Chicon 2000 Infobot News - 30-Jul-1998 Chicon 2000, P. O. Box 642057, Chicago IL 60664, fax: 312-946-3779 The Chicon 2000 Infobot News is a service of the Chicon 2000 Web Site, which may be found at http://www.chicon.org/ . I'm your webmaster, Chaz Boston Baden. I edit the Infobot News, using material placed on the web site and printed in the Progress Reports. If you know someone who'd like to subscribe, tell 'em to go to our web site at http://www.chicon.org/ and enter their e-mail address - or just forward them this message. If your e-mail address changes, or if you wish to be removed from the Chicon 2000 Infobot News mailing list, or if you don't have web access and want to be added to the list, please write to listmaster@chicon.org. In this issue: Sales Table at Bucconeer Membership Rates Are Going Up! Notes From Da Chairman Sales to Members Childcare (Babysitting) Hotel Facilities Frequently Asked Questions We Will Have a Dealer's Room! Geographic Breakdown Missing Members ("Lost Souls") Other Web Site Features Sales Table at Bucconeer * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * The table will be located in the third floor lobby of the Convention Center (Pratt Street side) in the approximate vicinity of convention registration. We will have a drawing at our sales table. All new and old attending members can enter to win a signed copy of Harry Turtledove's "How Few Remain" or "The Great War: American Front". Ray and Barb VanTilburg, our Sales to Members contractors, are debuting the first of a series of Chicon 2000 t-shirts at Bucconeer. Be sure to drop by the OffWorld Designs table in the dealers' room, and take a look for yourself. Membership Rates Are Going Up! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * "Just in time" is a popular management theory, but it doesn't work with Worldcons. If you, your family or your friends haven't yet bought attending memberships, you can only lose money by waiting. Here are the details: Effective September 1, 1998, the price of an attending membership in Chicon 2000 will rise to $135.00 for residents of North America. We will temporarily (until May 1, 1999, or thereabouts) keep the $125.00 rate for bona fide residents of other continents, who have had fewer opportunities to join. Also on September 1st, all special discounts (except for our Chicago in 2000 trading card deal) will expire for North Americans. Until then, anyone who cast a site selection ballot at LoneStarCon can upgrade to attending membership for only $40.00 ($25.00 if you were also a Chicago in 2000 presupporter), and Chicago in 2000 presupporters who didn't vote can buy attending memberships for $115.00. Again, bona fide non-North Americans will not be affected at this time. Chicago in 2000 presupporters who voted and site selection and present 20 different Chicago in 2000 trading cards will still qualify for free conversion to attending membership. We probably won't keep this offer open forever but realize that cards can be elusive critters that take a while to roust from their hiding places around the house. Notes From Da Chairman * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * When Worldcons moved to a three-year lead time, a tradition began that is now firmly entrenched: Progress Report Number Two has no progress to report. For some cons (no names will be mentioned here, but you know who you were), that was because nothing much happened between the first flurry of activity and the point, a year or so later, when the chairman looked at the calendar and exclaimed, "Hey, guys, we've gotta put on a Worldcon!" For others, though, the absence of news merely reflected the fact that many of the tasks involved in convention running do not make interesting spectator sports. That is especially true of much of the early work. Chicon believes in adhering to fannish traditions. Therefore, this is likely to be one of our thinner PR's. Nevertheless, we really have been doing things that will (we hope) bear fruit in the form of a smooth-running and enjoyable convention two-plus years from now. Organization. Our Table of Organization is gradually taking shape. There are many ways to arrange the various parts of a Worldcon. What will work best depends on many factors: the interests and talents of committee members, local custom, the experience of recent Worldcons and much more. Barring cataclysmic rethinking, Chicon 2000 will group its activities under eleven "divisions", each with subsidiary departments... [Webitor's