We kept TV book alive as long as we could

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.

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.

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.

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.

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"!!!!!!

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.

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.

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, 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).

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......

this evening there was a older gentlemen standing there going through all the newspapers trying to find one with a green sheet. I was not sure what he was doing at first, but when I heard the cashier tell him another lady was looking earlier and could not find one either, thats when I told the him they were no longer putting them in there. He said well, "I wont be buying weekly newspaper anymore".

Why are the customers coming in last here? We pay $$$ for subscriptions and this the the thank you we get- gimme us a break and give us our weekly TV listings back!

I have always wondered what it must be like to report on something while you are living it. I think the execs are trying to make the numbers look sexy so they are immune from the blood bath that goes along with the sale.

Best wishes to the Virginian Pilot people. It is going to be a wild ride, I betcha'.

But I read Pilot Online daily. I don't read the Link, even though I have easy access to it (it's at my door every day). I just prefer to get my content online and _FAST_. I like to provide *MY* opinions after everything I read, and hope that there are many others nodding their head in agreement (perhaps not so likely but I can dream). I often check back in to see what other comments have been posted, and to see if I have been flamed. I can pass through the Pilot's page in less than a minute. I don't hate Landmark or the Pilot. I don't like that there are no independent papers around. I know they own the Portfolio and Nine Volt. I love crushing people's dreams that the Portfolio is somehow independent of our main stream media overlords. When I was working to change things for the better in Hampton Roads through technology, I found that Richmond had great independent papers and I bought advertising for them all. The Downtowner was the only local indy paper, and that is an argument I use against Hampton Roads all the time as being a soul less community of suburban sprawl with little to nothing to offer. I still appreciate the Pilot, especially when they expose things. That is what the

Wow, no more green sheet? The green sheet brings back memories of when I was much younger growing up in Chesapeake. My parents had a Zenith 25" console television and a roof mounted antenna. I think we got 5 or 6 channels. The green sheet could always be found on the table. BUT TIMES CHANGE! I remember when I got a rate card for the Pilot and it was upwards of $8000 to run a single advertisement on the back of the green sheet. I just about crapped my pants, and always pondered the people that advertised on there. I know I'm not the average reader, but I haven't used television listings in ages. It's called the internet, I get my stuff when I want to watch it, and watch it when I want to. I haven't seen a commercial in ages. Marketing really has no effect on me, I'm desensitized to it all. I know how it works, I understand the goals and objectives. Some ad campaigns impress me, but I don't feel they persuade me. (continued)

If you are now willing to charge me for a TV magazine then credit me for the sections I don't use. I'm not looking for a job so I don't need the want ads. By the time your paper hits the streets the national news in it is old to me as I've had it from TV or the internet so you can keep that section. Many people have no interest in the sports and business sections. Lots of local men go their whole lives without touching a page of Gracious Living. I'm sure they would choose to forgo that section. Obviously you can't put out a boutique paper. A good newspaper would serve the entire community.
Your newspaper is badly in need of ad salesmen. Ads should pay for the TV magazine. While it is probably easier to sell obit space to grieving relatives who want their loved ones remembered appropriately than to actually target and sell to businesses who would benefit from being in an entertainment publication, any decent salemsn could do it. If one half the effort that has been put into explaing the reason you are talking this service away from your customers had been put into sales training, the TV magazine would be profitable. Your reasons are just excuses.
Getting rid of the TV magazine

Have you ever completed an analysis of why readership is down? You might find readers are upset the continued bias reporting of the newspaper. Instead of reporting the facts as presented newspapers are now engaging in a National Enquirer type of reporting with the latest of Britney being the focus. I guess it is a business decision to be more "relevant" to readers. The treatment by the newspaper of the death of the police officer is an example why a lot of readers are leaving and utilizing alternate sources of to obtain the news. Here was an officer who was doing what society expects him to do and the local media is allowing it to be turned into an attack. Just because officials aren't feeding into your idea of news doesn't mean anything is wrong. It just might mean the agency is more concerned in ensuring a "fair trial" and not trying the case in the media as is the current philosophy of the media. Charge all your advertisers an extra 5 cents, opps I forgot you are losing advertisers also. Get USA Today for the real news.

Your argument that this is a money loosing section is not based on the paper as a whole. It is much like the obituary section for which you charge (and it is a lot!) for anything more than the name, date of death and who is handling the arrangements. That left a bitter taste when, after some 55 years as a resident of Norfolk and subscriber to the paper for that whole time, my father died and we had to hand over several hundred dollars for a "complete" obituary. It didn't have all the flowery prose you see, either. Nothing like kicking your best customers when they're down!
Anyway, discontinuing this section is probably a sound business decision but please don't play the "we're loosing thousands." If you want to save even more money how about eliminating the editorial page?!

I find the listings in the daily paper more than sufficient to find my desired programs. A weekly guide was nice while it lasted!

I just called the number listed about placing an order for "the TV book". I was on hold for about 20 mins. and when I got to talk wiht a rep. they said that they had been swamped with calls and irrate people. I have put further thought into this fiasco that you, VPLS, have created. You stoped the weekly TV book, put a daily listing to up your subscriptions which will use more paper (trees), oh that's good for our forest and the Green movements, and now you offer the TV book if 3,000 people will subscribe for $1.00 per week - let's see now it will be delivered and cut out the businesses that sold lot's of Saturday papers because it contained the TV Book, and you have a whole lot of folks pretty ticked off at the VPLS right now. UMMM- good business decision!!