'Annie's Mailbox' Posts Big Client Numbers

By: Dave Astor During the many years Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar assisted Ann Landers, they had no idea they'd eventually write an advice column themselves.

"We expected Eppie to live forever," Sugar said of Landers, who was in excellent health until a few months before she died last June at the age of 83.

Even after the legendary columnist passed away, the two assistants still weren't thinking of their own advice feature. Then, recalled Mitchell, Creators Syndicate President Rick Newcombe suggested they try one. Their initial reaction?

"Absolutely not," was Mitchell's thought at the time.

"We were a little intimidated," agreed Sugar, noting that the responsibility would be enormous and "we didn't want to disappoint the readers."

But they were buoyed by phone calls from many readers hoping Landers' legacy would survive in some way -- and "Annie's Mailbox" was born.

Now, half a year later, the columnists have a huge total of 600-plus clients. How did they manage to keep half of Landers' list?

Both Mitchell and Sugar credited their experience working under -- and learning from -- the Chicago Sun-Times-then-Chicago Tribune-based Landers.

Mitchell's and Sugar's Resumes

Indiana-born Mitchell, 53, started with Landers in 1969 -- working as a typist and then as one of the columnist's personal secretaries before becoming Landers' personal assistant and office manager. Over the years, Mitchell did public relations, scheduled speeches, traveled with Landers to events, kept track of her mail, and helped with research for the column.

Chicago-born Sugar, 51, came to Landers' office in 1973 after earning a degree in mass communications from the University of Illinois. She left six years later to start a family, and returned in 1988. Sugar performed clerical tasks, handled bookkeeping, helped Mitchell with Landers' speaking engagements, and helped select letters, research answers, and edit them into column format.

Sugar said she and Mitchell "felt very close" to Landers. "She was like a mother away from home and also a best girlfriend," added Mitchell.

The "Annie's Mailbox" writers said their column has a lot of similarities to Landers' feature but some differences.

"Our voice is a little younger," said Sugar. "And we're a little more sarcastic and smart-alecky." To which Mitchell added: "We try to tone each other down!"

And Sugar said Landers was very open-minded about gay relationships, "but we're probably a little more accepting of gay marriages. We're in favor of any kind of committed relationship."

Landers' received more mail than the "Annie's Mailbox" writers -- about 2,000 vs. 400-500 letters per day. But the mail to Mitchell and Sugar is increasing, and many of the correspondents praise the two for the job they're doing. About 90% of the mail concerns relationships.

Sugar and Mitchell collaborate closely on all aspects of the column as they work long hours (without assistants) in their suburban Chicago office and -- on weekends -- in their respective homes. As they work, they never forget their late boss.

Said Mitchell: "We miss her every day."

***

Some 'Peanuts' Strips to Return

But Lawsuit Against Museum Is Still On

The International Museum of Cartoon Art is willing to return some "Peanuts" strips but not others, says IMCA founder and "Beetle Bailey" creator Mort Walker.

This fall, the "Peanuts" trust sued for the comics' return (Syndicate World, Dec. 5). The Boca Raton, Fla.-based IMCA no longer operates, though Walker hopes to reopen it elsewhere -- possibly in New York.

IMCA's board voted last month to return 16 "Peanuts" strips, said Walker. But he added that just-found letters indicate about 50 other comics were "gifts, not loans" to IMCA from Charles Schulz.

Jeannie Schulz told E&P Online that at least some strips beyond the 16 may also be loans -- and she wants IMCA to locate all of them so it can be determined which ones weren't gifts. The widow of the "Peanuts" creator added that the trust will use the returned comics for display at the Charles M. Schulz Museum (which opened last August in Santa Rosa, Calif.) and in traveling exhibits.

***

'Beetle Bailey' in Limbo in Chicago

Walker Wishes 'Trib' Would Make Up Mind

Mort Walker isn't pleased that the Chicago Tribune has put his "Beetle Bailey" comic in limbo.

The Tribune pulled the strip from its pages last June, but has yet to formally cancel it, according to Walker. He said the paper has contractual rights to his comic until at least this April.

"I'd like the Tribune to bring 'Beetle Bailey' back," said Walker, who contacted E&P Online. "It's a big paper, it's influential, and I loved being in there."

But if "Beetle" doesn't get reinstated, Walker would like the Tribune to release it so another paper in that area could possibly buy it. He'd also like to know why it was pulled, and whether the paper has been straightforward with readers about the comic's status.

Last June, the Tribune ran the following announcement: "Beginning Sunday, we are dropping 'Beetle Bailey' from our comics lineup as part of an ongoing effort to test the popularity of selected strips or to introduce new ones. We will make a decision on whether to resume running the strip at a later date."

Associate Managing Editor/Features Geoff Brown, who's in charge of comics at the Tribune, told E&P Online he's reluctant to comment much about the "Beetle" situation because the paper is in negotiations with King Features Syndicate about Walker's comic and other features.

Newspapers often have some difficulty dropping older comics to make room for newer ones because of complaints from a few or many readers. Brown declined to say how much reaction, pro or con, the Tribune has received after pulling the 1950-founded "Beetle."

