Who shoots film anymore? In the O'fest rules (you know, that document that changes at the last minute before the event) ask each entrant to include a digital copy (CD) of their photos if they want their winning photos to be included in Roundel. Though it seems to me we did it one year by either scanning, or shooting a photo of the photos, at the event . . .
The last two years the National office has fixed that for us BMWCCA members who didn't happen to bring something with a roundel on the nose to O'fest. Thank you very much!
So print them and maybe that will not only reward those who made the time and not-insignificant monetary commitment to participate in Ofest, but might attract some people to Ofest. If Ofest attendance and returning attendance is a problem, perhaps dedicating more of a Roundel issue to it would attract some attendees. Have a traditional almost-all Ofest issue, highlighting details of the events, and lots of random photos and quotes and blurbs from attendees. Funniest moment, Coolest Thing I Saw, Why I Come, etc. Those of us that do come repeatedly know why- the people, the cars, the events, the location. Highlight all of that in detail. Maybe skip the seemingly monthly new car intro, and save a trip report article for another issue. Make Ofest a Big Deal in both printed and online Roundel. Greg J
Roundel coverage of OktoberFest . . . Holy Cow Greg! I love your idea. If ever there was a Reason to throw a little enthusiasm into Roundel, whatever could it be other than Oktoberfest. Why isn't there a photo contest AFTER the event, showcasing the images and remembrances of this year's attendees? Three months after O'Fest 2010, there didn't even exist a photo gallery for the event in the BMW CCA web site. There were probably 20,000 pictures taken that week, but nobody shares them. Why? . . . The current format of 200 or 300 words and a handful of photos describing one of the major aspects of the week is utterly ineffective. How can that describe the incredible drama of seeing fifty M3s fighting for the honors at one autocross, in the setting of a (probably) one of a kind site like the kart course at Road America? An autocross with a fully banked uphill sweeper (with gator teeth) having twenty five feet of elevation change! Blind crest into an off camber uphill flyer! A flying finish that had some cars practically in the laps of the timers ... oh, uh-hhh, maybe we shouldn't mention that one so much... ... Where do you see four generations of M5s in one autocross? How often do you get the thrill of watching an M1 in a solo II? Magnificent rivalries between some of the Crazy fastest people on planet Earth. ... and on and on and on ... How do you attract new people to attend such an event if it means so little to you that it only merits a one or two page blurp?? Hello ! Where can a person watch concours prepared pieces of automotive history, running at full song, around one of America's most historic and beautiful race tracks (Road America)... in packs and hoards!? ... Better yet, where can you actually be a part of such an event, running right along with them in your own memory maker? How do you attract new people to attend such an event? How do you get them to pull the trigger? Why should they if you don't believe in it enough to share the adventure ... in detail ? Interesting, you gave as much or more coverage to the Gypsy Rose Lee peek of the some-day 1M than you did to events that real people, from all over North America, came to attend ... and actually take part in. The pathetic pseudo unveiling of the 1M was covered by every motoring press in the world. Who, besides us, covers O'Fest? The single biggest and greatest BMW CCA event of the year ... and it gets little more ink than "Posin' at Pebble." No doubt, the problem of $$$ will be used to excuse the lack of emphasis in Roundel up to now but ... does it really have to? If the bean counters need a couple of extra dollars, okay, add five or ten bucks to my tab next year. How hard is that? We only get one chance each year to highlight the organization and it's ultimate event. Are we making the most of it? You tell me ...
In fairness to Satch, somebody has to write this stuff up - and I know he was looking for people to do that. I suspect the response may have been less than stellar (I know I turned him down, but I was damn busy/exhausted by the week.). I do not doubt that a lot of other people were in the same position I was. There was so much going on that there really wasn't time to sit, reflect, and write and afterward, there were so many memories that it would be very hard to distill into a single coherent piece. Ask anyone who was there. I mean, look at the message I quoted/snipped for this reply! That's excellent recollection and characterization, yet it skims and misses an awful lot. A full expose of Oktoberfest is a two-edged sword. On one hand, those who were there, or who have attended and enjoyed Oktoberfests, will always find coverage lacking, even with a dedicated issue of nothing but. On the other hand are those who are the vast majority of the club who (IMHO) just don't get what all the fuss is about and who would prefer that 1/12 of their ROUNDEL 'subscription' not be devoted to something in which they have no interest. It's a delicate balance and Satch is kind of a "Let's throw a sandbag on this side to see what happens." kinda' guy. I think we'll see refinement out of this, but I know that we can't depend on just one editor - or his entire paid staff - to do it. We need to contribute as well, so take some time to think about that for the future. You know, carry your laptop along (even if the wi-fi sucks cheese like it did at Osthoff) and crank something out during the week. Refine it a little after you get home and ship it off to Satch. I can't make any guarantees (It ain't my job, after all.), but the odds are pretty good that you, too, can become a ROUNDEL sidebar writer.