note: See Staff and Committee List for a description of each Division.] Budgeting. Worldcon budgeting is notoriously difficult, due to the fact that major financial commitments must be made fairly early, but the data for accurate revenue forecasting arrives fairly late. Hence, very few Worldcons have hit the target of having neither an embarrassing surplus nor a disastrous deficit. We are just starting to refine our budget and are trying to devise ways to match income and outgo more closely than in the past. You can help by persuading your friends to join early (when rates are lower, too) rather than procrastinate. Cleaning up our records. Just last month, I sent an order to a major merchandiser and received an e-mailed acknowledgement stating that the item would be shipped within two business days. Two weeks later, I followed up and learned that the seller had no record of my order and couldn't have shipped when promised, because what I wanted wasn't in stock. If large businesses can suffer snafus like that, so can Chicon, which relies on part-time volunteers for everything that it does. So far, we have had problems with only a minute percentage of registrations, but "minute" is higher than zero. Some of the problems, unfortunately, date back as far as LoneStarCon. We fully expect to have everything in good order by the end of August but would appreciate assistance. If you know that your own membership has a problem - for instance, if you are shown as a supporting member despite having converted to attending, if your check hasn't cleared or if your credit card charge has never shown up on your statement -- please let us know. It's better to deal with anomalies now than on the opening day of the con. Per aspera, Tom Veal Chairman, Chicon 2000 Sales to Members * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chicon 2000 is pleased to announce that Offworld Designs, operated by Ray and Barb VanTilburg, has been granted an exclusive license to produce convention merchandise for sales to members. Offworld, which filled the same role for Chicon V in 1991, will offer a wide variety of useful and attractive items. First in the line will be a limited edition t-shirt, with artwork airbrushed by Ray VanTilburg, which will go on sale at Bucconeer. Offworld produced three varieties of the popular and attractive "Chicago in 2000" bid t-shirt. They have also produced t-shirts and other merchandise for numerous Worldcon bids and regional conventions. Childcare (Babysitting) * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * A child must be 12 or under at the beginning of Chicon to qualify for the first three child categories: K: ChildCare membership for full time ChildCare is currently $125, and will advance in line with the Attending membership price. When the child is registered, it must be specifically noted that this is a ChildCare membership, prior to June 2000. There will be NO at the door memberships for this category. It does include voting rights. C: Child membership is a flat fee of $50 with no rights to voting or baby-sitting. This entitles the child to attend children's programming only. This membership can be upgraded to attending, OR to ChildCare for the difference between $50 and the amount in effect at that time and pre-registered by at least June, 2000. A: The child could also buy a full attending (adult) membership with full voting rights and access to programming. The price is the current adult attending price, subject to the same escalating rate. This membership can be purchased at the door, with the at-the-door prices. This does not include ChildCare at any time. T: Children 8 and under may be a Kid-in-Tow for free but must be registered with the responsible adult's name and hotel on the back of the badge, and must be kept in the presence of a responsible adult at all times. Casual babysitting does not need a specific membership as long as usage is minimal. Availability based on space and staff. Price and rules will be spelled out closer to convention time. Hotel Facilities * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * We have signed contracts with all three of our hotels. One lesson that we have learned from another Worldcon's problems is that room blocks should be too big rather than too small. Therefore, our block for the core nights is over 2,500 rooms, with generous allotments for fans who arrive early or stay late. A consequence of this strategy is that we risk having to pay substantial