The only numbers I could dig up are these (I don't have the latest numbers..):

As of 11/97 - Total paid is 3357
As of 11/98 - Total paid is 2941 - A decline of 12.4 %

In December of 1993, the total paid subscriptions where 9,264.

So, in the past 7 years for FoxTalk, there has been a 64% decline in subscriptions. So your bet would have paid off. There has been a similar decline. However, there were some MAJOR problems with Pinnacle 4 years ago. It had more to do with the business than the quality. Alhough, for about 7 months, the quality was getting marginal. But, in true FT form, that got corrected quickly. The magazines where not getting out on time. It was pretty bad. The price is also an issue. For many 119 bucks is a lot of money. It used to be $150. So, with respect to FT, I am not surprised by the major drop off. At it's height, I think the subscription base of FT was around 14,000. How about that, at its high point, FT had more subscribers than FPA has today. Nobody would have ever thought that would happen..

Still, what does all of this mean??? VFP's declining popularity?? Perhaps. I have to believe that the declines in subscriptions for both FT and FPA have to plateau.

For FoxTalk, a magazine that never really advertised, sponsored the shows, and IMO, took a very aloof approach to all of that, I am more surprised that it has survived, as opposed to the decline in the readership.

For FPA, there is no good reason for the drop off that has occurred. Would there be a drop off regardless? Sure. Clearly, Fox does not enjoy the popularity it once did. Think about this, more people go to TechEd than subscribe to FPA now....

Let's forget the dropoff in numbers for a moment and concentrate on quality. For FPA, it is way down. For FT, the comment now is the same as it was 5 years ago. It's position for technical content is solid. They have a niche, and they have not deviated from that plan. For FPA, the quality is way down. And, the comments by many up here echo that sentiment.

The deal is this gang... There is one major Fox Magazine. If you want to maintain the viability of the language and the community, FPA needs some drastic improvements. It's rotting and dying on the vine. My fear is that the downward spiral will continue. That is of course, unless some intervention occurs...

IMO, there still is no subsitute for the printed medium. Look at VBPJ. That magazine is bigger and better than it was 10 years ago when it started. And yet, there are loads of Web Resources.

Ever been to DevX (www.devx.com). Tell you what, go to www.advisor.com some time and compare. Advisor's website. In a word, it sucks. It is slow, and the times when the site is not down, the amount of text that hits you is overwhelming. So, while I think web resources might be a factor, I think they do more to augment printed material than they do in replacing printed material.