By: Joe Strupp When the Sarasota (Fla.) Herald-Tribune announced two weeks ago plans to pull back distribution in the southern towns of Port Charlotte and Punta Gorda, Chris Porter had an idea.
Porter, editor of the rival Charlotte Sun, told readers to write to him about their favorite Herald-Tribune features -- from puzzles to syndicated columns -- and he would try to get them in the Sun.
To push the point home, he even placed his image on a house ad in the Sun that declared readers should write or call with requests and a reminder by him to "Tell them that Chris sent you and get a special deal." It also promises, tongue-in-cheek, "Free Delivery."
The ad was in a coupon form that readers could fill out and send in.
(Seet the ad in the E&P Pub at www.eandppub.com)
Since the ad first ran on Monday, the paper has received 200 responses, half of them in the form of clipped out coupons with suggestions.
"It is hokey, but it is what it is," Porter said Friday about the ad. "I also wrote a column last week asking for suggestions." The house ad coupon continues to run and will be in the paper through Saturday.
"We are hearing about a lot of stuff," Porter said. "Anything [the Herald-Tribune] does that you want us to do. Comics, puzzles, syndicated columns. We will try to get as much as we can."
Among the Herald-Tribune features readers are requesting from the Sun are the Los Angeles Times crossword puzzle, comic strip Marmaduke, and syndicated columnists Paul Krugman and Maureen Dowd.
"You can understand why readers want to be able to keep a storyline going," he said about the comic strip requests. "You can?t ask readers too much about what they want."
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