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RON MALY Vol 2, No. 2 9,May 12, 2002 Most of you are paying about $1.50 for the Des Moines Sunday Register. If you’re in that group, I’m going to tell you something that may make you mad. Some of your neighbors may be getting the paper free. And they’ll probably get it free next week, too. That’s right, free. Here’s the deal. A member of the crack management team of The Newspaper Very, Very Few Iowans Depend Upon Anymore sent out a letter a while back that said certain people would receive the Sunday paper without paying anything for it. The only catch was that they wouldn’t get the Sunday paper until Tuesday. Which, of course, is disappointing to those who were told by their neighbors that the easiest way to fall asleep after coming home from church on Sunday was to read what editor Paul Anger writes. I first learned of the giveaway plan when a friend, who subscribes only to the daily paper, sent me an e-mail that said, "Did you know that the Register will deliver the Sunday paper on Tuesdays to persons like myself who do not take the Sunday paper? I suppose it is for all of us. I got a letter stating they would do that for me. "They did not mention a time frame that included a stop date. I have never felt the Sunday paper was worth the money since I don’t read ads. When I removed what I did not want to read, I had just a few pages left.’’ That part about not wanting to read the ads won’t make either the paper’s management or the advertisers happy, of course. The woman has been receiving the Sunday paper on most Tuesdays, but for some reason she didn’t get one last week. "I don’t imagine the carriers like it much that they have to bring the Sunday paper as well as the daily paper on Tuesdays,’’ the woman said. When she does get the Sunday paper, she’s not exactly wild about it. "I really don’t care that it is sent or not because if I really wanted it, I would take it....’’ she said. "I am surprised (the Sunday giveaway) was not mentioned in the paper, but I suppose they might lose paying customers.’’ I asked the woman if I could have a copy of the letter she received from Tom Foster, vice-president of circulation.She gave it to me, and there were telephone numbers listed if anyone had questions about the giveaway program. I called, but the customer service person I talked with seemed hazy about the plan. Maybe she wondered why I asked so many questions. Maybe she thought I was one of the usual frustrated subscribers who call to ask why their paper was late or didn’t show up at all. Maybe she thought I worked for the Omaha World-Herald. Then I called a newspaper acquaintance and asked him about what the Register was up to. He wasn’t aware of the Sunday giveaway, but after hearing about it he said it was obvious the Register was concerned about "plummeting’’ circulation and was looking for ways to increase it. Sunday and daily circulation at the Register has gone downhill every year since the Gannett Co. bought the paper in 1985. It could be that the paper has found some loophole so it can count the Sunday giveaways as "paid’’ circulation. That way, the circulation numbers wouldn’t look so bad to advertisers. Maybe the management is hoping people who get the paper free for a while will decide to start paying for it when the Sunday giveaway program is over—and you know, of course, that it won’t last forever. A nyway, here’s the letter that was sent to my friend as well as, I assume, other subscribers to the daily paper:"Dear Subscriber: "The Des Moines Register is happy to announce an addition to your current subscription that you’ll receive for no extra charge! "Beginning in April, your subscription will include The Sunday Des Moines Register at absolutely no additional cost to you. Your copy of the Sunday newspaper will be included with the regular delivery of your Tuesday newspaper. "So now you’ll be able to enjoy the timeless features of The Sunday Des Moines Register throughout the week! You can research prices and specials in the advertising inserts, clip money-saving coupons, read editorials, in-depth features and the always-popular Sunday comics! "Changes in our delivery process have made this extra-value possible, and it’s another way we can thank you for your continuing business. So enjoy your Sunday Register as our treat! If you have any questions about this added service, please call our customer service department at 284-8311 or 1-800-365-4692. Thank you, Tom Foster Vice-President/Circulation [Memo to you folks in the sports department: Evidently, Foster didn’t think enough of what you’re turning out to mention it as an advantage to readers getting the Sunday paper free on Tuesday. Obviously, those "money-saving coupons’’ and "the always-popular Sunday comics’’ are more important].
Good Writing? Go to the Letters S peaking of the comics....And the letters on the editorial pages.... Some of the best writing in the paper lately came when a contributor to the letters-to-the-editor section sliced and diced one of the metro area’s cartoon characters. The letter-writer went after the little man, his real name, with a razor-sharp blade that dug deep and was right on target. The little man probably had to call his press agent at the paper after taking that whipping. Meanwhile, if that letter-writer decides to run for something, she’s getting my vote.
Stiffing Sonny Wouldn’t Please Maury D orothy, not her real name, from Dexter, not her real hometown, called with a question."Is Maury White rolling over in his grave?’’ she asked. "I haven’t checked lately,’’ I said. "Why do you ask?’’ "Because I noticed you wrote a few days ago that the paper didn’t even mention that Sonny Franck, a guy who’s in the Sunday Register’s Iowa Sports Hall of Fame, was named to the College Hall of Fame,’’ Dorothy explained. "The College Hall of Fame is a big deal.’’ "I agree it’s a big deal,’’ I said. "Now that you mention it, Maury probably would be in a foul mood (he could get that way), knowing how the paper forgot all about Sonny. The Iowa Sports Hall of Fame was Maury’s baby. He looked after it like a mother hen. "Maury even wrote the July 6, 1997 story that said Franck, a native of Davenport, was the 150th inductee into the Iowa Sports Hall of Fame. "But calm down, Dorothy. They don’t put out sports pages the way they used to. Even when he was alive, Maury knew it and was saying it.’’
So Long for a While With that, I leave you for a couple of weeks. I’ve got some other things to do. But I’ll be back.Thanks to everyone—Alive in Clive, not his real name; Dorothy, not her real name, from Dexter, not her real hometown; the woman who has tipped me off on a number of very good items—including the free Sunday newspapers--and everyone else who has been so helpful to this column in recent months. Keep those e-mails and calls coming while I’m away from the computer. [Ron Maly wishes all mothers a very happy Mother’s Day. He sends a special warm wish on this beautiful day to his wonderful 90-year-old mother] |