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Here are some second thoughts about the Star-Bulletin's auction experiment received from a reader yesterday. I have to admit failing to wade through all the fine print.I was excited when I saw what was offered in "Bidding Advantage" until I read the rules carefully. Every item has a bid starting at 10% of the retail value, which is exciting. The problem is in the rules it says nothing will be sold for less than 50% of the retail price. WHY NOT START THE BIDDING WHERE THE PRODUCT CAN ACTUALLY BE PURCHASED. And the big items like the cars, they don't even tell you what the "reserve status"(the price you must bid before being able to buy) is. So people are sitting around thinking they may have a car for $6000 and it just isn't so. Also the retail prices are a bit high, bikes for $1300 and hotel rooms for $150 per night when we can get them for $80 now. Gimmicks are gimmicks, not good business. Newspapers are made by good reporting, not tricking the consumers into thinking your getting more than they really are.And here's a reaction that came in response to my comment about free Advertisers on United flights:
(Yesterday) you wrote:"A United Airlines strike would take a small bite out of Advertiser circulation, since free copies are apparently offered to passengers on every flight out of Honolulu. Are these giveaways counted as paid circulation? "
The relevant question is, does United pay for these copies? If so, then by all means they should be counted as paid circulation. Heck, they're losing newsstand sales if that's the case, and the chance at a bit more profit.
There's no reason to think United doesn't pay for them, either. I believe they were being provided on flights (only to first-class) from before the JOA ended.
Another milestone just about slipped past me. It's just about the 1-year anniversary of the day I received the letter stating that my "services" would not be needed once the new owner took over the Star-Bulletin. The letter took a couple of days to reach me, and no one in the Star-Bulletin management ever told me what was coming or spoke one word to me about it afterwards. I recall not being shocked given the less than warm reaction I'd been getting from top management, but candidly I was still surprised when the letter arrived. Looking back, it's probably just as well, as I would have probably been butting heads with the strange new world the Star-Bulletin has become.
Sorry for the late entry today. I'll probably be off my usual schedule through this long weekend.A United Airlines strike would take a small bite out of Advertiser circulation, since free copies are apparently offered to passengers on every flight out of Honolulu. Are these giveaways counted as paid circulation?
Both papers did finally offer stories on the United strike vote, but the Star-Bulletin followed yesterday with a story on the local impact of a possible strike that was based on local reporting, not simply a wire service rewrite.
On the Star-Bulletin reader survey--I'm told that the lack of a place to put your name on the survey was caught by editors after the 1st edition and was corrected for the final edition, which is the one delivered to most of Oahu.
Another reader responded:
And to add my own personal opinion, I agree -- the survey is kind of long. But for a free pizza and a chance at other prizes? I could tear through that thing in less than 15 minutes while watching television at home. In return, I get a coupon for a $10 pizza. Pretty good deal, especially for us broke people who don't have a lot of money to spend.I don't usually pick up a copy of the Advertiser, relying on the on-line edition instead. But I got a paper copy yesterday. I've got to say that they've got the lion's share of the advertising, at least in this one-day sample. The Advertiser's higher staffing levels also show in an ability to report on some neighborhood issues.
But the Star-Bulletin more than held its own in news, getting an "exclusive" interview with the former HPD officer accused of running a red light while drunk and causing an accident that killed another driver.
The Bulletin also introduced its online auction feature, "Bidding Advantage". It's an ambitious and innovative gimmick for selling ads, reaching new advertisers, and drawing readers on the coattails of the auction craze. But it looks like a process that's going to consume a lot of time and resources, not things in great supply at the new Star-Bulletin. It's hard to tell whether this is all being done in-house, or by a contractor. Perhaps someone will let me know. In any case, it's another case of an imaginative initiative, much like the match-up with Monster.com in employment ads.
I guess this is what competition is all about.
And the big news of yesterday--cat cloning! They say it's being sponsored by a company hoping to sell cloned pets to people who have lost or are soon to lose old pets. Where do we buy stock?
I've got to make a very early start on Thursday, so this entry is being posted on Wednesday evening. Most people won't notice the difference, but late visitors will notice the advance.Yesterday's Star-Bulletin included a lengthy reader survey that took up two full pages. Readers were asked to complete and mail the survey back, spending the price of postage in exchange for a pizza coupon and a chance at several prizes.
But there was a basic flaw, noted by an iLind.net reader in the public relations business: "No place to enter your name and address. Instead, it requires a separate piece of paper. Might discourage responses? Found that a little unusual."
And this reader added: "I did call Kendall's office (Star-Bulletin publisher Don Kendall) to mention this, but the person who answered the phone was not aware of the survey ("we have a number of surveys and promotions out right now...") but she did say she'd let Kendall know."
Several survey questions asked about publications readers rely on most. Along with the Star-Bulletin, Advertiser, and MidWeek, there was a choice of something called "Island Weekly". What the heck is that? I thought they just had the wrong name for Honolulu Weekly, but a run to the Internet taught me something--Island Weekly is Gannett's answer to MidWeek, a weekly delivered by direct mail.
