Daily Archives: March 17, 2008

What we heard on changes to the paper

A few weeks ago we made a few changes in the print edition of the paper, and a couple readers have asked about the feedback we heard. I’d estimate we got about 200 phone calls or emails, possibly fewer.

About half were unhappy that we had dropped the index to the obituaries on Page 2 of the Local & State section. We quickly reinstated the index when we realized so many people were using it.

The next most common complaint was some light printing for several days. No, it wasn’t an unusual cost-cutting measure or an eye test. We were bringing a part of the press online that hadn’t been used, and it wasn’t inking properly. The problem should be fixed.

Otherwise, (and I’m generalizing here) our younger readers typically liked the new 5-Minute Eagle on Page 2A and older readers don’t, and a few folks are unhappy that our tabloid-size sections aren’t folded precisely evenly. That’s not an accident — for technical reasons, our press needs to have one side slightly longer than the other.

And few readers commented much on the overall size change of the paper. About two dozen said they liked it, and three people didn’t care for the one-inch narrower paper.

Thank you to everyone who took time to drop us a note or to call.

Looking for 1991 newspapers

Sometimes I get a note from a reader that troubles me so much I can’t shake it, and I can’t solve it.

I have an email from a reader who now lives outside Kansas. Her mother died in April 1991 when a tornado struck the Golden Spur mobile home park in Andover. Since then, she’s kept copies of The Eagle from that entire week (starting April 27, 1991) to look at every year on her mother’s birthday.

She’s discovered that among the things stolen in a home burglary was a box of her mementos, including her newspapers from that week. We no longer have copies of those papers here around the newspaper building.

I know it’s a longshot, but if any reader saved newspapers from that week and no longer wants them, I know somebody who would love to have them. Thanks.