facilities fees if room pickups aren't up to expectations. Happily, because we don't have to pay charges to a convention center, we can face that prospect, if not with equanimity, at least without stark terror. Our headquarters hotel, the Hyatt Regency Chicago, has hosted two previous Worldcons and is enthusiastically waiting to welcome a third. And with 2000 sleeping rooms and 210,000 square feet of function rooms and exhibit halls, you never have to go out into the sun or rain unless you want to. Here are some facts and features about our main hotel: The Hyatt Regency Chicago. + 2,019 Guest Rooms, 36 stories, two towers + over 175 Suites + 4 large to extra-large, divisible, ballrooms totalling over 60,000 + square feet + Exhibition hall with over 140,000 square feet and 8 docking bays. + 43 meeting rooms + no-smoking rooms/floors + Video check-out + Oversized baths + Parking for over 2,500 cars + Voice Mail in every guest room + 4 Restaurants + Business Center + Adjacent to the Magnificent Mile, on the Chicago River, very near Lake Michigan, walk to the Chicago Loop, shopping, entertainment, museums, and parks. + Bus transportation, door to door, to both Midway Airport (currently $20 round trip) and O'Hare Airport (currently $28 round trip) + Part of the 83 acre indoor Illinois Center complex, featuring 150 stores and services, including 43 restaurants and connections to our two other hotels the Swissotel and the Fairmont. + A very helpful staff that is both pleased and excited to have us!!! We have been here before, and they want us back. The three hotels - Hyatt Regency Chicago, Swissotel, and the Fairmont - have all given us the function space as well as the rooms we need and are excited about having our business; and the space is wonderful. And they're taking out some fountains in the West Tower of the Hyatt and putting in a large divisible Ballroom, with construction to be done late 1999. All the hotels are equipped with rooms for the physically challenged; parking rates have been negotiated; and we are working on some special deals in the restaurants. Stay tuned, we'll have more information closer to the convention. They are not yet prepared to take reservations! Frequently Asked Questions * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Q. "Do volunteers or program participants have to buy memberships?" A. Yes. Everybody except the Guests of Honor who wants to attend Chicon 2000 must purchase a membership, including the chairman. (Well, okay, he does have 20 trading cards to turn in, but, taking all bidding costs into account, they are the most expensive things that he owns.) Assuming that the con has money left over after paying mundane vendors, program participants' and volunteers' membership fees will be reimbursed in accordance with the policies that have been in effect at all recent Worldcons. Q. "Which hotel should I choose, and when will I be able to book my reservation?" A. Since our hotel contracts have just been signed, a little patience is still in order. Our three hotels - the Hyatt Regency Chicago, the Fairmont and the Swissotel - have different characters, and each will appeal to a different subset of fans. As our headquarters facility, the Hyatt will be closest to "the action", but the other two hotels are very short distances away. From any spot in the Hyatt to the most remote reach of the Fairmont is no farther than one might walk in a mid-sized mall, and the trip can be completed without going out of doors. Though we will have preliminary notions of hotel rates soon (probably before you read this), the figures won't really be set until hotel cards go out in late 1999 or early 2000. Many fans are apprehensive, we know, due to the relatively high prices at a few recent Worldcon hotels and the problems that the Boston in 2001 bid encountered in its negotiations (ultimately prompting it to decamp to Orlando). Chicago hotels are more reasonable than those in Boston, but it is only realistic to note that several recent trends have made it harder to obtain the dirt cheap lodgings that fans remember fondly. First, the hotel industry isn't as "hungry" as it was a decade ago. Hoteliers have learned the art of "yield management" (pioneered by the airlines) and have overcome the disastrous vacancy rates that used to lure managers into desperate efforts to fill rooms at any price. Second, Labor Day weekend is losing its wallflower status. One of our hotels has been approached by at least two other groups for