Comments on: Next: A new Sunday http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/ Your forum for feedback about improving the print and online AJC. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 19:12:26 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 By: Notable Ideas http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2347 Notable Ideas Mon, 25 May 2009 15:58:30 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2347 Atlanta is quite a comfortable place to call home, but it is a little on the dull side. So it's probably difficult to have a paper that is more interesting than the city it serves. You probably can't be too innovative with the content, or the freedom-fries crowd will want to boycott you for being "too dang liberal." So you're in a bit of a pickle really. The paper is comfortably dull. Unfortunately that isn't going to appeal to many people that have lived outside of the southeast for any significant period of time but are now living here. Maybe you should put the AJC out only three or four times a week. Maybe you should have a Spanish version widely available. Put a Korean section in the Sunday paper, possibly. Do you have an AJC video channel? If not, do that. Pair up with some reporters from another city and cover each others beat for a couple of weeks. Maybe we'll all realize we don't have it so bad, or maybe we'll get some new ideas. Maybe you should turn some of your reporters into blogging referees. Put a reporter in an isolation tank for a week, with air holes of course, and see what kind of article they write. What are their observations? Atlanta is quite a comfortable place to call home, but it is a little on the dull side. So it’s probably difficult to have a paper that is more interesting than the city it serves. You probably can’t be too innovative with the content, or the freedom-fries crowd will want to boycott you for being “too dang liberal.”

So you’re in a bit of a pickle really. The paper is comfortably dull. Unfortunately that isn’t going to appeal to many people that have lived outside of the southeast for any significant period of time but are now living here.

Maybe you should put the AJC out only three or four times a week. Maybe you should have a Spanish version widely available. Put a Korean section in the Sunday paper, possibly. Do you have an AJC video channel? If not, do that. Pair up with some reporters from another city and cover each others beat for a couple of weeks. Maybe we’ll all realize we don’t have it so bad, or maybe we’ll get some new ideas. Maybe you should turn some of your reporters into blogging referees. Put a reporter in an isolation tank for a week, with air holes of course, and see what kind of article they write. What are their observations?

]]> By: Darry Brooks http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2340 Darry Brooks Sun, 17 May 2009 14:30:20 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2340 Another comment on the coupon that has been advertised so heavily. Guess what? Kroger doesn't know anything about so good luck using it. Another comment on the coupon that has been advertised so heavily. Guess what? Kroger doesn’t know anything about so good luck using it.

]]> By: Debra King http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2338 Debra King Sat, 16 May 2009 01:42:55 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2338 Last year I won a AJC contest for long-time subscribers and got 2 free tickets to the Braves game. We had a wonderful time watching the game from the AJC box with yummy snacks, drinks, hats, t-shirts and nice gift bags. I felt like a valued customer. What I remember most is the young woman from AJC subscriber services who wanted to hear from all the winners about how much we love our newspapers. The message of the day was that AJC was concerned about the decline in subscribers in favor of the online edition. Well, I'm no longer feeling the love - the new paper doesn't deliver any bang for the buck. maybe the online edition won't be so bad after all. Last year I won a AJC contest for long-time subscribers and got 2 free tickets to the Braves game. We had a wonderful time watching the game from the AJC box with yummy snacks, drinks, hats, t-shirts and nice gift bags. I felt like a valued customer. What I remember most is the young woman from AJC subscriber services who wanted to hear from all the winners about how much we love our newspapers. The message of the day was that AJC was concerned about the decline in subscribers in favor of the online edition. Well, I’m no longer feeling the love – the new paper doesn’t deliver any bang for the buck. maybe the online edition won’t be so bad after all.

]]> By: Kathy Giannini http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2337 Kathy Giannini Thu, 14 May 2009 14:23:01 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2337 No pun intended, but you have really cut the meat out of the Food Section. One page does not a section make. So, so sad! No pun intended, but you have really cut the meat out of the Food Section. One page does not a section make.

So, so sad!

]]> By: Debra King http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2336 Debra King Thu, 14 May 2009 01:17:06 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2336 I am a long-time (over 20 years) weekends-only subscriber. I have resisted the online edition, favoring the feel of the paper in my hands. My family has always known better than to bother me until I read the Sunday paper, and most Sundays the Living section was held as a afternoon treat. Well, no more. I was optimistic about the new format - change is good, right? Not in this case. For the second week now the ad papers well outweigh the newspaper. Where's my AJC? Now I can quickly thumb through what's left of my dear Sunday paper in just a few minutes. Every section is a mere shadow of its former self. The look of the banner is awful, the font is hard to read, and the articles are shallow. I actually saw a typo in the long-planned first new version. So much for careful planning and attention to detail. I can't help but see this as the beginning of the end. I am a long-time (over 20 years) weekends-only subscriber. I have resisted the online edition, favoring the feel of the paper in my hands. My family has always known better than to bother me until I read the Sunday paper, and most Sundays the Living section was held as a afternoon treat. Well, no more. I was optimistic about the new format – change is good, right? Not in this case. For the second week now the ad papers well outweigh the newspaper. Where’s my AJC? Now I can quickly thumb through what’s left of my dear Sunday paper in just a few minutes. Every section is a mere shadow of its former self. The look of the banner is awful, the font is hard to read, and the articles are shallow. I actually saw a typo in the long-planned first new version. So much for careful planning and attention to detail. I can’t help but see this as the beginning of the end.

]]> By: Darryl Brooks http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2298 Darryl Brooks Tue, 12 May 2009 01:07:19 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2298 Note two things on the coupon. First, it's for $1, not a free paper. Second, If you print it to a color printer, it will use up a dollar's worth of ink. You don't get to see or format the coupon. You hit print and it produces a full page four color coupon. Note two things on the coupon. First, it’s for $1, not a free paper. Second, If you print it to a color printer, it will use up a dollar’s worth of ink. You don’t get to see or format the coupon. You hit print and it produces a full page four color coupon.

]]> By: Longtime AJC Reader http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2295 Longtime AJC Reader Fri, 08 May 2009 21:01:13 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2295 Shawn, a clarification: Is your job to represent the AJC or represent the readers? That's an honest question. I know that public editors at papers like the NYT are expected to criticize their own newspaper when they disagree with its decisions. Does the AJC allow you to criticize it? If so, why have you been so supportive of this redesign when the overwhelming majority of online responses have been negative? Do you actually like this redesign? Please explain. Thanks. Shawn, a clarification: Is your job to represent the AJC or represent the readers? That’s an honest question. I know that public editors at papers like the NYT are expected to criticize their own newspaper when they disagree with its decisions. Does the AJC allow you to criticize it? If so, why have you been so supportive of this redesign when the overwhelming majority of online responses have been negative? Do you actually like this redesign? Please explain. Thanks.

]]> By: Mark http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2292 Mark Thu, 07 May 2009 10:54:45 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2292 The web address is: http://media.ajc.com/unplugsunday/ The web address is:
http://media.ajc.com/unplugsunday/

]]> By: Sandee http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2291 Sandee Wed, 06 May 2009 17:57:04 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2291 I heard on the radio that there would be a coupon to try the "new" Sunday AJC. Where can I find that? I heard on the radio that there would be a coupon to try the “new” Sunday AJC. Where can I find that?

]]> By: Lisa M http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/2009/05/02/264/comment-page-1/#comment-2290 Lisa M Wed, 06 May 2009 17:55:33 +0000 http://blogs.ajc.com/ajc/?p=264#comment-2290 Where is the coupon to try the "new" Sunday paper? Just a prank? Where is the coupon to try the “new” Sunday paper? Just a prank?

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