Newspapers don't control coupon content

Although a fair number of people want to voice complaints about what goes into their daily newspaper, a great many readers give us way too much credit when it comes to complete control of the content of their paper.

-- Several readers called this week to complain about the lack of quality and quantity of coupons inserted in their Sunday newspaper. Their underlying message was that we needed to do a better job of getting the “good” coupons in the paper.

That would be great — if it worked that way. Coupons, like the other inserts in your Sunday newspaper, are advertisements. Advertisers decide which newspapers they want to place which coupons in and pay the newspapers to include the coupons in their publications. Companies that coordinate that placement are major players in the industry and make their decisions based on factors such as market penetration and demographics.

We can’t just print up a bunch of coupons and put them in the paper. Nor can we just make a call and tell the companies our readers would like more coupons.

-- Advertising plays an important role in newspaper economics. People who subscribe to the paper or drop their quarters in the slot of a paper rack every day are, primarily, paying the cost of delivery to their doorstep or their paper box.

The reporters, the telephones, the computers and the electric bill — the things that have to be paid in order to create the newspaper — are paid with advertising revenue. Some of the products we have discontinued were dropped because of insufficient advertising support. Reduced advertising expenditures also have made your newspaper a slimmer volume than in past years.

A portion of the change is due to the current economic climate, no doubt, but some also can be attributed simply to changes in the industry in general.

-- A few callers wanted to say they don’t like recent changes to our paper because the type is now lighter and smaller, which makes it difficult for them to read. One caller even told me he had samples of “before” and “after” papers and that, holding them side-by-side, they were different.

I will acknowledge that sometimes readers get a less than perfectly printed copy of the paper that might have dark ink smudges, so it stands to reason that sometimes they get copies where the type might be light. That’s not supposed to happen, but realistically, sometimes it does.

But we haven’t changed the type size. I swear.

Sometimes the corrections run in smaller type; the current comic layout makes the words in the “Dinette Set” panel slightly smaller; sports agate is and always will be small. The rest of the type is unchanged.

Really.

-- The appearance of this column on page 2A Tuesdays has fueled a surge in calls and e-mails to the Reader Representative.

That's certainly fine -- feel free to call or e-mail. I speak for the paper, but I also speak up for you.

ONE NOTE: This column, as originally written, said feel free to shoot me an e-mail or call. An edited version, which unfortunately made the print edition, said "feel to shoot, to call, or to e-mail." Please no shooting. We can talk things out!

We're not dodging your phone calls

Answering the telephone one day this week involved some laughter and a caller who said, “I figured you’d be hiding behind a voice mail message.” It generated a chuckle because sometimes that is tempting, but the job of Reader Representative is to face the music, take the calls and try to explain why we do the things we do.

When the phone goes to voice mail it’s because I can’t take the call — not because I’m dodging it.

Some of our readers seem to think we spend our days plotting ways to disappoint them and/or make them miserable. Nothing could be farther from the truth.

-- This week we have some readers who are disappointed the Dennis the Menace comic strip now appears only in our Sunday paper, but not on the daily comic page. That panel was replaced by the very popular Dinette Set comic. There are multiple reasons for that change.

One is that we continue to evolve with the changing marketplace, including trying to present a product that appeals to a broad spectrum of readers. You might not like every comic on the page, but you probably like some of them. We’d like to offer that same option to other readers, who might like some you don’t and vice versa.

Another is that Dennis, like some other comics and features in the paper, is no longer created by its original author.

By way of explanation: Suppose a skilled chemical engineer works at one of the local refineries for 30 years then retires. He’d like his 22-year-old son — who also is an engineer but just graduated from college — to have his job at the same salary he got for his 30 years of experience. That’s some of what has happened in the world of syndicated material, which is what comics and many columns are.

The Enterprise would rather pay an eager 22-year-old with some fresh new ideas to enliven our comic page than pay a 22-year-old seeking consistency rather than innovation to continue to produce the same old thing.

But it’s not all about money. It’s as much about creativity and forward-thinking as economics.

