Ann Landers' Daughter and Rival in Dispute Over Mom's Name

By: Joe Strupp The daughter of legendary advice columnist Ann Landers has criticized another advice columnist for purportedly referring to herself as the "new Ann Landers."

But the rival columnist, Amy Dickinson (photo left) -- who pens "Ask Amy" for Tribune Media -- claims she never referred to herself in that way and says she understands why Landers' daughter is upset.

"I cringe when I hear someone say Ann Landers' name in conjunction with mine," Dickinson told E&P Thursday. "Ann Landers was an icon, I have no desire to be linked to her in anyway."

The dust-up began late Wednesday when Margo Howard, Landers' daughter and herself a columnist at Creators Syndicate under the title "Dear Margo," posted a letter to Dickinson on the Creator's site.

"Dear Amy: I have a problem. My distress has actually been going on since 2002, the year my mother died. As many people know, my mother was Ann Landers, and she was Ann Landers for 47 years. That's a long time to build a brand ? and build a brand she did," the letter begins.

Later, Howard states: "Most recently you did some television promotion on 'Good Morning, America,' 'The View' and God knows where else. You allowed people, if not encouraged them, to consider you 'the new Ann Landers.'Well, you are not the 'new' Ann Landers because there is no 'new' Ann Landers. It is a copyrighted name and trademark, and what that means is that no one else can use it -- not to write under, and not to promote themselves."

Howard's entire letter is below.

Dickinson told E&P that during appearances on the shows Howard cites, she was introduced as the "new Ann Landers," by others and never used the phrase herself. "I have written an advice column for five and a half years and I have done a good job of building up my brand," she says. "When they introduced the segment, they called me 'the new Ann Landers' I cringed. I can?t correct the lead-in."

She adds, "it is very embarrassing to me, you can't correct someone when you start an interview."

Dickinson said Howard never contacted her prior to her public letter, and she says she will not seek to respond directly. "Margo Howard is her daughter and has every right to protect her mother," she added. "This has to do with a daughter being very loyal and the very competitive nature of syndicted columnists."

Howard's entire letter is below:

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An Open Letter to Amy Dickinson

Dear Amy: I have a problem. My distress has actually been going on since 2002, the year my mother died. As many people know, my mother was Ann Landers, and she was Ann Landers for 47 years. That's a long time to build a brand ? and build a brand she did.

Because the name "Ann Landers" was iconic in the second half of the 20th century, people often tell me whenever they hear or see the name now -- seven years after her death. Alas, mostly they are hearing it from you. And therein lies my problem.

Most recently you did some television promotion on "Good Morning, America," "The View" and God knows where else. You allowed people, if not encouraged them, to consider you "the new Ann Landers." Well, you are not the "new" Ann Landers because there is no "new" Ann Landers. It is a copyrighted name and trademark, and what that means is that no one else can use it -- not to write under, and not to promote themselves.

Before they had fired most everyone at the Tribune (your home paper), a few top editors were informed that introducing you as "the new Ann Landers" was skating close to copyright infringement. They backed off -- for a while. But then (because the newspaper business is in trouble and you are flogging a book?) there began yet another round of publicity touting you as the new, well ? you know.

In short, when the Tribune hired and syndicated you, that made you their new advice columnist, period. You are no more "the new Ann Landers" than Carolyn Hax, Dan Savage or any of the dozens of advice columnists who were bought by newspapers to fill the space previously occupied by my mother.

By law, the only person who would have been able to become "the new Ann Landers" was me. And that was nothing I chose to do. You see, dear, even I knew that there could only be one Ann Landers. -- Margo Howard