the year 2000, and tourist traffic has picked up to the point where another has cut its proffered room block below what Chicon V filled in 1991. The period is still soft for the hospitality trade but not absolutely mushy. Third, though the country as a whole doesn't worry about inflation these days, labor-intensive employers do. The U.S. has enjoyed an unusual period of wage stability that now seems to be coming to an end. Further tightening of the labor market, perhaps combined with yet another minimum wage hike, would slash and burn hotels' profit margins, leading to higher prices and leaner service for us consumers. No, this is not the prologue to announcing that single rooms will cost $300 a night, just an attempt at conservatism and caution. What we hope for - and will work hard to get - is rates that aren't much higher, in real dollar terms, than those at Chicon V. Q. "How will you handle child care?" A. As announced elsewhere, we have taken a few steps toward addressing what has become an important question for large portions of fandom. At some financial risk, we've decided that ChildCare memberships for children (age 12 or under when the con begins) will cost the same as Attending memberships, if the child is registered for ChildCare in advance. Exact ChildCare hours, price and other details will be determined later. For kids who don't need ChildCare throughout the con, children's memberships are available at a substantial discount from regular rates. These do not include voting rights or publications. Casual babysitting will be available, to the extent that space and staff are available to attendees aged 12 or under who hold Attending or Children's memberships (not to Kids-in-Tow). Prices and terms will be announced later. Q. "Why are your membership rates so high?" A. For anyone who voted on site selection, they aren't. We concede, though, that the "no prep" rate ($125) is higher than for past U.S. Worldcons. The reason is that we want to avoid the price escalation and budgetary drama that other Worldcons have suffered. The scenario has become almost routine. The Fargo in 199x Worldcon all but gives away its first couple of thousand memberships, gnaws fingernails as the membership total rises too, too slowly, cuts its budget in panic, boosts rates for last-minute members, embarks on a panicky local advertising campaign and staggers through the con in a state of terror. The Worldcon should be worth the highest rate charged to at-the-door attendees. If it isn't, it is cheating its members. By the grace of Ghod, it doesn't cost quite as much to put on as would be raised if everyone had to pay the highest rate, and it is traditional to pass the savings back to fandom through reduced prices for early joiners. But the reduction has to be kept at a rational level. One point to bear in mind is that Worldcons are one-shot affairs with no capital reserves. If we lose money, our only option is to stiff our creditors, which does fandom no good in the long run. It is better to risk an embarrassing surplus, which will be passed on to make financial life easier for the next few Worldcons, than to confront a worse-than-embarrassing deficit. Q. "Will the program include [fill in blank]?" A. Yes. :) Seriously, while Ross Pavlac's death leaves a degree of uncertainty in the program area, we do have a few firm views (to which any and all are welcome to object): 1. Although fans have a vast variety of interests and a panel on any topic from gardening to baseball to Celtic resistance to the Reformation (a real topic a couple of years ago at a West Coast con) can draw an audience, this particular convention is devoted on a particular subset of interests, i.e., science fiction, fantasy and ancillary subjects. These traditional Worldcon topics cover so broad a range that it is scarcely necessary to pad them out with politics, religion, potted history, self-help, etc., etc. (which is not to say that such topics cannot be part of a "hard-core" SF/F program; the secret lies in the perspective from which they are viewed). 2. The program should have substance, which means that panelists have to know about their topics well in advance and should be challenged to go beyond truisms and platitudes. The dullest panels that I have ever witnessed have been those in which one speaker had an axe to grind, two had books to plug and three hadn't the foggiest idea of why they were there. 