The Advertiser's web site says Island Weekly is mailed "to households that do not receive home delivery of The Sunday Honolulu Advertiser." Not to our household, which makes you wonder how widely it's really distributed.
I liked the survey question that asked how far you would go to get a shopping bargain. Answers ranged from just a short drive, up several steps to "6 to 10 miles", with the next choice being all the way to anywhere on the island. Well, I certainly wouldn't go anywhere, but the nearest shopping area is more than 10 miles from Kaaawa (Windward Mall is about 13 miles). So what was I supposed to say?
The survey was so lengthy that you've got to wonder how many people will plow all the way through, even if they do find some blank space to write their names.
Another reader responded to yesterday's comment on the S-B's shift to better paper:
Ironically, with all the bigger issues involved, I have come closest to canceling the S-B because the paper makes it almost impossible to read. In fact, it is so annoying to unfold (the creases stay and fight you) that the paper often remains bundled -- rubber band, Kalihi Valley-necessitated plastic bag and all, while I catch the online edition instead. This is very good news, indeed.And the rumor mill is alive and well. Over at the Advertiser, an anonymous reader said they've heard S-B circulation director Mark Lewis left "because he was uncomfortable signing on any kind of circulation audit."
Star-Bulletin refugee Diane Chang interviewed Big Island Mayor Harry Kim on public television last night. Kim's an interesting guy, but Diane gave him a free ride. No tough questions. Nothing about the police department over there, which has been hit with repeated cases of domestic violence by officers, corruption, etc. Nothing about the island's extensive social problems, Hilo's struggling economy, post-plantation directions, etc. Sorry, Diane, it was an opportunity missed.
The cat door was closed overnight to keep Lizzie inside overnight, and all the other cats (except Silverman) were caught in the net.
Mr. Silverman finally showed up about 5:10 a.m., sitting in a light drizzle outside on the deck in front of the closed cat door and crying loudly to demand entry. He didn't make it inside by the time the portal closed last night, and didn't turn up during a midnight cat check either. But overall, a byproduct of his extended recovery period after getting shot has been a much greater willingness to spend time indoors. Put another way--he's gotten to really enjoy being inside and having people fuss over him. He's finally getting socialized.
Silverman snoozingMs. Lizzie is fine and sassy, she's just in danger of causing a neighborhood scene by spending so much time under that house across the way. I'm sure those folks think I'm a strange stalker, wandering around the corners of their yard claiming to be looking for a small black and white cat. It would be ok if they were cat people, but they seem totally unfamiliar with feline pleasures.
John Flanagan's Talk Story column in yesterday's Star-Bulletin announced the departure of circulation director Mark Lewis. No word on why he left, although I've heard that Lewis was unhappy over not being consulted before the salary cuts were imposed late last year, which meant that he couldn't even propose cutting his department's budget in other ways. I suppose it grates if you think you're part of a team but never get into the huddle.
Here's a circulation story making the rounds in the S-B newsroom.
theres a funny story going around about the little green store next to kailua beach refusing to take 55 copies of the tiser per day, saying they only needed 40. the gannettoids insisted and said "55 or none, take it or leave it", and the manager there said, "ok, none, I dont want any"! so now I hear there is a tiser hawker standing outside the store!!True or not? I don't know, but it's boosting S-B morale in either case.
The last bit of news is that yesterday marked the last Star-Bulletin's printed on cheap substandard newsprint purchased from the Philipines, which was the only product available last year when Gannett refused to release the Bulletin's share of the JOA's newsprint allocation. It will be interesting to see whether what impact better paper quality will have.
United's mechanics had a 90 percent voter turnout yesterday according to reports this morning, with 86 percent voting to authorize a strike. It could be a bumpy road ahead for all of us.
Well, with any luck the car's back to normal after the replacement of a very small and very expensive little electronic component. The whole episode was a reminder of the one drawback of living out here within strolling range of the beach and mountains--the whole lifestyle relies on reliable transportation. Absent that, the distance into downtown Honolulu begin to be a serious obstacle. Hopefully the folks at Volksgerman have restored our equilibrium.An anti-labor bias in the corporate media? How else do you account for the virtual blackout on news of the labor situation at United Airlines? Thousands of United's mechanics, aircraft cleaners and a few others are voting today on the company's contract offer amidst signals that it is likely to be rejected and a strike approved that could start next week. Why aren't Hawaii's news folks crawling all over this situation? I'm pretty sure that United is still the largest pipeline bringing visitors to Hawaii. A strike in the best of times would be devastating, and now would be, well, even worse.
But there's virtually no reporting on the situation. Yesterday I wandered the Internet checking out newspapers in the cities where United maintains its hubs--Chicago, Denver, Seattle, San Francisco, Washington D.C., and Raleigh. If there was any coverage of the situation at all, it was an AP story out of Washington, a very condensed summary of a press conference by Machinists Union President Tom Buffenbarger. It was difficult to identify the issues from the AP story, and I couldn't find any sign of local reporting in any of the cities that share a high dependence on United, despite the looming disaster.