Years ago the Club solved the problem of relying on volunteers to fill Roundel pages each month; they pay the staff. Tends to obligate them to complete the job. Yep, in the issue following the one you're complaining about with respect to O'fest coverage, you'll find the 2009 Club financial statement. Yeah, I know I said 2009 and it's December of 2010 which means the Club is in default on it's requirement laid out in the Op's Manual concerning when to publish the Club's financial statement, but it does have at least one interesting figure. The Club spent nearly $613,000.00 in Roundel "outside contractors" in 2009. That does not include printing, postage, or the Club office payroll. That's for writers, photographers, editors, and layout. That's $51,000 each and every month and issue. If the issue is half O'fest, that would mean there should be $25,000 to spend on O'fest coverage. Remember there are those who "earn" a monthly stipend to contribute to Roundel. Do they show up at Oktoberfest? Some do. Do they write about it? Some do. But it's up to the editor to plan Roundel content. It always used to be a requirement in the editor's contract. It's easier to fill the pages if you have a dozen columnists than it is to actually make assignments. It's easier to cover Ofest (badly) if you simply ask people you see there to write about it. It's slightly harder to assign coverage in advance. But it's the editor's job to plan that coverage. It's what he's paid to do. There's plenty of budget to cover it, but it shouldn't be spent on paying others to do the editor's job in organizing coverage at O'fest as was done in the past. Ask the editor what we spend just to photograph the event and compare that to what we don't spend on simply writing about it. I'll bet the writers who covered the West Coast vintage events in the same issue were paid for their contributions. Just saying it takes too much work to cover O'fest doesn't hold water. Saying we can't afford it is just as disingenuous. Saying no one is willing to take the time to plan coverage in advance to make sure it's well-covered is another issue. And saying the Board puts up with it year after year, paying for the privilege, would simply be the truth. And you'd be right if you said that's just my opinion.
Well said, CR So perhaps there is a path to take for all of this: Satch has already admitted that he has heard the initial complaint that the Ofest results should be in the printed edition of Roundel. Hopefully he will not wait for 2011, but publish the 2010 results in the next possible issue. Secondly, Satch and the Board can discuss the idea of using the Roundel to bolster Ofest, instead of barely reporting it. Sounds like there is plenty of time to plan the attack, make assignments, and budget the space and dollars for that issue accordingly. Greg J
O'fest rant I hope that you mean that as a joke. They devote a full issue to articles "going to o'fest", "going to o'fest in my 19xx whatever-i", "I broke down going to o'fest", you-get-the-gist. CR and I had a discussion about coverage of racing and o'fest, etc. some years ago on alt.autos.bmw. I respect the fact that the club sponsors many activities, and he respects the fact that I just skip by the racing results section (well, I care somewhat about the pro teams running against Porsche, etc.) I also am totally respectful and in awe of the amount of time CR put into his role at O'fest. Nevertheless, many people would like to see more tech stuff, more this and that (some would even like more "lifestyle" stuff, yuk.) There's room for only so much, and all 70K members don't go to O'fest. I personally think the balance is about right. BTW, there is NO WAY I'm going to leave the Seattle area and drive to the humidity-ridden mid-west, mid-east, east coast, southeast during the summer. California, maybe.
A full issue? What issue was that? I believe one page is devoted to Ofest each month prior to the event. This year Ofest didn't even make the cover. Sure, it's only 800 members. Actually a bit more than that, but those are the members who did not join this club solely for a $48 magazine subscription, or membership reward rebate. And when you look around the room to see how many have been coming back year after year and 1/3, maybe more, was their first time. To me, that is the club. Were you a member in 2004 when it was in Pasadena? The heat and humidity should be gone by next Oct in Birmingham. No excuse.
November issue The cover story of the Nov issue was all about O'fest: 22 pages or 1/5th the issue's pages. There were around 10 sidebars (actually many separate small articles.) The following columns: Farnsworth, Morgan, Calabrese, Self, Hazard, Chamberlin, and Satch's were devoted to O'fest. That left two articles about Pebble Beach, an article about Spartanburg, and another about a San Diego auction, and all the racing stuff, and a couple other columns. About 1/2 the issue's content was O'fest; guess you didn't get that issue. And for your info, I don't need an "excuse" to not come to O'fest.
The cover was the Summer Concours, not Ofest. You mentioned that, "BTW, there is NO WAY I'm going to leave the Seattle area and drive to the humidity-ridden mid-west, mid-east, east coast, southeast during the summer. California, maybe." Figured the summer humidity was what was keeping you away.
