United, They Syndicate

By: Dave Astor At the company that distributes "Get Fuzzy," no one needs to tell the 120 staffers to "Get Busy." There's much to do at a large syndicator like United Media ? as E&P found during a daylong visit to its New York City headquarters.

"Peanuts" remains United's biggest money-maker four years after Charles Schulz's death. About 2,400 papers carry "Peanuts" reruns, and licensed products continue to abound. But United also has 150 other features, including two more comics ? Lynn Johnston's "For Better or For Worse" and Scott Adams' "Dilbert" ? with 2,000-plus subscribers.

Clients are always on the mind of Customer Service Manager Carmen Puello, the first person visited by E&P. She and two other customer-service reps in New York field dozens of e-mails and calls a day from newspaper people, readers, and others. "We answer a little bit of everything ? from billing questions to delivery problems," says Puello, who joined United in 1983. That was five years after the 1922-founded United Feature Syndicate (UFS) and 1902-founded Newspaper Enterprise Association (NEA) syndicate came together under the United Media umbrella.

As she talks, Puello reads an e-mail asking whether a New York state paper is free to buy a feature or whether the feature is locked up by a competitive daily. Puello checks. "The coast is clear," she says. Puello opens another e-mail from a client who switched computers and lost the password enabling it to electronically access United features. Puello steers the request to the correct department. "We try to get back to people within an hour," notes Puello. "We don't let it go to the next day. That annoys people, and they might go somewhere else" ? such as another syndicate.

Now, Puello goes somewhere else, a conference room where she and seven other executives are about to start a meeting. Five of the eight are women, meaning United's upper echelon has more gender diversity than many syndicates.

Senior Vice President/General Manager Lisa Klem Wilson opens the session by reporting that two new features are attracting interest. One is the multicultural "Silo Roberts" comic by multiethnic cartoonist Rob Cabrera, and the other is the "Low Carb for Life" food column by Dana Carpender.

Wilson says potential "Silo" clients include papers looking for something kinder and gentler than "The Boondocks." And the low-carb approach is one being embraced by a rising number of Americans. "It's a lifestyle, not a diet," Wilson says wryly. "It's a religion," adds Managing Editor for Comics Jake Morrissey even more wryly.

Then Executive Director of Editorial Marianne Goldstein gives a preliminary report on United's poll of the NEA package's 600-plus clients, which are asked things like which features they use and don't use.

"'Moderately Confused' is doing very well in the 'Berry's World' spot," Goldstein says, referring to the Jeff Stahler comic that replaced Jim Berry's in the package. Among other features getting good pick-up are editorial cartoons by Stahler and Ed Stein, op-ed columns by Nat Hentoff and Morton Kondracke, medical advice by Dr. Peter Gott, "The Village Idiot" humor column by Jim Mullen, "Everyday Cheapskate" by Mary Hunt, and bridge, crossword, and astrology offerings.

Clients aren't happy with everything. "We received requests for more liberal columnists," says Managing Editor for Editorial Neil Gladstone, while noting that NEA was adding liberal writer Gene Lyons.

Goldstein mentions that "Sense & Sensitivity" advice columnist Harriette Cole of UFS has a paperback due out later this year that United's salespeople would like copies of to show current and prospective Cole clients.

Talk turns to what the syndicate business might be like in 2004 ? and Wilson thinks things will be better than they were in 2003. "Last year, newspapers were holding back on comic changes," she says. "They were preoccupied with the war or had no resources."

United's feature rates are rising less than 3% for 2004, Wilson adds, while expressing surprise that at least two other major syndicates are hiking prices more than 3%. "In this economy?" she says to meeting attendees, who include United Director of Finance and Administration John Louie.

Morrissey mentions a proposed collaboration between United and a major TV network on a college cartoonist contest, with the winner perhaps getting a development deal from United. He also talks about the possibility of the popular "Arthur" children's book/TV property spawning a United comic.

Wilson concludes the meeting by noting that United's new sales-territory configuration enables her to handle eight markets in addition to her executive duties. The former road rep says continuing to do some sales "helps me know what newspapers are looking for and what their challenges are."



Keeping an eye on the future

Now it's time for a visit to Wilson's office. Like several other United people, she has original, signed comics on her wall ? mostly from United cartoonists but some from creators at other syndicates. Wilson herself worked for Universal Press Syndicate before joining United in 1988, and gradually moved to second-in-command at United.

Wilson's typical day includes talking and meeting with United's sales reps, editors, licensing people, accounting people, creators, newspaper clients, and others ? whether by phone or in person. She also keeps in contact with 25 independent international agents. United finds using them to be more effective than sending American reps abroad.

Asked about current syndication trends, Wilson cites ? among other things ? fast digital delivery, efforts to reach younger readers, and the way niche features often sell better than general-interest columns. "But comics are comics," she adds. "They will always be the bread and butter of our business" ? especially ones that spawn books, TV shows, and licensed products that comprise a significant slice of United's revenue.