3. The whole convention should contribute to the program. The Art Show, for instance, isn't there just to look pretty. It will, if we manage properly, be an integral part of art programming. Similarly, Exhibits and the Dealers' Room offer many resources that can be utilized more fully than in the past. Those are, of course, generalities - but not, I think, meaningless ones. Comments, preferably peace-bonded, are always welcome. Ad Astra! Tom Veal, Chairman, Chicon 2000 We Will Have a Dealer's Room! * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Larry Smith, dealers@chicon.org We expect to have the usual wide variety of goodies available to please your tastes. It's much too early for most of the details to have jelled, but the dealers will occupy much the same space as they did at the last two Chicago WorldCons. Those of you who wish to know more about reserving space, please read on. Site: Some portion of Wacker Hall (the same space used at Chicon 4 and Chicon 5). Size: Until a new set of drawings are completed and some questions about access are resolved, the room will contain 200 to 225 tables and no (zero) booths. Each table will be 8 by 2.5 feet (96 by 30 inches) and will come with two (2) chairs. Applications: Applications will be mailed to all those who send in a request for information and will be available from me at Bucconeer and during the fall convention season. The application form will include instructions for calculating the amount you need to pay. Completed applications MUST be accompanied by a check made payable to "Chicon 2000" and must be MAILED to: Larry Smith Chicon 2000 Dealers' Room Manager 3824 Patricia Drive Upper Arlington OH 43220-4913 Do not send mail that must be signed for! Applications will not be accepted during Bucconeer -- I will be far too busy there to remember what I did with them. Jury: Due to the anticipated size of the room and the expected interest, senior management of Chicon 2000 will jury the room. I suspect I will have far more than enough applications to fill 200 tables by the end of 1998; a limited waiting list will then be established. Limits: If you request more than three (3) tables, you MUST explain how you intend to use the space. Please understand that we can grant very few dealers four or five tables, so plan accordingly. Notice: I won't have time to keep track of all of you dealers. If you move, you are responsible for telling me in a timely manner. Unless the USPS returns your mail to me within a month, I assume you got it. Keep your own copies of all Chicon correspondence. If you need an acknowledgement that I got your application, send along an SASE. The more complete your forms are, the quicker we will be able to consider you for inclusion in the room. Since I need 'footprints' of all transactions in the Dealers' Room, only US MAIL CONTACTS COUNT: e-mail and phone are nice and quick, but neither of them leave an audit trail to prove they existed. Memberships: Memberships are NEVER included in the final price of a table, but will be REQUIRED of all dealers and of each member of their staffs. See our Registration page, or contact the Chicon 2000 PO Box directly for membership info and rates and remember -- they only get more costly later! Geographic Breakdown * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Chicon 2000 and "Chicago in 2000" Members as of 19-Jun-1998. Total members: 2641 Top countries USA 2465 Canada 100 U.K. 35 Japan 9 Germany 7 Breakdown by country Australia 5 Belgium 1 Canada 100 Denmark 1 Germany 7 Ireland 1 Israel 1 Japan 9 Mexico 1 Netherlands 3 Norway 2 Oman 1 Qatar 2 Romania 1 Russia 3 Spain 1 Sweden 2 U.K. 35 USA 2465 Top states/provinces USA, IL 539 USA, CA 311 USA, NY 124 USA, MA 123 USA, TX 121 Breakdown by state/province Canada, Alberta 6 Canada, British Columbia 8 Canada, Manitoba 12 Canada, New Brunswick 1 Canada, Ontario 69 Canada, Quebec 3 Canada, Sask 1 USA, AK 3 USA, AL 21 USA, AP 3 USA, AR 3 USA, AZ 36 USA, CA 311 USA, CO 36 USA, CT 22 USA, DC 7 USA, FL 53 USA, GA 32 USA, HI 2 USA, IA 14 USA, ID 4 USA, IL 539 USA, IN 66 USA, KS 6 USA, KY 29 USA, LA 30 USA, MA 123 USA, MD 91 USA, ME 3 USA, MI 119 USA, MN 55 USA, MO 51 USA, MS 8 USA, NC 10 USA, ND 3 USA, NE 11 USA, NH 12 USA, NJ 50 USA, NM 18 USA, NV 2 USA, NY 124 USA, OH 91 USA, OK 13 USA, OR 17 USA, PA 49 USA, RI 8 USA, SC 6 USA, TN 39 USA, TX 121 USA, UT 6 USA, VA 51 USA, VT 1 USA, WA 65 USA, WI 91 USA, WV 2 USA, unknown 8 Missing Members * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * If you know of a current address for any of these, please