Walker said he has tried to keep "Beetle" -- which has about 1,800 clients --current by introducing new characters, giving General Halftrack sensitivity training, etc. He added that the comic's Army milieu may have increasing relevance today because of the Bush administration's military buildup.

***

United Media Unites Two Departments

Goldstein Promoted, Morrissey Hired, Lago Leaves

United Media is merging its comic and column/text areas in a move that includes some personnel changes but no reduction in staff.

Lisa Klem Wilson, vice president and general manager of United, said the new Comics/Editorial Department will enable editors from the two formerly separate areas to work on and "bring different insights" to both art and text features. And, of course, some features include both drawing and words.

She added that the merger will allow United to make more use of the "tremendous" management skills of Marianne Goldstein, who was promoted to executive editor of the new department from executive editor of the columns/text area. Jake Morrissey, who worked at Universal Press Syndicate until 1998, was hired as managing editor of comics effective Jan. 27 while Neil Gladstone will continue as managing editor of the columns/text side.

When E&P Online asked what happened to United Vice President/Comics and Graphics Amy Lago, Wilson said she left the company at the end of 2002. Wilson added that this was Lago's decision and that she doesn't know what the former United executive is now doing. Lago could not be reached for comment.

Goldstein worked as an editor at the New York Daily News, among other places, before joining United.

Morrissey left Universal in 1998 to join Scribner, where he helped launch Sarah Ban Breathnach's Simple Abundance Press imprint. He's also the author of the historical thriller A Weekend at Blenheim (St. Martin's/Minotaur) and is writing a work of historical nonfiction for William Morrow. Among the creators Morrissey edited at Universal were Gary Larson ("The Far Side") and Bill Watterson ("Calvin and Hobbes").

United, whose divisions include United Feature Syndicate and Newspaper Enterprise Association, is one of the country's largest syndication companies. Its most widely distributed features include "For Better or For Worse" by Lynn Johnston, "Dilbert" by Scott Adams, and "Peanuts" reruns by the late Charles Schulz.

***

Comic-Change Case Study

How a Paper Minimized Complaints

The Post-Star -- a Glens Falls, N.Y.-based daily with about 34,000 circulation -- received fewer than a dozen complaints three days after making changes in its comics page earlier this month.

"Pretty amazing, considering that more than 1,500 wrote in to voice their opinions before we made the changes," said Mike Peterson, the paper's educational services director who was involved in the effort.

Why did The Post-Star get much less negative feedback than most other papers do when revising their funnies? For one thing, it gave readers the opportunity for plenty of input -- placing a survey form on the front of its Web site and three times in the paper.

And The Post-Star divided 21 strips into three categories: Old Favorites (such as "Garfield" and "Hagar the Horrible"), Social Commentary, (such as "Doonesbury" and "Non Sequitur"), and Modern Life (such as "Luann" and "For Better or For Worse"). Peterson said: "This prevented the traditionalists from ganging up on the more edgy strips, or, more likely, the ones that simply didn't fit the "Blondie"/"Beetle Bailey" gag format. And we made it clear that, after the dust settled, we intended to still have a balance of those three categories."

The Post-Star basically asked respondents to vote on which strips in each category they felt most strongly about. "A warm 'yeah, that one is okay' didn't register on our meter," said Peterson. "You had to either hate it or love it. And we only cut the ones that had a significant imbalance" toward the "hate" end.

Dropped were five comics -- "Mallard Fillmore," "Shoe," "Rose is Rose," "Funky Winkerbean," and "Sally Forth." Added were "Get Fuzzy," "Zits," "Mutts," "Frazz," "Cleats," and "Shirley & Son."

The vast majority of survey respondents were over 50, and most were retired. Newspaper comic polls often attract older respondents because, as Peterson put it: "They are not only lifelong readers, but they have time to fill out surveys and they don't put it off for that 'later' that never comes. Incidentally, there was no significant difference in the online vs. hard-copy demographics -- lots of older folks are surfing these days."

But the three-category survey format helped ensure that the paper's comics section would include some favorites of younger readers.

The Post-Star has begun running a profile each Monday of a different cartoonist appearing in the paper. The initial interviews are with creators of comics new to the paper.

***

'New Breed' Will Be Ending

Many Cartoonists Contributed to It

Freelance cartoonists already facing a tough magazine market will soon also lose a newspaper outlet for their work. King Features Syndicate is ending the "The New Breed" effective the week of Feb. 24.

Launched in 1989, the feature gave various single-panel cartoonists -- including younger, cutting-edge creators -- a chance to see their work in newspapers. Some achieved their first sale with "The New Breed."

Why is "New Breed" ending? Its client list isn't that large, and a King spokesperson said it usually doesn't finish high in newspaper comic polls. The syndicate hopes its other panels -- including "Bizarro," which switched to King Jan. 1 -- will be purchased by "New Breed" clients.

---

To see the last 20 "Syndicate World" columns, click here. Subscribers may access previous columns from our archives.