Whose phone calls must be returned?
November 19th, 2009 at 02:40pm Linda Grist Cunningham
When I moved to town in 1991, I built a something I loosely named the “must call back” list. The list has morphed many times over almost two decades, but for much of that time the Top 20 remained reasonably consistent — allowing for the occasional retirement, unexpected death or new player in town.
The call back list started with this question to staffers in the New Tower: Who are the people whose phone calls I must return within an hour?
I asked the same question of strangers and folks around town as I met them in those early years. I collected hundreds of names and made dozens of personal contacts. It was a good way to meet the people who made a difference, and I add to it frequently.
The Top 20 or so were those men and women whose names consistently were offered up. Webbs Norman, former executive director of the Park District, was number one. He stayed at the pinnacle even after he retired. That’s because Webbs knew everyone, could get the right people at the right table at the right time. Everyone still returns Webbs’ calls, and no one refuses an invitation to break bread at one of his favorite haunts.
I had lunch today with another Top 20, Mike Tulley of Liebovich, Pro Am and Boylan connections. He has been helpful with his insights and a good sounding board over the years. Mike’s retiring at the end of the year, and I got to thinking as I drove back to the News Tower: My old Top 20 list needs updating again.
I now have half a dozen on the new list. So, I ask you: Who are the younguns whose phone calls have to be returned in one hour?
Entry Filed under: Uncategorized
18 Comments Add your own
1. John Groh | November 19th, 2009 at 6:17 pm
I think Kris Kieper, CEO of the YWCA and leader of the next gen leadership group, Next Rockford, should be on the list. Kris\’ influence in our social services sector is growing, and rightly so. Her position as the public face of Next Rockford makes her a go-to person on next gen issues, priorities and positions related to our community and its future.
2. readingmike94 | November 19th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
I am guessing anyone who complains about zits nudity cartoons
3. UsedToLikeTheNewspaper | November 19th, 2009 at 9:16 pm
Ah, the elitism…the snobbery. No wonder your readers are disappearing at such a rapid rate.
4. Linda Grist Cunningham | November 20th, 2009 at 7:41 am
LOL! Yeah. I did.
5. Seve Ballic | November 20th, 2009 at 7:56 am
Pathetic
6. Linda Grist Cunningham | November 20th, 2009 at 8:36 am
For the record: Readership of the Register Star remains as strong as it has been for at least two decades. We reach three of four adults in Boone and Winnebago counties just with the newspaper. Add exclusive readership of rrstar.com, and between the two, we reach 87.6 percent of the adults. Those are nationally audited numbers from September 2009, by the way. Seven-day subscribers are down, but we are not losing readers in print and online continues to grow. Most online readers also are our newspaper readers.
7. Seve Ballic | November 20th, 2009 at 10:37 am
I find it very hard to believe the RRStar is PURCHASED by “three of four adults in Boone and Winnebago counties”. I would be interested in what the RRStar defines “reach” as. Is it the paper you may see at the Dr office or the Lube center? One paper being viewed by multiple people? The vast majority of my friends and college have dumped this paper in favor of on-line news. We all seem to agree the paper is full of nothing. Area crimes are committed and not reported. The paper seems to be an open forum for the wishes of the Rockford city administration. The paper is full of inaccuracies that go uncorrected and the Editorial staff appear to be self-important and close-minded. This paper continually ignores the community when we tell the RRStar again and again that they are missing or ignoring news that is happening in this community. They’re missing it either through laziness, incompetence or to make the city administrations wishes come true that the crime in Rockford is not that bad…..if it’s not reported it didn’t happen.
Many were offended by Cunninghams self-imposed censorship role over the Zits comic strip. What truly offended me and apparently quite a few others was the egotistical and self righteous role demonstrated. The behavior exhibited gave the appearance that she spoke as a representative of the community and I was offended by that. I also believe that if Cunningham is so offended by a comic strip that she would pull it, then what news stories are deemed too “offensive” and therefore never run? I truly believe that the only reason the RRStar enjoy a decent viewership is because: 1. There is no daily newspaper competition, ( if the Trib did a Rockford region edition the RRStar would surely suffer, and 2. Many who are offended and annoyed check this site numerous times daily to see what questionable thing the RRStar has done today. In other words, multiple hits from the same person is being misconstrued as individual viewers. City numbers…skew the numbers to suit your need and call the day wonderful.
And I have to agree with UsedtoLiketheNews, todays editors note comes across as very elitist. The paper should worry more about the school violence, drug trade, murders, violent crimes, abuse of public trust and the current state of the State and not about how important it is to have an updated “must call back” list.
8. Monkey | November 20th, 2009 at 11:02 am
LGC is spinning those circ. numbers. No doubt, circulation of printed papers is way down over the last 20 years; she knows that and has the numbers to prove it. Sharing them won’t make them look so good.
The REACH number she cites is developed based on “pass-around” of how many people read one copy and it’s quite misleading. If I subscribe to the paper, but have three others in my household, then that number is counted as four when it comes to “readership” even though there’s no guarantee that the other three in my household look at the paper. Questionable at best.
9. chris73456 | November 20th, 2009 at 12:33 pm
Keep telling yourself that, Linda. Used to like: I think you touched a nerve!!
