I compile the reports for the Dorset region and have had numerous articles published in PP in the past so I've been following this thread with interest as the issues certainly aren't restricted to the registers. In fact I wholeheartedly agree with all the criticisms raised and it saddens me to say it, but in my opinion the lions share of PP has become little more than a Porsche newspaper, brochure, advertorial (call it what you will) publication, compiled and edited in the main by Archant Dialogue rather than the editorial team at Cornbury House and given a free rein, are Archant's priorities going to be the same as those of the enthusiasts in Club Office? Of course they're not, advertising, sales and commercial gain will win over meeting the expectations of grass-roots club members every time.
For some time I've had the depressing feeling that the Regions and Registers sections of PP have become an inconvenience and if things continue the way they are going, the reduction in word count will be just the beginning of the end of contributions by club members. I don't know about the other contributors, but until I checked this morning, I wasn't even aware of who the current PP editor is whereas when there was a change in the past, it was announced to all and sundry hence we all knew who the incumbent was when Peter Morgan, Stephen Mummary, Chris Seaward etc. were in the chair. And who is the current editor? It's Matt Master, the author of the majority of the 'driving impressions of Porsche loan cars' articles seen on a near-monthly basis.
I have two copies of PP in front of me - the Autumn 1996 issue recently passed on to me and the current issue, December 2019. The first is packed with interesting articles about the just-released Boxster, the 904, Le Mans, club personalities and well illustrated event reports and technical articles written by enthusiastic club members. The second has significant editorial space given over to Porsche designing a fantasy spaceship, a multi-million pound 'superyacht' and a flying car - and who wouldn't want to read that instead of seeing decent sized photos in the R&R sections?. Guess which issue took me longest to read...
David Bladon has perfectly summed up the frustrations shared by regular contributors to the back sections of the magazine and I'm sure most have suffered submissions being edited by people who know nothing about cars and as a consequence, have turned a report or photograph into nothing more than meaningless drivel. One example - I'm a car enthusiast first and foremost so when we had a presentation about the Carrera 4-cam engine, my Regional report included a summary of what we had learnt about this iconic powerplant, illustrated with a schematic of the complex valve-train. Unfortunately, in order to fit the photo into the postage stamp sized space available, someone in their infinite wisdom decided to crop it, loosing the bevel gears to the cutting-room floor, thus rendering the photo completely meaningless and had I not been so angry, I'd have laughed out loud when I saw it. I've had copy edited to the point that I no longer recognise it as my original submission, paragraphs transposed making the report laughable and carefully chosen, professional standard photographs (not mine, I hasten to add) either reproduced thumbnail size or ignored altogether (maybe if I use a graffiti wall as a backdrop every month, my photos will be given more space...).
I'm no journalist and my reports can take me a long time to write and re-write before I am satisfied with the result (made all the more difficult with the restricted word count) and for them to then be butchered before publication is nothing short of demoralising, so why do I bother. I hear you ask. It's because many years ago the Dorset Region made a commitment to the board that it would submit a regular regional report in order to get itself reinstated after being disbanded for under-performing, so come hell or high-water, as long as the editors want one, there will always be an R26 monthly report.
Porsche Post is the ONE single form of communication between the club, the RO's, RS's and membership that EVERY member has access to. Yes, it may come as a surprise to the publishers of PP, but even in this day and age, there are club members who don't use the Forum, the Website, Twitter, Instagram, Facebook, What's App - or even email, but they ALL receive PP. Unfortunately, I suspect fewer and fewer are actually reading it though and this is a very sad state of affairs.
]
