page 6 - April 27, 1977 - North Shore News Auntie Citizen, our respected North Shore contemporary in the community newspaper field, worked herself up into a fine lather the other day about her competitors. An editorial in last Friday’s tabloid edition of The Citizen -said- harsh things: some of the rest of us -- although, having | out s Sa ws eee eae presumably checked with the lawyers on the question of libel, it refrained from naming names. If the North Shore News ¢ . happened to be one they had in mind, they needn’ t have worried, bless ‘em. We'd never dream of taking dea? old Auntie to court” for: chroniciing our success over the past eight years. But we would like to offer The Citizen and our North Shore § readers a few of the basic facts of life about the news business today. The Citizen’s editorial, “A | Pathetic Plight’’, was written | in the thunderous prose style of a 1947 editorial in the | Times of London warning against the imminent collapse of the British _ Empire. However, the subject itself was not quite so momentous, - though and the editorial, long on emotion, was decid- edly short on factual accur- acy. NO PUNCHES PULLED It lamented, in harrowing - detail, the recent financial troubles and consequent ~’ “*suspension’’ of a third iocal _weekly, Cloudesley . day’s edition). The writer went on to allocate the blame for Mr. Hoodspith’s plight with no punches pulled. “The Times,’’ roared Auntie Citizen, “‘found itself competing for the advertis- ing dollars with fly-by-night throw-away shopper and flyer printers with no invest- ment of any significance, no . union people to pay, no expensive equipment to buy and maintain and ‘little to lose if forced out of business. ‘*... Johnny-come-lately, ' shoe-string competitors (of the Times) hoodwinked away their advertisers with un- realistic cut-rate offers. Of- fers that- a_ responsible, legitimate and honest busi- ness could never make,’’ continued The Citizen, get- ting into its stride. ‘‘It is of no consolation that these shoe-string promoters will inevitably meet their doom leaving in their wake the wsual stack of unpaid bills and disillusioned creditors.’’ we mest efficient Hend each one delivered. Hood-. spith’s North Shore: Times (reported in our Jast Sun- deliver flyers ~The North Shone .News offers the econorndcal delivery of flyers,” brochures ‘and pamphlets on the‘North Shore. We already’ cover every door on the North Shore—all we have to do is insert your flyer Into our paper, and pay our carriers a bonus for ! ON PUBLIC RECORD | ‘Come, come, Auntie -- you | really must get yourself some good lawyers if you want to go around saying things like - that about your competitors! Meanwhile, just a few facts on public record for your next . about the Shore community newspaper business -- though whether ‘edi itori al WGA ACA - you'll want to make use of them is another matter. The “North ‘Shore News . (originally North Shore Shop- . per) was launched eight | years ago and has published - continuously ever With steadily increasing editorial content we develop- ed, a year or two ago, into a full-coverage community | newspaper serving the entire We have ; a staff of over 40 (virtually all of them North Shore residents) and. an outstanding team of some 350 carriers. So obviously you can’t have been thinking of us with your ‘‘fly-by- night”’ jibe. We know that the North Shore News is not only received but read every-. where in the community -- because we phone a different 600 households every week to check. Actually, we hardly need to. Our huge classified section “and the torrent of and Mr. Hoodspith along the ot *‘feedback”’ our editors cope age. That’s why we decided atwaeas . since. _ biggest, for delivery rates, call: 980-0511 with each day tell their own story. WHY PAY FOR NEWS? Which brings me to another point, Auntie. The idea that the public neces- sarily has. to pay for news, which are a public right, is an idea belonging to an earlier from the start that the North Shore News would be deli- vered free of charge -- in- exactly the same way as radio. ome Togram- ming come free of charge. As you know, at least one third of all the community - newspapers in B.C. today also deliver free, ‘and we ' were interested to see that The Citizen itself climbed belatedly on to the band-_ wagon last year.. In the ‘current issue of CANADIAN ADVERTISING RATES & DATA The Citizen claims a. paid circulation of just under 13,000 out of a total distribution of 40,000 (6,000 less than the News). This must mean, Auntie, that you, too, are giving away -27,000-copies for free each . week. And why not, if you want to? It shows -you’re still young at heart -- though we sometimes wonder how your 13,000 paying subscribers - feel about it. As to other comments in your’ editorial, Shore News -- as The Citizen’ is the first to know -- prints in -a-union shop. Like any . other ‘busifiess, _ including“: competitors, we make certain rate concessions. to our best and. most regular customers. And by the way, | isn’t it just a little anyone could ‘‘hoodwink”’ them when it comes to genuine value for money? We respect your age and past achievements, Auntie Citizen, but we would sug- gest that you get your facts straight before you lash out as you did last Friday -- and | realize that the community newspaper world keeps mov- ing forward. We realized 1969. Our advertisers and readers obviously ‘realize it. Sorry: if we’ve worried you way! the North. North Shore . it back in. (loin) | pork chops $ 1. | VEGETABLES a . : wt : ae) Je ate god . - . Le to or ah on ae , . . rr) - : . A < . . Ms Ss an Have Gi for Mothers > - aS of All Ages ae a Our shops are filled 4 ate ‘with popular.gifts and i specialty items to suit waa kindg of mothers... A NICE PLACE “| Watch Wednesday, May | 4th Citizen for Westlynn WMiall’s ‘‘Draw Your Mom Contest.’ You may be the lucky winner of a Calvinator Dishwasher for YOUR mom. There will also be gift certificates given away: for 2nd and 3rd prizes. TO SHOP _ Corner of Lynn Valley Rd. & Mountain Hwy, av app ies E A-l ‘QUALITY MEATS ‘ OPEN Tuesday - - Saturday 10:00 - 6:00 cross rib roasts Nyt (fancy) evertvee seseeeet eeevece owe we OCC IN hee ht et had - ae 7