles (even if they don't apply to my particular car), and car features, then scan the classifieds. Again, if I'm lucky, that is a 10-minute read. I keep the magazines--why, I don't know. I never go back to them.

For what it costs to produce each month, I'd really like to see more money go into content and less into flashy production values. Yes, it looks impressive to non-club members, but to club members who receive it each month, it is more disappointing than impressive.

How about using some of that money to hire a professional writer and/or editor to create content instead of relying on the members for it? I appreciate the efforts that the contributing members provide, but I'd like more of that--much more. I've put my money where my mouth is and offered to do something EVERY MONTH, and nobody seemed interested. I guess this goes back to the expensive paper debate we had a few months ago. To me, content is far more important than how a magazine "feels" in my hands, especially if it's only in my hands for 10 minutes...

[Gene Brink]

Well, I'm going to chime in with my two-cents. Have to say I am somewhere in the middle. Appreciate both the new members and advisors lists although can certainly see why some would not like or use them so they both should be candidates for possible reform (perhaps bi-monthly or quarterly would be a good compromise?). Would definitely like to see more technical articles and really am discouraged to read Matt's comment that he has never been contacted regarding his offer to write (monthly no less!) given the excellence of his website documenting his Century restoration. (Not trying to give you a big head or anything Matt but it is excellent and I was thinking you should do a book when you have completed the car.) I would think such an offer would result in some dialog in say minute or two after looking at his website and would have to question why he has not been contacted.

Some of you have had several things to say about printing, paper, etc. some time ago regarding the Bugle and while I do not know if a change in the paper would result in a $$ savings that could be applied to additional pages I wonder if anyone taking Auto Restorer thinks that a change from the heavy glossy paper to a bright white non-gloss paper might not do the trick. Print quality for AR is good although a change like that would result in no color printing so there is a trade-off. There should be a compromise solution that everyone can live with.

[Centurion]

Rusty and Matt, you make some good, constructive points. The lack of any reply to your offers, Matt, is a particular concern. I know that many of our BCA Board members read the comments on this forum, so I hope that your suggestions generate some discussion about future direction for the Bugle.

While I enjoy the content currently published in the Bugle, I must agree that additional car features would be desirable. A friend of mine joined the BCA for a period of time, and expressed his disappointment in the Bugle. When he loaned me the magazine of the Studebaker Drivers Club for comparison, I saw his point very quickly. Here was a club publication (for a club that is smaller than the BCA) that was rich in historical articles and car features, yet the club's annual membership dues were comparable to those of the BCA. I'm not certain how that club developed the content for the publication, but Matt's idea about utilizing a Buick-knowledgeable editor to both write and aggressively solicit material has merit.

[HurstGN]

While we're offering our .02 on making the Bugle a better product, I'll offer my opinion.

1) Change the layout to use regular and glossy paper. The regular paper would be the beginning and end of the Bugle, glossy pages in the center. The glossy pages would be reserved for the photos of featured cars, and the plain text pages could be printed on standard paper. Tech articles are typically done with black and white pictures, so these would be on the standard paper. This would reduce cost. The cost reduction could be used to reduce dues, or better yet, spent as a capital investment in more standard paper pages used to print more articles.

2) Don't publish the new members in the Bugle. Mail a letter to the chapters monthly containing a new members list. The yearly roster is sufficient for most. Now if you want the most recent members, you'll contact the local BCA chapter. This would serve 2 purposes. The space gained by excluding the new members listing would be dedicated to more articles. Second, this would add value to belonging to a local chapter, a novel idea!

3)Publish the tech advisors quarterly. Part of the reason to join the club is to learn who the tech advisors are. Since these rarely change, I'd think publishing that list quarterly would work. This space savings could be used for more articles.

Want justification for these changes? Ask the membership a few questions.

<ul style="list-style-type: disc">[*]How much time do you spend reading the Bugle? [*]Do you read the Bugle cover to cover?[*]What part of the Bugle matters to you the most?[*]What part of the Bugle matters to you the least?[*]How often do you refer to back issues of the Bugle?[*]What info are you looking for when you look in back issues?[*]Would you still read the Bugle if the publication was not printed entirely on heavy glossy paper?

