Re: [amsat-bb] Electronic vs. paper Journal - REPLY -

[Phil Karn <karn@xxxxxxxx>]

> There is another issue: Advertising... We must present these adds to ALL
> readers since the clients deserve the full reach of our membership
> rolls. If we do not, we'll suffer a drop in advertising ad income.. Not
> good.

Long ago in school I learned that the newsstand prices of most 
commercial print periodicals are set to just recover their incremental 
printing and distribution costs. Advertising covers the editorial costs. 
That explains why so many newspapers and magazines are available on the 
web for free. This makes sense since advertisers pay more to reach more 
readers, and you don't get more readers by raising your prices. So you 
set them to the variable cost of production.

Since AMSAT's authors are volunteers, there are no editorial costs. And 
on the web, there are no printing and distribution costs. (Well, there 
are but somebody pays the bills for us.) So there's no reason why we 
can't just give the journal away for free on the web, to members and 
nonmembers alike, and perhaps charge a nominal fee (or add some 
advertising) to get it to those few who still haven't bought computers 
or telephone lines.

AMSAT's mission is to build, operate and promote amateur satellites and 
inform any and all of our activities. Advertising is just one possible 
means to that end. If we can find a way to do without it, so much the 
better.

Phil

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