PCA Membership - Did you renew or not? - Page 7

pwd72s · 01-27-2009, 04:39 PM

If PCA had been smart, it would have hired Frank to publish PANO...

VaSteve · 01-27-2009, 05:05 PM

As far as Pano....articles on actual club members would be nice.
The last couple of articles that I though were worth anything were the one on the two ladies and their dad's car and the profiles of a bunch of club racers at VIR.

There are some really interesting folks in the club doing interesting things of all calibers, but we get article after article on new stuff ... which I can't afford. LOL

berettafan · 01-27-2009, 06:03 PM

on the other hand the classifieds are a good resource. found my car there and suspect good deals surface there regularly.

KNS · 01-27-2009, 07:16 PM

[QUOTE=Formerly Steve Wilkinson: Are you aware of what David charges for these appearances, which for him are his work? Not fun. He has no interest in beer and pizza.

I think David Hobbs does okay, he owns a BMW and Honda dealership as well as his Speed TV gig.

I have a friend who is a world renowned botanist, he is asked to give lectures all over the world. In return he is usually paid airfare and hotel but not a whole lot else. While David Hobbs may be getting compensation for his appearance, I would think that the opportunity to get out of frigid Ohio and spend a couple of days at a swank Scottsdale resort (where the PCA dinner is being held) would be enough of an enticement.

Then again, I've never met David Hobbs so what do I know. My original point being that I wish that the PCA event didn't have to be such a high-dollar, society-type affair. I don't mind paying for the opportunity to attend I just wish it was a little more relaxed.

ruf-porsche · ruf-porsche's Garage

See my signature

aigel · aigel's Garage

No membership here, after quitting PCA driving events. Panorama is a waste of glossy paper.

George

carolinatrophy · 01-27-2009, 08:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by cairns

Would Porsche continue to pay for the trips if the editor comes back and pronounces the Panamera an ugly POS? If it's the club who goes or who decides who goes?

Not only does Porsche pay for someone from Panorama to go to something like a new model introduction, but they pay for someone from Car and Driver to go, and Excellence, and Automobile, and 911 and Porsche World, and Auto Motor und Sport, and almost every other automotive magazine you can think of. Business-class airfare, lodging, food, booze - the whole shootin' match. They even pick you up at the airport in a shiny new Cayenne Turbo S or something... That is the way it has always been, and that is, for the foreseeable future, the way it will always be.

Despite the inherent potential conflict of interest in the system, I assure that the editor of Car and Driver would argue that Porsche doesn't hold any substantial "editorial control" over their book. So the reason that Panorama reads like a fawning mouthpiece for the factory is the editor's own choice, not something handed down from Porsche, and I think the increased (but hardly total) impartiality of a magazine like Roundel bears that out.

carolinatrophy · 01-27-2009, 09:15 PM

Incidentally, I was talking to one of the writers for Roundel this evening and mentioned this string. I told them Pelican people like Roundel better because "instead of just printing something that reads like a press release for the new Cayman, they will do something like honestly compare a new BMW Z4 M Coupe with a Cayman S."

He laughed and replied: "Funny you should use that as an example. I've pitched that idea to the editor of Roundel several times and he's scuttled it repeatedly, saying that every comparison he's seen has the Cayman coming out solidly on top."

So I guess they're not THAT impartial... LOL

poorsche930 · 01-28-2009, 07:09 AM

1. Did not renew.
2. Plan on one year away from track events, too many toys, a new house, and a ton of home improvements this past year. Time to save a little.
3. Excellence is like reading a factory brochure. Not biased enough. Again, the factory mag is Christophorus, they (excellence) needs to learn that.
4 Sand Man said it best in his signature. pasted below.

"Decided not to renew my PCA membership after hearing some PCA Boxster pretty boyz discuss how a 356 was nothing more than a VW. I don't need a club to get my fingernails dirty...not to mention, wine and cheese doesn't always agree with me."

Maybe again in the future. Just for track days.

cairns · 01-28-2009, 09:27 AM

"Not only does Porsche pay for someone from Panorama to go to something like a new model introduction, but they pay for someone from Car and Driver to go, and Excellence, and Automobile, and 911 and Porsche World, and Auto Motor und Sport, and almost every other automotive magazine you can think of. Business-class airfare, lodging, food, booze - the whole shootin' match. They even pick you up at the airport in a shiny new Cayenne Turbo S or something... That is the way it has always been, and that is, for the foreseeable future, the way it will always be.

Despite the inherent potential conflict of interest in the system, I assure that the editor of Car and Driver would argue that Porsche doesn't hold any substantial "editorial control" over their book. So the reason that Panorama reads like a fawning mouthpiece for the factory is the editor's own choice, not something handed down from Porsche, and I think the increased (but hardly total) impartiality of a magazine like Roundel bears that out."

I understand and agree. I think I've said all I can on the subject- the officers can fix it or not. And they'll have all the help that I can provide if they want it. At the least I now know why it's so bad.

BTW I recall reading a Cayman S-Z4M Coupe test in Roundel about a year ago so it may have already been done. As I recall the Cayman did come out on top in most categories, particularly handling, braking, interior and looks. The Z4 was perceived to have the better engine, had better straight line speed and offered a much lower price. It's been a while so perhaps I didn't read it in Roundel.

sezme · 02-02-2009, 11:32 AM

Hired? It is a volunteer position as are all the PCA positions with the exception of 2.