Try those questions out and see what you get. I'll bet the quality of paper isn't why people get the Bugle...it's the content...isn't it? If not, I've got a 75 page publication of blank glossy pages for sale.

[rivijimi7178]

This thead has inspired me to get a story on paper and submit it.Like my honey moon at Starved Rock State Park.Lots of driving and pictures, (of 94 LeSabre) or when I took a fishing trip to northern Michigan/U.P. took the LeSabre wheelin, lots-o-fun on wooded trails.I have pictures of a lot of places the LeSabre and I have traveled, good stories to.I dont know if I should take the time to put it all on paper and submit, do to the fact that I have never seen a 90's LeSabre,Park Ave.,Century,Regal or the Almighty ROADMASTER in the BEST mag. in print, The BUICK BUGLE oh by the way, I work at a auto shop and leave it out for patrons to read and get good feed back on the BUGLE.Cant waight till the April ish. gets here!!!!!!!!!!Till then I'l read the RIVIEW & reread the BUGLE.

[NTX5467]

A few thoughts --

Matt, when I buy a car magazine from the newsstand, after looking at it first to see if it's got some information I desire to have and spend money for, when I get it home, it's usually a 10-15 minute time frame before I have looked at what I want to read about and then it's put down (for further reference). The one possible exception might have been the Harvard Business Review, which had much longer articles than most car magazines.

New members list -- From the chapter level orientation, this is a good thing to have. Instead of sending a letter of these new members to one chapter officer, ALL chapter officers now see it basically at the same time. Sure, it might take two pages from other content, but considering the number of new members each month, the postage for the single letters to the chapters would become quite expensive each month.

It also can lead to networking activities with existing members. Members who are not actively involved in trying to grow a chapter might not share this orientation.

Paper -- We've decided previouly in here that a change to a less expensive paper would be a step backward. Even if glossy and non-glossy paper (of the same weight) were used, that one change (mixing the papers in the same publication) could introduce added complexity to the production of the magazine AND probably run the production cost upward. I also subscribe to Mopar Collectors Guide (at least for a year) and know that it has some interesting information plus what I'd call Hemmings-style ads, but the expectations for that type of publication are different than for the magazine put out by a particular marque car club such as the BCA.

Articles -- The prior "administration" of The Bugle requested some sort of database from which to write articles for the magazine and that request was consumated. I recall seeing where that happened "back then" and noticed that no extra articles were forthcoming from that Editor as time progressed. What happened to that database/information has never been mentioned, but I suspect it's "somewhere else", yet the BCA purchased it. Nor do I have any suspicion of how extensive or relevant it was, just that it was purchased.

As a newsletter editor, I am aware of how the request for information submissions often result in no submissions, which then results in either nothing in the newsletter or generating articles myself. Been there, doing that. I also know that many times, submissions must be reworked for language (considering that all ages and orientations of people will be reading what's in the newsletter) without harming the content and message. Then there are the normal things that must be in every newsletter which do repeat every month.

Bugle Content -- We all like to see things about the cars that we, ourselves, like. Just like the Ford, Chevy, Mopar, and other brands of vehicle owners like to see their beloved vehicles in the normal consumer car magazines. At the present time, things are pretty locked-in on the content of The Bugle. We have the monthly repeating advertisements for Buick, major and minor vendors, plus the repeating classified ads for others. Much of that does not tend to change from month to month, yet do we take that content out to the detriment of the magazine's funding or services to members who might only need those things very sporadically?

Tech articles are great, just as car articles are. We don't have a 6 digit circulation so certain economies of scale that are shared with the major magazines are not possible, nor are there appropriately large budgets for various editors or similar. Therefore, member submissions are what we are saddled with and if no submissions happen, or if the submissions might not fit some criteria of interest to the bulk of members, then I suspect some judgment calls are made somewhere. I am aware that sometimes articles might be held "in file" until space or an appropriate time frame is available.