By the way, Buffenbarger's speech is sobering and insightful. The Machinists web site has a summary as well as a link to the full text, both definitely worth reading.
[Late note: The Chicago Sun-Times and Chicago Tribune did a better job today. I'll get around to checking the other papers later in the morning.]
And in a tribute to our tendency towards hometown hype, the movie version of Pearl Harbor has earned a total of six nominations in the 22nd Annual Razzies, which are billed as dis-honoring the worst movies of the year. It earned a nomination for as 2001's worst movie, and star Ben Affleck is among those nominated for the Top Turkey Trophy as worst actor. The award sponsors describe the film as " the year's biggest-grossing, longest (and most butt-numbing) box office bomb," despite all the bootlicking by local media during production and the glossy premier.
And Gannett last week reported a 15.8 percent drop in profits during the 4th quarter on a 14-and-something percent drop in revenues, which investment analysts read as good news, prompting a bounce in Gannett's stock and the rest of the newspaper group.
After completing yesterday's entry, we headed out for our early morning walk, but were conspired against by the combined forces of the cats and dogs. First Lizzie, then the neighborhood dogs. For the story, check out the latest "morning dogs" by clicking here, or on the banner at the top of the page.What does Honolulu Mayor Jeremy Harris' campaign say in response to the series of allegations from the Campaign Spending Commission? Here's the letter the campaign sent out last week to Democratic Party members.
This in from former Star-Bulletin sports writer Pat Bigold:
Bill Kwon appeared on the Jumbotron before the Pro Bowl game yesterday (Saturday), receiving an award for his years of work as a sports columnist/writer with Honolulu dailies. I didn't catch exactly what the award was called, but the packed stadium saw Kwon being honored.Bill spent most of his career at the Star-Bulletin, and moved to the Advertiser after the S-B's sale last year. He's been at it a long time. When I played basketball at University High School, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, we often had Kwon columns taped up in our lockers so we knew what was ahead in the next game. I don't know if Kwon's been writing as long as Helen Altonn. Perhaps it just seems like it. But I didn't see a mention of his Pro Bowl honor in the Bulletin. That's a shame.
But the Advertiser had this:
• Kwon honored: Bill Kwon, veteran sportswriter who presently writes a golf column for the Advertiser, was presented with the fourth annual Pro Bowl award for distinguished service.Kwon, who has covered the game since it moved to Hawai'i in 1980, was presented with the award by Val Pinchbeck Jr., former NFL vice president for broadcasting and productions.
Previous recipients of the award were Pat Bowlen, Mufi Hannemann and the late Mackay Yanagisawa
And Bigold did a series of stories on New England Patriots players here for the Pro Bowl which appeared Thursday through Sunday in the Boston Globe, and on their web site, Boston.com.
I'm posting this early, since I've got to get up and rush the car (the one with the "check engine" light that's been on since last Wednesday) to the car doctor. The dealer said they couldn't even check it out until the 19th, but Volksgerman, which specializes in VW and Audi, can do the work today.
A downtown Honolulu Star-Bulletin watcher offered up this observation following my comment about the small number of Bulletins in the racks at our favorite 7-11:There are damned few S-B's placed in boxes downtown. I went out at 6:30 the other morning, not wanting to wait until my subscription copy arrived, and there was exactly one copy in the box outside Harbor Square. I refuse to believe so many people passed by there and bought a paper before that hour. Or perhaps they're having trouble with people carrying away a stack to sell person to person. I doubt that, not having seen anyone doing it. Likewise, the various boxes on Queen St. are often out of or ridiculously low on papers in the boxes. I've no idea why, but I'm sure they could sell hundreds more if they were only available.But Ray Barrington at the Green Bay News-Chronicle, which is locked in its own battle with a Gannett competitor, says they've also cut back on copies in street racks and boxes.
It's probably a cost-benefit calculation--potential lost sales vs. the potential savings in production & distribution.
"In our case, I think there is also the hint to single-copy buyers that nothing in life is guaranteed unless you subscribe," Ray said. "We've eased up a bit on that as newsprint costs have eased."
Perhaps that easing up will be seen here as well.
My sister, Bonnie, has staked out a research project that really sounds like a lot of fun. She lives in Groveland, California, the little town up near the entrance to Yosemite.
High on my list of things to do is to take a jaunt up to the Park's research library (it's minuscule) and see if I can turn up any evidence that our great-grandfather actually came to Yosemite with Thomas Hill somewhere between 1870 and 1875. There's that family story that he agreed to drive the cook wagon for Hill on one of his Yosemite trips in exchange for oil painting lessons.Hill, of course, was a famous 19th century landscape artist who painted over 5,000 scenes of Yosemite over his long career. There are a couple of biographies available on AskArt.com.
And if you didn't stop by yesterday, don't miss the updated photo gallery. Last week's sunrises got better and better, so I allowed them to fill the whole gallery. Not a cat photo in the bunch.
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