Pennsylvania Game News - September 2011 - 3

Let’s Hear from You, Please
ENNSYLVANIA GAME NEWS has long been viewed as a beacon of information on Pennsylvania hunting and trapping, wildlife management and conservation. From its earliest days in which it served as an in-house newsletter to its hey-day of boasting nearly 200,000 paid subscriptions in the 1970s to today, Game News has been collected, traded and revered by generations of readers. Past and present Game Commission employees and many other readers who have taken to collecting Game News can tell stories of how they spent a pretty penny trying to obtain some of the oldest copies of Game News at flea markets, antique stores or from online auction sites. Estate sales and garage sales sometimes even list “old Pennsylvania Game News magazines” in their advertisements, attempting to draw potential buyers to their locations. With paid subscriptions now at less than 46,000, it is time to consider giving Game News a make-over. We have not decided, however, what that new look may be. We do plan to keep many of the more popular features, such as Field Notes and the “Me and Joe” style stories that are submitted by those who hunt or trap in Pennsylvania. But, we don’t know right now what else our current readers want us to keep, drop or change. More importantly, we don’t know what it will take to reactivate former subscribers and attract new readers. Should we include more information on how we are spending license dollars to manage the hundreds of species of wild birds and mammals under our jurisdiction? Should we include more information on individual State Game Lands, more features on wildlife and habitat improvements? Should we use more photos? Should we change the look of the magazine? As an example of one of the possible changes, check out the sidebar on page 33. In the nxtbook online version of the issue, readers can click the links to visit the Game Commission Kids Page and to test their knowledge through the “Nature Savvy Quiz.” Additionally, we have recently secured agreements to expand the number of stores that carry Game News in their magazine sections. This type of outreach most certainly will help reach more people, and newsstand sales are a proven method of attracting new subscriptions. Do you use Facebook, Twitter, youTube, Kindle or blogs? Do you navigate the information superhighway using a smartphone or a tablet device? If so, what kind? Android? iPhone? How do you prefer to get your information? For the next few months, I invite you, our current readers, and especially our younger readers, to let me know what your vision of Pennsylvania Game News would look like. What should stay; what should go; what should be added. Please mail your comments to me at the following: Joe Neville, Bureau of Information and Education, 2001 Elmerton Avenue, Harrisburg, PA 17110-9797. You also can e-mail comments to PGCComments@ pa.gov — PGC Information & Education Bureau Director Joe Neville
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Pennsylvania Game News - September 2011

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pennsylvania Game News - September 2011