One thing any car club magazine/publication should not become is a "politically based" document such that it becomes one group's "bully pulpit" of sorts to push a particular agenda. The last time that happened, various aspects of the BCA total organization are still recovering from that situation.

I also know from some experiences that trying to get some magazine people to show some interest in a particular vehicle is frustrating at best, especially the normal car magazine operatives. With all due respect, Brad, it seems that they are on another planet sometimes as to what they will get excited enough about to do an article on a particular car. But this is a variable situation too.

Perhaps the content of The Bugle has become a little too predictable? Same things on the same pages each month? But I suspect that if you look at any commercial car magazine, you'll see similar things, just more pages for them to be on. Others might appreciate this predictable layout too, so it might be a "no win" situation to keep beating that horse.

Unfortunately, The Bugle must be all things to all members. That means comments from BCA Board Presidents, other comments, chapter activity information (when submitted), events listings, interesting articles, classified ads/notices, etc. Every issue might not rivet you to the recliner until you've read everything, but hopefully many will AND possibly motivate others to say "I CAN do that with my Buick!" or "Maybe I should write an article on _________ before I get too old to do it (or the "moment" passes)".

Therefore, Information, Inspiration, and Motivation are some important aspects of the magazine that hopefully many can relate to on pretty much a monthly basis with The Bugle.

Enjoy!

W Bell 20811

Director, N TX Chapter

Newsletter Editor, N TX Chapter

[Barney Eaton]

I was on the road to the Amelia Island Concours when this discussion began but was told about it there. After reading all the good comments, I must add mine.

Since becoming a BCA board member, my view of this club has changed. We have 9000+ members with almost that many opinions. We pay a publisher to put out the Bugle, we (the board and members) tell the publisher what we want. The publisher does not write the articles, or have a vast library of Buick information to publish.

As we all know, Buick was 100 years old last year......we have members that own Buicks for all those years and there is no way we can satisfy the desire of each owner to see his year in the Bugle, not every month or even once a year.

The graph on page 3 of the March Bugle was my attempt to show BCA members the distrubution of Buicks over 100 years. Please excuse the Excel program for shifting the numbers and showing the '53-54 Skylarks being built in '51-52 along with all the others after the war years.

The problem, we cannot recognize every car. We need car articles, we need technical articles, we need pictures. Get them to the publisher and they will attempt to balance the content.

I could go on and put you to sleep, but the Bugle is a monthly snapshot, not intended to be a Buick history. And I too would like to more stories, but this is not a health club where you pay your dues and take advantage of the equipment then go home..... this club depends on each member to be part of the membership and contribute the best they can.

On the subject of what you get for your money.... conpare the Bugle with some other publications, ie Old Cars Weekly, Motor Trend, Road and Track. I see a trend among these (for profit) publications to publish the same road test, while they may be written by different people, the manufacture puts on the show, hands out the fact sheets and each magizine takes some photos and in three months every publication does a test on the same car.

Old Cars Weekly....take away the classifieds, calander, auction results, and in a recent 52 page issue there was 11-12 pages of actual content. In addition, I find technical errors in some of the content.

Better stop before I get in trouble.

[raleets]

I will support and confirm everything that Barney has stated!

As a member of the BCA Board of Directors for nearly four years, I too have heard opinions from hundreds of members on hundreds of subjects. Some were darned good, and some were so far out in space no telescope could find them. There are more opinions on what The Bugle should offer than combinations of pizza pies. The Publisher and/or Editor that could please all of the people simply doesn't exist. A good monthly Club publication can only be as good as the contributions of it's members.

I know for a fact that Robert Snowden, The Bugle Editor, has virtually BEGGED the membership to submit articles and photos during the past few years. He has only so many pages to work with each month, so some patience must be excercised as well.

For those who wonder if The Bugle is worth the price of membership, I suggest you make a visit to your friendly, neighborhood book store over the weekend and price other publications, such as: Cars & Parts, Old Cars Weekly, etc., etc..

You will occasionally find a Buick article in all of them from time to time, but NEVER will you find Buick related articles each and every month. Further, you will pay at least $1.00 (or more) per issue than you are paying for The Bugle. Your annual dues of $35, divided by 12 issues, works out to $2.91 per month!! Where in the world are you going to find a better deal than that???

