Restoring the Luster to RVIA's
Journalism Award

RV News would like to commend RVIA, the RVIA public relations committee, and whatever subcommittee that selects the recipient of the RVIA Distinguished Achievement in RV Journalism, for its selection of Jeff Kurowski, senior editor of RV Business.

Jeff is an outstanding professional journalist and has been covering the RV industry for many years, first as a reporter for the South Bend Tribune and later as a contributing editor of RV Business, and more recently, a senior editor of RV Business.

Now it may surprise some readers to see something in RV News positive about our major competitor, RV Business, because we have been quite vocal and critical of RV Business' parent company, the Affinity Group, Inc., for what we perceive as its predatory monopolistic policies. But we have only been critical of management philosophy, not people.

We believe there are a lot of talented people within AGI, and we have the utmost respect for them as individuals, as well as admire their professional talent ­ and Jeff is an excellent example.

Jeff's selection as the recipient of the RVIA journalism award is significant not only because he deserves it, but also because it has been several years since an RV journalist actually received the award.

This award originally was called the Brownie Hardison RV Journalism Award. Brownie was a pioneer in RV journalism and published RV Dealer, a trade magazine. For years the award was presented to writers and publishers in the RV industry. People such as Dan Holt, publisher of RV News; Art Rouse, former publisher of Trailer Life; Bill Estes, editor of Trailer Life and Motorhome magazines and many other distinguished professionals ­ a virtual "who's who" in the RV magazine business.

I can tell when I was selected as the recipient in 1990 I was both humbled and honored to be included in this distinguished group.

But I have to say, some of that luster has eroded the "honor" over the last five or six years. I'm troubled by what I perceived to be a transition to a public relations award rather than an award of merit for a continuing commitment to RV journalism and the industry.

In recent years rather than the award going to an RV journalist, it was given to writers who may have written one article about RVs or RVing or only occasionally write about RVs.

Now it is true that it is RVIA's award and the association can give to whomever they decide to give it to; however, there are tons of awards for writers in various fields, but there was only one award for RV journalists ­ the RVIA Distinguished

Achievement in RV Journalism.

So while RVIA was giving the award to those outside the industry, people who deserved the award and were true RV journalists were passed by. Several deserving journalists and RV publishers come to mind: Laslo Jones, a freelance writer who works full time covering products and the lifestyle for Family Motor Coach magazine and Good Sam's Highways and Trailer Life books; Pamela Kaye, long time editor of Family Motor Coach magazine; and Kip Czoch, who grew up in the RV publishing business and most recently was publisher of RV Trade Digest.

So it is my hope that Jeff Kurowski's selection this year marks the return to a philosophy that honors those writers and publishers who make their living covering the RV industry and the RV lifestyle.

If RVIA wants to show its appreciation for some one-time or special effort on behalf of the RV industry, I would humbly suggest that it might be more appropriate if the association created a new award such as a special journalism appreciation award and reserve its prestigious RVIA Distinguished Achievement in RV Journalism to honor those journalists who have made a long-lasting contribution through a continuing celebration of the RV lifestyle.

I know, at least for me, this would restore the luster back to my plaque and would motivate me to take it off the shelf and proudly hang it back on the wall.