contact us at reg@chicon.org, or write to us: Chicon 2000 Registration P. O. Box 642057 Chicago IL 60664 P0232; Adams; Kathy; Oak Lawn; IL; USA; 06/17/1998 A0235; Adrian; Garry; LaPorte; IN; USA; 01/11/1998 A2065; Allen; James; St Louis; MO; USA; 11/13/1997 A0481; Bantly; Jeffrey; Batavia; IL; USA; 05/30/1998 P1173; Bard; Alan; Eugene; OR; USA; 11/16/1997 P1342; Borland; Jay; Des Plaines; IL; USA; 11/13/1997 A1276; Boucher; Stephen; Melbourne; Victoria; Australia; 03/23/1998 P1573; Brayfield - Guest of; Kathy; Joliet; IL; USA; 11/09/1997 P0790; Brown; Bevin; Elk Grove; IL; USA; 11/09/1997 S2222; Doss; Stacy; College Station; TX; USA; 05/18/1998 P1578; Ducett; Colleen; Mount Prospect; IL; USA; 11/09/1997 P0275; Elliot; Floyd; ; ; USA; 10/12/1994 A2127; Elliott; Russ; San Francisco; CA; USA; 05/31/1998 P1837; Gats; Erica; Beltsville; MD; USA; 11/13/1997 P1836; Gats; Karl; Beltsville; MD; USA; 11/09/1997 P1359; Haam; Karen Von; ; ; USA; 09/14/1996 P0450; Johnson; Steve; Union Hrove; IL; USA; 11/13/1997 P0651; Jones; Eileen; Stillwater; MN; USA; 11/09/1997 P1738; Kemp; Doug; ; ; USA; 06/25/1997 P1052; Laird; Robbie; Ann Arbor; MI; USA; 11/09/1997 P0695; Larkins; Leslie; Detroit; MI; USA; 11/13/1997 P0724; Lesko; Netti; Hyattsville; MD; USA; 11/09/1997 P1194; Lewis; Tudor I.; Lincoln; NE; USA; 05/31/1998 P1051; Loeschner; Paul; Ann Arbor; MI; USA; 11/09/1997 P1685; Lucard; Dalen K.; Dayton; OH; USA; 11/09/1997 P1559; Lucchini; Marie-Teresa; ; ; USA; 11/17/1996 P1558; Lucchini; Oriano; ; ; USA; 11/17/1996 P0667; Malone; Christie; Richmond Heights; MO; USA; 11/13/1997 P1117; Martin; Brandy; Gary; IN; USA; 11/13/1997 P0701; Mason; Damian; Toledo; OH; USA; 11/09/1997 S0792; Miller; Keith; Chicago; IL; USA; 05/31/1998 A0439; Modrzyk; Elizabeth; Chicago; IL; USA; 05/18/1998 P1456; Nakajima; Marie; Saginami Tokyo; ; Japan; 03/23/1998 P0493; Nickence; Joe; Chicago; IL; USA; 11/13/1997 P1115; O'Brien; Laura; Chicago; IL; USA; 11/13/1997 A2166; O'Connor; Dea; Davie; FL; USA; 04/01/1998 P0715; Panitz; Aliza; Potomac; MD; USA; 05/31/1998 P1291; Pearson; Carl; Houston; TX; USA; 11/13/1997 P0604; Peters; David; Madison Heights; MI; USA; 11/09/1997 P0459; Pryde; Caterina; Lisle; IL; USA; 05/31/1998 P0515; Rechtnitz; William P.; Lyons; IL; USA; 11/13/1997 A0496; Roszko; Rick; ; ; USA; 11/13/1994 P0503; Ruzecki; Tom; Chicago; IL; USA; 05/31/1998 A2007; Schiavo; Frank; New Orleans; LA; USA; 05/31/1998 P0579; Seelig; Charles; Ridgefield; CT; USA; 11/09/1997 S1535; Shafer; Bart; Rolling Meadows; IL; USA; 05/31/1998 P0381; Simmons; Shannon W.; Tampa; FL; USA; 11/09/1997 A0899; Smullen; Russell; Silver Spring; MD; USA; 05/31/1998 A0693; Stein; Dave; Troy; MI; USA; 05/31/1998 P0767; Stupperich; Kathleen; Colorado Springs; CO; USA; 11/09/1997 P0458; Swendsen; Julie; Garden Prairie; IL; USA; 11/25/1997 P1116; Turner; Beryl; Gary; IN; USA; 11/13/1997 S2337; Weiss; Guest of Gail; Ballston Spa; NY; USA; 11/13/1997 P0999; Wilson; Carl; Streamwood; IL; USA; 11/09/1997 A2183; Zaretsky; Graham; Reynoldsburg; OH; USA; 04/01/1998 Other Web Site Features * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Here are some other goodies that have been put on the web site. http://www.chicon.org/ * Bob Eggleton (Artist Guest of Honor) interview with Jeremy Bloom * Harry Turtledove (Toastmaster) interview with Jeremy Bloom * The Ideal Art Auction, a meditation by E. Michael Blake * Chairman's Message: Reflections on the Passing of a Fan, by Tom Veal * Godzilla - The Review, by Bob Eggleton * SF - Proudly Pop Culture, by Bob Eggleton * Request for Dealers' Room Information (fill-in web form) * Volunteers Sign-up Form (fill-in web form) * Change of Address Form (fill-in web form) * Staff and Committtee List (shows new table of organization) And, if you don't have web access, you should be able to get them by sending e-mail to info@chicon.org with the following line as your message to get the complete index of files: send index You can put several "send" commands in your message, just put them on different lines. For example send pr2 send index send staff.txt send mailtos.txt send auction.txt send godzilla.txt Service Mark Notice * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Service Mark Notice: "World Science Fiction Society", "WSFS", "World Science Fiction Convention", "Worldcon", "NASFiC" and "Hugo Award" are registered service marks of the World Science Fiction Society, an unincorporated literary society. 19980730.txt sent to 417 subscribers of CHICON-NEWS.