10. chris73456 | November 20th, 2009 at 12:39 pm
BTW–I read occasionally online and am not a subscriber to any newspaper. Would be interested to know the average age of your daily delivery subscribers. Im of the opinion that when the “elderly” population goes to the nursing home, subscriptions will fall rapidly. I know you dont believe that, but we will see. I also dont think anything can be done about it–it is what it is, and it is dying slowly. talking about newspapers in general, not just this one….
11. Kkieper | November 20th, 2009 at 12:50 pm
Jeff Hultman, Market President for Chase Bank, should be on your list. Jeff is a leader in the Gen X & Y movement in Rockford and is heavily invested in our community. Not only is Jeff one of the youngest Presidents professionally, but he also sits on several community boards, including United Way as Treasurer.
John Groh has certainly made his mark as someone well connected in the business world and is on his way up by taking the role of leader at the RACVB. John is all about making Rockford the best place it can be. He has been active in the attraction and retention of young professionals in our community for sometime and is a great resource when looking at Rockford strategically.
12. Kkieper | November 20th, 2009 at 12:52 pm
John Groh is also the newly elected Vice Facilitator for Next Rockford and will assume the lead role September 2010.
Jeff Hultman is the immediate past Facilitator of Next Rockford.
13. Paul | November 20th, 2009 at 1:54 pm
I gotta admit that you really know how to light em up when you want too. It looks like that other Cunningham has some competition except your opinions are more valid.
There is not a busy excecutive out there does not have a priority list for everything, including returning telephone calls. You should have mentioned you return all your calls after you get the important ones out of the way.
Now I know that having read my previous blogs, you are of the opinion that I am the fountain of wisdom and know everything about everything. I also know that you would probably fire that other Cunningham in exchange for my telephone number to put on the top of your list.
I know you are disappointed to hear that, and I hope you will forgive me, but I have been in pubic service for most of my adult life and I just need a rest.
14. the dude abides | November 21st, 2009 at 10:54 am
Quick lesson in media buying:
Circulation is the number of newspapers that are printed and distributed.
Readership reflects an estimate of the number of people who read those newspapers — a newspaper’s total circulation multiplied by the estimated average number of people who read each copy.
Those numbers are audited, and I’d be interested in seeing those audits, or at the least, the name of the auditing company. Maybe Linda can post em up? Because I’ve seen a lot of criticism lately about how those numbers are tabulated…
So I keep reading that national newspaper advertising sales are down. Sites like craigslist have all but killed the Classified ad income. Newspaper circulation as a whole is down to pre-WWII levels. Retailers are seeing this and realizing that it doesn’t do much good to spend money on advertising if no one sees their ad.
Locally, its obvious that our paper has less content and is thinner than ever. Yet I’m being told that readership is still the same as it was 20 years ago?
Please.
Newspaper ads simply aren’t drawing shoppers as they did in the past. ROI is the key metric advertisers use. Looking at your CPM or penetration per distribution zone doesn’t hurt either. There’s too many new ways of reaching customers to keep throwing money away.
15. Linda Grist Cunningham | November 23rd, 2009 at 10:19 am
Dude, you’re making an assumption we don’t know or do those things. We do. We reach 87.6 percent of the adults in Boone and Winnebago County markets. We know the penetration and the CPM rates. We are not clueless, folks. Indeed, the actual number of adults reading the newspaper is higher today than 20 years ago, reflecting two things: the actual population increase in the market and the steady, solid readership of the newspaper. Combine the other media (radio and television and the Web sites) and you still can’t touch the reach of the RRS and rrstar,com.
You guys may be lighting candles for our demise. You may delight in wishing the worst for the RRS. You may be praying newspapers will go away or be replaced with a hologram, but to quote a couple of you: Please.
16. chris73456 | November 23rd, 2009 at 3:22 pm
This subject really annoys you!!! I dont wish the worst for anyone. I just dont think you live in the real world, and you keep proving it.
17. Seve Ballic | November 23rd, 2009 at 4:47 pm
I have to agree with Chris.
I don’t wish the worst for the RRStar either, I just wish it were more professional, less bias and the Editors were less self-important. I would gladly re-new my long ago cancelled subscription if I believed the RRStar had turned the corner to become a respectable newspaper again….but I don’t….so I won’t.
Maybe the RRStar needs some of these so-called “younguns” to breathe new, fresh, “real, original” life back into the tired, old, complacent news tower staff.
18. readingmike94 | November 23rd, 2009 at 5:51 pm
Ok want me to get your recent audit? I compared the numbers from 2007 to 2009 the numbers reflected a decline. In terms of web views again the numbers declined. Here are the exact totals from the audit bureau of circulation…
web usage trends from 9/30/2008 to 9/30/2009 a decline of 404,610 or a precent decline of 11.3%
print circulation trends from 9/30/2007 to 9/30/2009 a decline of 16.2% for combined averages total ave paid circulation
sunday only a decline of 11.2%
how do you spin those numbers? I don’t know censor the letter?
Leave a Comment
Some HTML allowed:
<a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>
Trackback this post | Subscribe to the comments via RSS Feed