Jake Morrissey, at our next stop, was also a Universal staffer (for more than a decade) before joining the book-publishing world in 1998 and then United last year. One of his duties is editing comics before they go to newspapers. "To me, good editing is invisible," says the published author. "My job is to help the cartoonists find the best in themselves." Morrissey does add that "some cartoonists don't need my help."

He also searches for new cartoon talent, which involves seeking out people as well as going over comics submitted to United. About 5,000 such submissions arrive a year, with perhaps three or four selected for further development. Choosing which ones to sign can be difficult ? for instance, a comic, while high quality, may not be mass-market enough for syndication with United. Morrissey says a number of newspapers don't want their comics too edgy.

Today, Morrissey is trying to find a new book publisher for the work of "Drabble" cartoonist Kevin Fagan. He's also choosing, along with cartoonist Stephan Pastis and others, which of Pastis' "Pearls Before Swine" strips will be used in a new press kit.

Lots of the content in press kits is available on UnitedFeatures.com, but "people still like paper," says Executive Director of Syndicate Public Relations Mary Anne Grimes, the first person E&P visits after lunch.

Grimes' other tasks include sending out press releases on topics such as new-feature launches (usually 10-12 a year), working on ads touting United's features, notifying newspaper clients when creators do something noteworthy like win an award or write a book, keeping track of newspaper polls to see where United comics rank, and more.

As Grimes talks with E&P, the 14-year United veteran receives an e-mail from an organization looking for a "Get Fuzzy" original to sell at a charity auction. And she listens to a phone message from a Florida magazine seeking to interview United cartoonists who live in a particular area of the Sunshine State.

Wherever creators are, it's the norm these days for them to electronically transmit their work to United. Once these features are edited, Production Manager Ricardo Fraga makes sure they're transmitted to clients. Fraga, who joined United in 1998, says some clients still want features delivered via regular mail. "We're trying to encourage folks to go digital," he says.

This afternoon, Fraga's tasks include setting up e-mail delivery for a California paper and arranging the electronic transmission of the daily color version of "Dilbert" to a South African client.



On the phone, and on the road

Then it's time to observe a conference call Wilson is having with United road reps Donald Lane, Lou Albert, and Ron O'Neal.

"Do editors get that 'Silo' is multiethnic?" is one of Wilson's many questions.

"Editors get it immediately," replies Lane.

Among the purposes of this weekly phone session is to discuss how newspapers are reacting to new features and to see what road reps might need from the home office. In the room with Wilson are Grimes, Marc DeLaurentis (who sells features to under-25,000-circulation newspapers and to college papers) and Maura Peters (who does reprint and Canadian sales).

E&P then talks with Marianne Goldstein and Neil Gladstone ? who's editing Mary Mitchell's commentary column, among other things, this afternoon. He notes that all of United's 100 or so text features are read by at least two people. Some columns just need a fast look-over, but "with others, we might go back and forth several times with the writer," says Gladstone, who came to United in 2001 after working as an editor at the Philadelphia City Paper.

Goldstein joined United in 2002 after serving as a deputy feature editor at the New York Daily News, among other jobs. As United's executive editor of editorial, she does some editing but concentrates on other things such as searching for new content and poring over text submissions. "There are about 40 or 50 a week," reports Goldstein. "Half of them are humor columns." Today, she has reluctantly rejected several submissions, as she does in 99 out of 100 cases.

"It's very challenging to try to anticipate what newspapers might be looking for," Goldstein says. "But when you come out with something that seems to be of the moment, it's really exciting."

E&P then drops in on DeLaurentis, who's on the phone talking with the publisher of two papers that each run the same United comic. The smaller-circulation paper is paying more, and the publisher wants a rate reduction. DeLaurentis says he'll check with Wilson to see what's fair for both parties.

"We try to work with clients," he says. "We never want to lose a client."

Asked which features are selling particularly well these days, DeLaurentis cites "Get Fuzzy" as one. But "Peanuts" is still United's biggest merchandising success. Licensing Director Christina Nix Lynch shows E&P several examples, including packages of Snoopy cookies from Pillsbury.

United ? which works on "Peanuts" merchandising with Creative Associates in Santa Rosa, Calif., where Schulz was based ? also has a showroom full of products near its front desk. These items are spawned not only by "Peanuts," but by other strong licensing properties such as "Dilbert."

Both strips are among those drawing the most visitors to United's Comics.com, which is overseen by Peri Hochwald, vice president of operations and Web. The site's 90 or so comics include ones from other syndicates as well as several Web-only strips. "These might be a little darker and edgier than newspapers would be comfortable putting on their comics pages," she says.

Hochwald and the others seen today enjoy working at United for various reasons. Lisa Klem Wilson notes there there's something new to do each day, that syndication "has the fun factor," and that it's enjoyable dealing with "intelligent and interesting" newspaper editors. But now the Snoopy clock on the reception-area wall indicates that it's time to go home.