I've proudly shown my Bugles to many, many members of "brand X" car clubs and, without exception, they've thought our Bugle was very well done!

So, now you've heard the opinions of two members of your Board concerning The Bugle. Thanks for listening!

Go Buick,

Bob Leets

Flint, MI

[Guest]

i understand what you are saying, and as a board member I would guess that you have to remine yourself what the goals of the club are. We are not "for profit", and not building a "buick empire". The Buick version of Hemmings, cannot be done with unpaid help.

I would guess the Bugle is the only "newsletter" that binds the whole body of members, so It's got to go right down the middle. I'm glad to hear you've got more submission, then space in the Bugle. That is a heathy sign.

would love to hear some of those wacky ideas...!

[Guest imported_Thriller]

I'll try to keep this brief as there has been a fair amount of reading going on.

I am a relatively new BCA member (joined in early 2003 to participate in the Centennial). I live in Winnipeg, MB, Canada. Living outside the U.S., I pay more for club membership and don't have the same access to chapters that many of you do. Mind you, as I am about 8 hours drive from Minneapolis, I am considering joining both Gopher State and Fireball chapters.

As a new member, I had a huge grin on when I saw my name and list of cars in my first (or possibly 2nd) Bugle. As just one of 9000, it feels nice to be recognized.

I had my digital camera and laptop with us at the Centennial (unfortunately the Special wasn't ready...sort of still isn't). We took a whole lot of photos and on Saturday before the banquet, I burned them to CD and left a copy with the organizers. It took a while, but I got a thank you a while later by e-mail. It felt good to contribute.

As a member of a local car club as well (Manitoba Classic and Antique Auto Club - http://www.mcaac.mb.ca), I generated a couple of articles for it about our trip to Flint. I didn't think the general experience would necessarily be of interest to the BCA membership, but the second one - on Buick engines with photos from the Sloan museum - might be. So, I submitted it. I also submitted it to a national magazine (Canadian Classics and Performance) and it was printed in both. There is a good feeling and a bit of pride associated with seeing your name in print.

Yes, there is repetition in the Bugle, but it isn't all bad. Every month I get reminded by the ads about some of the parts I have to pick up for one of the cars. Now that spring is almost here (despite what the spring equinox may say, we still have a bunch of snow), those reminders are getting a bit more critical. I can see where it would be of limited interest if, say, you were only interested in a particular year/model/body style of Buick. However, the diversity of the club must be respected. I enjoyed seeing Barney's graph (and trying to figure where my cars fit in due to the skewing of the years). Perhaps that can lead to a bit of targetting of information to reach the majority of BCA car owners.

Sorry - I said I was going to keep this short didn't I? Oh well, I'll shut up now. Since I don't have a Riviera, GS, GSX, or GN, I don't ever expect to see a similar car to one of mine in another magazine. At least with the Bugle, almost every month there is something to apply, whether it be straight 8s, Dynaflows, nailheads, V6, etc.

Done now - whew.

[Patrick W. Brooks]

Hello Matt, Barney Bob and others: Have enjoyed this discussion. As any Board member will tell you we receive opinions which cover the entire spectrum. Several things I have recently suggested include publishing the Tech Advisors list and Chapter listings in alternating months instead of each month. However, the list of new members must remain in each monthly publication. Another suggestion I have made in the last year is the creation of a Board of Contributing Editors (six to twelve people) to write articles of historical and technical interest. I am again proposing this to the Board and it will be discussed in Plano. Also, on another thread at this website, under Confessions from the BCA Office, is my invitation to Matt to write a series of articles about restoration.(skip to it to read more) Noone needs to be invited to submit articles and everyone should feel free to get to work to write a series or one article. I am sure we will be receiving regular articles from Matt and will look forward to reading them. We often hear comments from people about writing articles but received nothing. I encourage everyone to send in an article about their car, Buick history, or a technical tip. Start writing today and send in articles on a regular basis. Thanks, Patrick W. Brooks, President, BCA