[RITSlist] Digest vs. Rocket-section #2

[Arkrail at aol.com]

The following message is being sent in "two sections" because the length 
exceeds the longest siding available on the RITS server (the message was twice 
rejected).  This is section #2, addressed to RITS publication committee chairman 
Dick Hutchins, and copied to the RITS list as was his July 2 message, to which 
this refers.
 
--------------------------------------
 
Lets talk about expense and income, and as you said, the attempt to balance 
the scales.  The largest annual cost to RITS by far is the contract with White 
River Productions to produce the Rocket.  You were a member of the board that 
approved that contract, so I have to believe you considered and understood the 
ramifications of the huge financial commitment being made at that time.  Even 
without the Digest, RITS was thus financially committed to a level far beyond 
the existing dues structure, and it was this questionable commitment that 
forced raising the dues.  Again, the dues increase isn't necessarily bad, and the 
Rocket does provide a publication on a more timely basis, but from a 
historical perspective, the contract for the Rocket forced the dues increase -- a 
simple and obvious cause and effect.  The dues increase really had nothing to do 
with the DIgest.
 
Each Rocket (30 pages) costs RITS as much or more than a single Digest (60-80 
pages).  Part of that cost is color, no doubt, but a substantial part of it 
is presumably the editorial/labor cost for White River to actually prepare and 
produce the articles.  That "labor cost" is something that was provided by 
volunteer authors with the Digest, with the Digest editor (another volunteer)  
then delivering a camera-ready copy to the printer.  When RITS members are 
solicited to provide articles for the Rocket, isn't that having society members 
provide - for free - the preparation and production of articles for which RITS is 
already paying White River Productions?  Does the Rocket contract contain 
some clause whereby RITS will be charged one fee for a Rocket which contains 
articles produced "in house" by White River Productions, and will be charged a 
lesser amount for a Rocket which contains articles for which the labor-intensive 
research and article writing was provided by members?  
 
It is more than curious that the Digest is now the publication on the hit 
list due to RITS financial constraints, rather than debating how many issues of 
the Rocket will have to be cut to balance the books.  Instead of considering 
the Digest as expendable, the Digest should be viewed as the backbone of the 
RITS publication offerings, with Rockets added each year to supplement the 
Digest.  The number of Rockets added would be dependent on RITS financial condition, 
with the intent being to avoid deficit budgets on an annual basis.  When RITS 
membership is healthy, there would hopefully be enough money for 3 Rockets in 
addition to a Digest each year, making what amounts to a quarterly 
publication schedule.  Obviously, if RITS membership falls, the number of Rockets would 
have to be scaled back to keep spending in line with income.  
 
The full membership deserves to have a more effective input on this Digest 
vs. Rocket debate before the publication committee brings a proposal before the 
board.  That probably means mailing out information on options being 
considered, since only a small percentage of RITS members subscribe to this RITS list.  
If the Digest is lost, RITS will lose the one unique and valuable publication 
over which the organization has full control.  After all, look at the 
confusion that has appeared on the RITS list when citing articles from Remember the 
Rock or from the Rocket.  For better or worse, the two color publications are 
quite similar, and if the only publication that RITS offers to members is one 
that is a clone of Remember the Rock, it does not bode well for RITS 
membership.  
 
If you had to make a decision to subscribe to only one Rock Island magazine, 
RTR or Rocket, which would you choose?  Would the availability of the RITS 
Digest influence your choice, and perhaps be sufficient to persuade you to go 
ahead and stay a RITS member, in addition to the obvious first choice of 
subscribing to RTR, which has been a premium magazine since the first issue?  Please 
consider these arguments, and the long-term ramifications for RITS, when 
evaluating the future of the Digest.
 
Thanks for listening,
 
Bill Pollard



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