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By Denis Finley
Today, you will not find your TV book, “What’s On?” inside the paper. A number of things have led to its demise: changing habits of our readers, more choices in the market, declining interest in the book, and hundreds of thousands of dollars a year in losses for many years.
We can no longer justify the expense if we expect to keep subscription costs down and continue to provide a great newspaper to our readers.
We have replaced “What’s On?” with expanded daily TV listings in the Daily Break section. I am not going to tell you this is an improvement. It is simply our effort to give you the best product we can to replace the book.
We have received more than 1,000 phone calls and e-mails with complaints and suggestions. Thanks for taking the time to contact us. We have already used some of your suggestions. We have added a network listing to the right side of the guide. We plan to add late-night highlights on weekdays, and a week-at-a-glance for prime time will appear Sundays. Some of you asked for bigger type. To do that, we would have to eliminate some listings, but you’ve asked us for more, not fewer.
By the way, you can get complete TV listings at HamptonRoads.com/tv.
These changes, and any others we make, take time, but we expect to have them all in place by month’s end.
Finally, so many of you said you would pay extra for the TV book that we will offer it for $1 a week, which is our cost, if we get at least 3,000 South Hampton Roads subscribers to buy it.
Here’s how it works: Let us know by March 15 if you subscribe to The Pilot and want to buy “What’s On?” You can e-mail us at customerservice@pilotonline.com or call (757) 446-9000. Press “0” to speak to a customer service representative. If you e-mail, please leave your name, address and phone number and tell us you want the book.
If we receive at least 3,000 orders by March 15, you will receive your first TV book April 5. If we don’t receive 3,000 orders, we will not offer the book.
I am sorry for the inconvenience that the elimination of “What’s On?” has created . I promise we will do everything we can to provide you with the best product possible.
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Fair Exchange
I'd be more than willing to pay $52 per year to receive the TV Guide - As soon as the Pilot reduces my base subsciption rate by the same amount to compensate for lost value.
thinkers?
It annoys me to no end when management attempts to save expenses by cutting employees or services. This is an example of poor management and has lead to a decrease of service. It is quite evident there has been no forward thinking or planning by management to supply the TV Guide or Green Sheet to the customers who expect it. This is a prime example of the phenomenon of goal displacement and suboptimization. It is either time for new management or for the current managers to go back to school.
May Be A Wise Choice Regardless Of Naysayers
With the menu options on cox digital TV, I can see plenty of time in advance what is coming on. I can type in what want, and if it's on, tells the date & time. It can be programmed so it comes on then. Green Book? I haven't looked at one in years, or TV Guide, if it even exist anymore. It's a waste of paper, so on to the recyclers, where it can be used again for something else. The Pilot boasts the largest circulation in Va, with approx. 1/2 million readers. Complaints, I will not even attempt to estimate numerically, will likely be a drop in the bucket in comparison, & as a business decision, probably not a bad choice. Mr Finley is obviously listening, & trying to comply as best he can to readers suggestions, & appease even those who'd complain from beyond ,about the tombstone on their grave. But, don't take it personally, I didn't mean you.
TV listings
I was disapointed when the green sheet went white. I had thrown it away several times before we adjusted. I want the TV book back. I don't think paying $1.00 a week will change my life at all but I can see were it could be a major nightmare for those who deliver the VPLS. Who gets a TV book and who doesn't? We have been loyal to your paper for 25+ years. My hope is you will honor the wishes of your readers and bring back the TV book.
TV Book Reponse Results????
I sure would not have wanted to be a rep. with te VPLS yesterday dealing with the anger about over the loss of the TV book. I stopped by several stores that sells papers and they had a rough day with the fury from customers over the VPLS dropping the TV listngs and their Saturday sales had dropped not only from papers but from other things that patrons get while there. I would be very interested in the "actual results" not the "coporate results". Come on give us the "true response"!!!!!!
Green sheets were obsolete
I quit buying the paper years ago. With the internet and 24 hour news everywhere and the newspaper being available online, there really seemed to be no point in paying out extra money every month for the newspaper. That and with cable tv, and the dedicated channel to tv listings, the green sheets really were obsolete, I haven't looked at one in at least 10 years. Another reason I quit buying the paper, there was actually very little in the way of articles and news, but instead page after page after page of advertisments. I have never been interested the advertising from furniture stores, car dealerships, bedmakers, insurance companies, phone companies, the power company, and whatever else that advertises, to me it's a huge waste of money and paper. I've never bought anything of substance based solely on an advertisment in a newspaper, P.T. Barnum always comes to mind. That and I don't like being charged for the added outrageous cost of advertising when I buy a product. Newspapers themselves are obsolete and cost too much money for what you don't get.
My subscription "dollar"
I highly approve of this new form of newspaper where you only have to pay for those sections that interest you. Of course I will pay for the TV section. I would also like to cancel my Home section, Want Ads,the Monday technical section, the expanded automotive section on Saturdays, and this rather pitiful art section that appeared today. As I have never used any of these, does that mean I can expect a rebate for that portion of my subscription that has been used to pay for them for the past 20 years that I have been a subscriber? Foolish me, I always figured that these revenue producing sections paid something toward what you now explain to me was just a "service" that you can no longer be expected to provide. I was a bit taken back because I sort of thought I could expect some service for my "dollar." I am a bit surprised but pleased that you can separate those portions of your paper which are of no use to me. I believe that your 1000 phone calls and emails may be a tad short as everytime I tried to call the box was full. By my estimate, fully two thirds of your paper has no value to me. I look forward to my adjusted subscription rate.
tv guide
Saturday is the only day I buy a paper - just because of the tv guide. If demand for the tv guide is so low, then how come I have to hunt down 2 or 3 newspaper vending machines to get a Saturday paper because they seem to sell out so quickly?
How about if the Pilot gathers data during March and after sales of the Sat. paper plummet, they can bring back the tv guide.
Okay HERE IS A SOLUTION
Okay, quit whining and think. All televisions have to be HDTV capable very soon. HDTV allows sub-channels on every channel. WVEC or WTKR shows a radar map all the time on one of these subchannels, for example. Pilot needs to team up with one of the TV channels, any of them, and use one of the subchannels and run a computer generated loop of the TV programming for the week. This would require no paper, every TV is going to be required to tune in this, and they could sell cheap advertising on it. The software has existed for years and could be easily reproduced, and they could snatch the listings from zap2it or any number of service providers. The only conflict I see is the station that allows access to the air time might not like it that it provides listings pointing to competitors, but oh well. This would be similiar to the TV guide channel you see on Cable, but would be broadcast on air using a transport that already exists. Thank you drive through. No imaginating in this town (if you want me and friends to write it let me know).
Ear Full Yet?
Fom the comments listed and from talking to the VPLS rep. his mornng I hope that you are getting the message as to what "the people" want. Did it ever occur to you to do a survey of "the people" as to what they would want? I doubt it. Sorry, but your reasons and reasonings for stoppng the TV book just aren't holding up. I along with a whole bunch of other folks out here are pretty ticked off.. Don't wait for April 5 to bring the TV book back -- bring it back NOW!! That's what "the people" want......