Stu

Quote:

Originally Posted by pwd72s

If PCA had been smart, it would have hired Frank to publish PANO...

Formerly Steve Wilkinson · 02-02-2009, 11:41 AM

Betty Jo does Pano voluntarily and has done so for 38 years???? I doubt it.

carolinatrophy · 02-02-2009, 11:49 AM

If they aren't paying positions, they should be. It would bring a higher standard to the book. BMW's Roundel is definitely NOT a volunteer gig, that's for sure. As I mentioned earlier, they even pay writers.

cairns · 03:03 PM

Well...if Betty Jo isn't being paid (I doubt she is) she and her husband are certainly getting a lot of perks at the expense of the membership. Not that I mind that- if you're a dedicated volunteer you should definitely have your own costs covered and receive some reward. We do it locally and I'm sure its done nationally.

But Betty and relatives have been publishing a magazine that has little to no real content, virtually ignores membership views and primarily serves as a slathering high school press release for a very wealthy company and they've been doing it for 38 freaking years. I don't know about anyone else but that number still astounds me.

When are we going to change the horses? 40 years? 50? 60? Will we ever let someone else have a shot at it or is this just up to Betty Jo?

If we can't change the editors by finding a qualified volunteer I'd much rather see us hire professionals and draw a clear line. I'd gladly pay more in dues for a quality publication and would bet a lot of others would too- not to mention membership retention would go up, we could attract higher advertising revenues and recoup those expenses. I would bet the the demographics on our members are outstanding- and that there are dozens of advertisers (just counting the As we could go from American Express to Apple) who would love to have a chance to attract our members- so long as we published quality.

I thought I'd said enough- but everytime I think about this I get more PO'd. The dissatisfaction with Panorama is palpable and has been ignored for far too long. I'm gonna start a campaign- Betty Jo has got to go.

Manny Alban · 02-02-2009, 06:04 PM

There are several paid positions in PCA. Executive Director, Finance Manager, Panorama Editor and Club Race Secretary/Program Coordinator as well as some full and part time employees that keep the day to day operations of the national office working. A total of less than ten full and part time employees for the whole club. The rest of us are volunteers. Pretty impressive when you compare the size of our club with others around the world. A true testament to the enthusiasm and dedication of our members.

PLEASE send me feedback on Panorama or any other part of the club. Email is the easiest... carrerados@aol.com I can do alot with MEMBER feedback. Ranting and venting on a forum is great, but I can go alot more with an email or letter.

Manny Alban
PCA Vice President

cairns · 02-02-2009, 06:13 PM

That's great. I sincerely don't mean her or her husband any disrespect. But there are thousands of people across the country who donate (literally tirelessly) to the Club- and have for almost as many years. They are NOT afforded 38 years of tenure with no questions asked.

And to put it more bluntly- so what? Let's bring fresh blood and fresh perspective to the publication that should represent all PCA members and not just them. It IS a tired redundant mouthpiece for Porsche and (from the answers I've seen here) their own personal views. It's long past time for a change.

Thank her and her husband, provide them whatever reward we can that reflects their dedication. But for crying out loud give somebody else a shot and do what we can to actually improve Panorama.

carolinatrophy · 02-02-2009, 08:39 PM

I think Cairns hits the nail on the head. It's not a personal attack. Much love to BJT. Much respect. But let's go in a different direction.

This is, in my humble opinion, the PRECISE reason the Editor of Panorama should be a paid position. Even if it's just a rather small amount of money, it makes the Editor instantly more accountable for the output. When someone is doing something for free, how accountable can you hold them? It becomes sticky to make changes and grow.

But that's just my $0.02.

cl8ton · 02-02-2009, 08:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Manny Alban

I can do alot with MEMBER feedback. Ranting and venting on a forum is great, but I can go alot more with an email or letter.

Nice to see a national board member of PCA here!
Panorama is an OK mag but caters to the wine and cheese/clean finger nail crowd IMO

Btw: I voted for you Manny and am wondering how your Rainbow Wonder bread 911 is holding up these days?
Beautiful car, you should post a few pics of it here on PP! If you have not done so already?

Rufblackbird · 02-03-2009, 01:19 AM

back on topic, I was hesitant to renew as I got tired of how the club was running in my region, but since I was moving to Cali I figured I could find a better region here, so I renewed. Only problem now is figuring out which one to transfer to...

rouxroux · 02-03-2009, 07:05 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brillo

You can change Region. All it takes is a phone call or email to the National office, tell them which one you want to transfer to.

WOW! I did not know that! I thought you were STUCK in your geographical region.

Don't get me wrong, I really like the great folks in our region, but as others have said, its a "wine & cheeser" for the most part. No driving activity in 2 months now. Yeah, I know....."It's the people", but the wife & I are "driving oriented" and sometimes just have to take our 911's out by ourselves. We've even had people turn around on nice Saturday runs because of some issues of "driving in rain". We're looking for a more "car-oriented" area, and it looks as if we might have to head up into the Ozarks.