From the Publisher

Hypocrites !

Shortly after the February issue of RV News was published we received the following letter from Charles Siwik.

Dear Sirs:
After months of saying what a detriment Coast Distribution is to the RV industry (knock-off products) look who sold out to Tim McGuire now. What a bunch of hypocrites.

Cancel my subscription now.

Charles M. Siwik

Keller Marine Service

Mayfield, New York

First I want to thank Mr. Siwik for writing to us, and commend him for putting his thoughts on paper. Unlike so many in this industry he has the confidence to express his views face-to-face with us. Perhaps we should try to hire him.

I want to take this opportunity to address and hopefully dispel any and all misconceptions, misinterpretations, rumors, innuendos and outright fabrications relative to the relationship between RV News and Coast Distribution. Coast did not buy RV News, literally, figuratively or philosophically.

Let me share with you my business philosophy. There are two things you need to understand to evaluate what we do here at RV News. The first is that every decision we make as a company, and every position we take editorially, is based on one common denominator - is it good for the RV industry as a whole? Secondly, you need to understand that to bring forthright, honest, credible articles and editorials to our readers we must have advertising support.

Thousands of industry folks like yourself read RV News. Do they all agree with every stand we have taken? No. But the majority appreciate the fact that RV News has the courage to take stands on issues. It's also important to note that when we take a stand it is in the editorial column, not in our feature articles.

Now, I can't comprehend you would question our for the good of the whole industry philosophy. So what this really boils down to is advertising - specifically, advertising by Coast Distribution. Advertising sometimes has a direct relation to philosophy. I can site numerous times advertisers have cancelled their contracts with us because they were not in agreement with a position we took, or were perceived as taking, on a particular editorial

subject. It's cost us tens of thousands of dollars in lost revenue to present our views and - in many cases - your views. We understand that could happen every time we discuss a sensitive industry matter, and we accept the fact that everyone is not going to agree with us and that some will cancel their advertising.

On the other hand, I don't know of a single instance where some company or other has purchased ad space because they agreed with our positions, although we have gotten a lot of "attaboys". Consider this: for the past several years we have been beating up on Coast Distribution because we believed their philosophy on certain matters was not in the best interest of the industry as a whole. We went out of our way to promote other warehouse distributors and name brand products.

I was probably more surprised than anyone, when Coast Distribution contacted us about the possibility of running an ad campaign in RV News. After all, we've been trying to meet with Tim McGuire for the past three years to do an interview with him so we could present his side of the story to our readers. He declined to return our calls. I am pleased to let you know we will be doing that interview in the very near future - and we will ask the same hard questions we would have asked last year, or the year before, or the year before that. Tim McGuire will have the opportunity, like all those who we feature in articles, to articulate the decisions Coast has made over the years.

I can tell you why Coast decided to introduce their ë97 dealer program in RV News. It's simply due to all the response they received from to our editorials. Not only is RV News read and respected, but we have a readership following that understands our for the good of the entire industry philosophy and acts accordingly. It only makes sense to advertise in a publication you know is being read and where the readers are responding.

RV News has formed no alliance with Coast Distribution. They are advertisers - period! But, like any other advertiser, we will pay attention to them and we will do what we can, as long as it's in the best interest of the entire industry, to make sure their advertising campaign works. On the other hand, should Coast move in a direction that we believe is not in the industry's best interest, we will immediately, once again - even if it costs us their

advertising - bring the matter up for industry discussion. That's what we have always done, and that's what we will continue to do.

We've put our business on the line for what we've believed was for the good of the entire RV industry for well over twenty years, and we are not going to change now. We do not understand why, by accepting

advertising from any company, Coast Distribution included, we should be labeled hypocrites or be accused of selling out. The only thing we have to sell is ad space. We don't run out of it. We never have to back order it. It's always been there for anyone who wants to take advantage of it. It's what has allowed us to send you RV News, absolutely free, for almost a quarter century.

I own D&S Media Enterprises, Inc., publishers of RV News and RV Technician magazines. I am half owner of Web Site Management, Inc., producers of RV America On Line, an umbrella Internet site for the RV industry. These are two distinctly different companies. Other than the fact that I hold ownership positions is each, they operate completely independently. I mention this because I want you to know that as separate companies each has its own direction.

Web Site Management, Inc. has formed an alliance of sorts with Coast Distribution. Coast is spending upwards of $50,000 to put their entire catalog on the Internet. And consumers will be able to purchase any item in that catalog. But to do so, they can enter the catalog only through a dealers web site on RV America. When the

consumer places an order it goes directly to Coast with a copy to the dealer whose site the consumer is in. Coast drop ships the order to the consumer and credits the dealers' account. If it's an installation order, it is shipped to the dealer who then makes an appointment with the consumer. This program puts any dealer who gets on board on the leading edge of marketing technology. Whatever business is generated represents found money and profits, and the dealer never even has to lift a pencil. We thought this was the most advanced sales and marketing program to be introduced to dealers in years, and we are proud to be a part of it.

Foremost in our mind when we considered working with Coast on the Internet project was the fact that we knew Camping World was planning to launch their catalog on the Intenet. We knew, because we were asked to bid on its

production. We chose not to bid on the project simply because we believed it would give Camping World another leg up on the rest of the industry, and would be detrimental to every existing dealer, parts and accessory retailer, service center, and distributor in the country. And this decision was made months before we had any discussion with Coast.

For this industry to continue to grow, a national network of prosperous dealers, accessory retailers and sevice centers is mandatory. This will not be the case if all the apples are in Camping World's basket. Both D&S Media Enterprises and Web Site Management feel a responsibility to do what we can to make sure the playing field is level, and that RVers can get the product and service they desire or need no matter where they are in the country.

Now you know the rest of the story.

RVN