-- For those readers who think we don’t listen to their complaints – you’re wrong. We listen, we consider, and sometimes we even make changes based on what you tell us. We usually even have good reasons for the things we do.

When we redesigned our features section to become what is now BE, one of the small changes we made was to the Sunday crossword puzzle. It bothered some of us that the portion of the puzzle that required the reader to fill in blanks was across the fold of the paper. How much easier it would be, we thought, if we put the puzzle at the top of the page and the clues underneath? So we did that.

Several readers have let us know the error of our ways. They tell us that clues are always supposed to be above the blank spaces to facilitate quick completion of the puzzle. With the clues at the bottom, they constantly have to move their arm back and forth as they work the puzzle. So we’re changing it back this coming Sunday.

-- And though the red-faced Enterprise staff would love to call less attention to this problem, every reader who reads the daily corrections on page 2A probably would like to comment on how many corrections we have.

The list one day this week included more than a dozen mistakes. It is professionally and publicly embarrassing, but we feel like it is important to our credibility to acknowledge them. Some errors like wrong titles, omitted names, and completely wrong information, obviously demand immediate correction. Others like wrong page numbers in the index or on a continued line don’t make much difference after the fact, but we feel it is important to our credibility to acknowledge them.

We will, as we do every day, try to do better. In the meantime, please don’t think of us too harshly. Openly admitting our mistakes is one way we hope we can do a better job of producing your paper. No other media is likely to so publicly and prominently confess its shortcomings. We do it because we think it is our duty as a public trust to tell you when we err and to give you correct information.

-- As always, if you have a problem or concern with your paper, please call (409-880-0748) or e-mail (readerrep@beaumontenterprise.com) the Reader Representative. You might not get changes you want in your paper, but you will have a chance to voice your opinion.

And I will answer the telephone or call you back.

Reader reaction revives 'Dinette Set'

The first week of existence for the Enterprise’s newly re-designed page 2A, yourDAY, was a history-making week nationally and internationally, and an interesting week at The Enterprise.

* Reader reaction to the new look was generally favorable. One savvy reader, in a professional job on the fringes of the media, had this to say:

"I would rather you take bold moves to ensure the paper stays around than allow it to slowly disintegrate the way papers are doing in other places. The Enterprise is a good product."

Another shared this comment: "I'm loving the new look! VERY cool! . . . Congrats on a fabulously done section. Enterprise readers will surely love it! (At least this reader does!)

* I say reaction has been generally favorable because we upset and angered a fair number of readers as well.

A substantial number called or e-mailed to say they missed the presence of the comic "Dinette Set" on page 2A. To those readers and other fans, I say, turn a few more pages and you'll find your old favorite. "Dinette Set" has migrated to our comic page where it can continue to amuse fans.

We're moving the "Dinette Set" to the comic page because that's where it belongs. It's the right thing to do and, believe it or not, we always try to do the right thing.

"Dinette Set" is back in The Enterprise because we all recognize its quirky cleverness and we always wanted it in our paper -- just not in space that ought to be reserved for other information. The fact that readers shared their strong sentiments about the comic only reinforced our resolve to quickly get it back in the paper.

* A few readers also have called to ask why the lottery numbers are no longer on page 2A.

They are.

The numbers remain on this page, still on the far left side, just a little further down the column. The yourDay page is designed for things you need to get through your day, and we all recognize those winning lottery numbers might play a role in that.

* It's also worth acknowledging the most embarrassing error(s) of the week. We, not once, but twice, on both Tuesday and Thursday, ran a weather map that made the county seat of Tyler County the city of Tyler, not Woodville. I think many of our readers know Tyler is not in Tyler County, but in Smith County.

Almost any Texan can tell you about the mysteries of Texas geography: Jefferson is not in Jefferson County; Austin is not in Austin County; Houston is not in Houston County; Rusk is not in Rusk County; and Henderson is not in Henderson County.

I'm sure there are many more examples that seem equally random and senseless. So we should all face Austin and say three Hail Marys for this one.

* A reminder, the Reader Representative exists to answer questions or concerns from readers. Call (409) 880-0748 or e-mail ReaderRep@Beaumont