Editor’s Note
Back in the old days — that’s less than a decade and before there were such things as blogs and interactive conversations with readers — editors used to respond to their newspaper readers with an “editor’s note.” Sometimes it clarified a point made in a letter to the editor. Sometimes it offered a correction. Sometimes it was just a simple explanation. An editor’s note was a handful of sentences; maybe a four or five paragraphs. It was always a personal link between the editor and the reader. Only difference between it and today’s blog is the immediacy and the platform. Welcome to Editor’s Note.

How’s it going with the TV book?

January 30th, 2009 at 12:55pm Linda Grist Cunningham

As of Friday, we’re caught up from what circulation director Scott Daily calls the “tsunami.” No doubt about it, some readers of the Sunday Register Star are fanatical about their TV book. Last Sunday, we announced that we’d be delivering the TV book only to those subscribers who asked for it. Don’t want; don’t ask.

Beginning on Sunday, Feb. 15, only those subscribers who request the TV book will get it. You can opt-in by calling (

(815) 987-1332 or (815) 987-1335), e-mailing (tvbook@rrstar.com) or registering online.

So, how many is a “tsunami”? Does everyone want the TV book, as I was told by a couple of callers? Or is it just a handful?

I dropped in to talk with the circ director several times this week because it’s Scott’s folks who are taking the brunt of the opt-ins. I’ve only gotten six letters and five e-mails, all of them questioning my skill sets and several of them thinking we are killing the tv book completely. I hate ticking off readers no matter what the reason, but a couple dozen angry letters is not the worst I have ever experienced.

How bad was it in circulation? About 7,000 subscribers have opted in since last Sunday. As of Friday, we’re caught up with all the calls, online opt-ins and e-mails, Scott said. He still has to handle the snail mail, but there’s only about 500 of them and they’re included in his 7,000 estimate.

There will be more. Some folks won’t have seen the first announcements. Others will put off opting in until the last minute. Still others will not realize what’s going on until there’s no TV book in their papers on Feb. 15. We will continue to take care of opt-ins no matter when they contact us, although you opt-in after Feb. 12, you’ll have to wait until Feb. 22 to get your book delivered.

Is 7,000 a tsunami? It sure felt like it. That’s a lot of customer contact in five days. And, now, here comes the “but.” We have 46,000 subscriber households eligible to receive the Sunday TV book. To date, just a hair more than 15 percent want the book. A lot of subscribers want the book; more will. But, it’s not everyone, not by a long shot.

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2 Comments Add your own

  • 1. Steve  |  February 7th, 2009 at 10:03 am

    why does my paper come in a bag everyday of late (95% of the time it is unneccessary) when you are trying to save money buy cuting out the weekly tv schedule?

  • 2. Linda Grist Cunningham  |  February 7th, 2009 at 7:11 pm

    Steve: Although the decision to bag or not is the carrier’s, I think it’s safe to say that the newspaper is bagged because snow, ice, melting snow and ice, and any other wet stuff can happen quickly and wreck a paper. Many carriers bag everyday so that papers don’t get wet or dirty.

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