Daily Circulation: 71,495
Sunday Circulation: 82,718


List the major steps you have taken in the last four years to increase readership. Please organize your response under four headings: content, brand, service, culture.

Content
Began tracking RBS via our annual readership survey conducted by American Opinion Research. Instituted changes in content, page layout, etc. per RI recommendations. Hired Readership Editor.

Brand
Launched new branding strategy, increased spending on brand both internal and external.

Service
"Over the top" customer service efforts under way in all areas, including circulation, production, finance (billing), news and sales.

Culture
New aggressive approach to improve and track culture in line with RI recommendations. Emphasis on training, communication, compensation and performance management.



What is the most innovative, successful or noteworthy thing you have done on readership that you think other papers might learn from or want to emulate?
Working with a consultant, we have kicked off a companywide "readership" project that touches every corner of the company, making readership something that everyone owns, not just the newsroom. This is recently under way but holds great promise.



What is the most persuasive indication you have that your readership efforts are producing results?
Changes in culture, changes in news product, the tone of conversations. Our RBS score has remained stable but we are confidant it will increase.



What is the most important lesson you have learned as you have worked on readership in the last few years?
The lesson: this is a companywide initiative that will fail unless the entire company, every employee, is fully versed in readership and embraces it. Communicating the priorities effectively and often is huge. It's an ongoing effort.



What would you like to do on readership that you have not been able to do and why haven't you been able to do it?
We suffer from a "risk averse" culture where change comes slow. We are slowed by our own institutional biases. I wish we could move faster, in and out of the newsroom.

Getting Traction on Readership

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