Daily Circulation: 28,501
Sunday Circulation: 34,954


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.

Top Three Reader Targets For Improvement: 1) Men age 25-45; 2) Occasional Readers 25-34; and 3) Newcomers - adults who have lived here for three years or less.

Content
Dramatically improved overall design with more local enterprise, more breaking news, more maps and multiple entry points on 1A and other section fronts to better target readers. We've focused on improving the depth and consistency in four high local interest news areas - the management of growth (with a focus on I-25 and its impact on Fort Collins), the business of learning, the environment/water resources and things to do - outdoors/recreation.

In Business, we launched a weekly Business Edge section on Mondays in February 2003. Key features include local cover stories, weekly regional snapshot of economic indicators on 2E, profile of a company that makes a product locally on 6E and a local column known as "Leading Edge that rounds up business expansions, moves, etc.

In Sports, we've strengthened Denver pro-sports coverage, CSU, preps and added more hockey coverage, including a year-long series leading up to Colorado Eagles opener this fall.

In Features, section fronts are more sophisticated and colorful including a yearlong series on a young couple working to eat healthier and get in shape. We also produced a Northern Colorado Health Guide in May 2003, which includes a physicians' directory covering everything from allergies to urology. Ticket, our weekly Entertainment guide, also has been tweaked to make it more reader-friendly for key target groups with more listings, briefs including things to do in Denver.

Launched a weekly NASCAR page to target more male readers and that has been shifted to regional hockey focus now that there's a CHL franchise in our market.

Launched Best in the Business, an annual magazine that allows readers to vote on who's the best in key business categories. This concept is being expanded in 2003 to include more small business and leader of the year. A diverse panel of business leaders selected winners and winners were honored at an awards lunch.

We launched Go! Magazine in spring 2003 and also will produce a winter issue

We improved online content. We've expanded number of breaking news postings so that we're averaging more than 10 a month, added online poll questions at least weekly and added a daily Coloradoan e-newsletter. We launched an e-newsletter in August 2003 and more than 90 subscribe to the daily e-newsletter. Online site has been enriched with photo galleries of pets, Colorado Eagles, Denver Broncos and Larimer County Fair. We've also posted dozens of extras on hard-hitting topics like Drought, West Nile Virus, Chronic Wasting Disease and the Colorado Legislature.

We've expanded convergence partnerships with local radio and KUSA - Channel 9 - our TV convergence partner. Our CSU reporter appears weekly during the football season with the CSU Coach and sports reporters appear on local radio as does our editorial page editor.

We've improved classified section design and more reader-entry points with features like News of the Weird and Today in History with local breakouts. This page is a hit with teachers in local schools. Hot Off the Press or first-day classified ads have since been moved into the classified section with a special logo so that they stand out more.

We converted our annual community calendar to a glossy format, and asked readers to send in pet photos for 2003 issue. It was such a hit with more than 300 photos submitted and overflow led to five online galleries of pet photos.

We understand that readers also have interests outside our core newspaper and there are niche info opportunities. That's why we launched Make & Model, a multi-platform used car initiative that includes a weekly free distribution magazine, online ads and in-paper ads in the Coloradoan. About 10,000 copies are distributed in Northern Colorado.

Service
Circulation/Production - One of the biggest customer service improvements has been improved on-time OTD performance so that customers consistently get the weekday Coloradoan by 5:30 a.m. and the Sunday issue by 7 a.m. Our on-time OTD performance is 95% on-time YTD through August 2003, a major improvement over the same time frame a year ago. In August 2003, we also move to a centralized distribution center in circulation rather than eight drop-sites around town. This change has enabled us to quickly turnaround potential problems and carriers to better serve customers.

Circulation Customer Service - An Internet connectivity program was installed in September 2002, which allows circulation customers to make vacation starts/stops electronically and view their account history. The installation team required cooperation among Circulation, Marketing, Tech, Online and Accounting employees. This program gives customers around-the-clock access to their circulation accounts. Also, our Circulation EZ Pay program has been a hit with home-delivery customers. As of August 2003, we had 3,450 home delivery customers participating in the monthly subscription charge program or a 67.3% increase over the same time period in 2002.

Production Quality - We are one of 36 USA TODAY print sites around the world and have shown dramatic improvement in our production quality. Our USAT PEP score was 99.5% in August and USAT Quality Score was 97.1%. Also, we installed Roundhouse Adview system in early 2003, which has enabled ad reps to view PDFs and e-mail proofs to customers. This has resulted in improved customer service and faster turnaround for advertisers.

Advertising, Finance, Production and Technology - Our Ad Quality also has shown dramatic improvement. NIBT ADQ adjustments YTD through August were down nearly 15% to LY and the NIBT $ impact was down 31%. This is a joint effort involving employees in Advertising, Production, Technology and Accounting.

Advertising Customer Service -- In July 2002, we added Classweb software for private parties, which allows customers around-the-clock access to place a classified ad. YTD through period 8, 2003, the revenue generated from our Classweb customers has beat budget projections and LY every single month and represents more than $98K.

News/Publisher - We host monthly Readers First sessions, where readers are encouraged to sound off and share their concerns. As a result of these sessions, we've generated stories on key topics such as growth, education, etc. We also started accuracy surveys in Sept. 2003. Publisher's administrative assistant and other Coloradoan ambassadors regularly conduct building tours. During the contest period, 246 people - ranging from Boy Scouts to senior citizens did building tours. We also rotate at least two community members on our editorial board three times a year.

Culture
Key improvements in interdepartmental communication include:

Participation among frontliners has increased on committees such as the AdQ (Ad Quality) Committee and Celebration Ads Taskforce. Celebration ads were retooled in March so that customers have opportunity to say more about their celebrations and we now run them in color on Sundays, our biggest circulation/readership day.

Employees have been encouraged to submit receipts from advertisers as part of our Boo$t Fort Collins program, and a winner has been drawn each month. This program has increased positive feedback among advertisers, boosted fun in the workplace and employees have won $600 annualized.

In addition to quarterly What's Cookin' sessions and annual holiday parties, our HR team coordinated our first Coloradoan tailgate party in 2002 during CSU's Homecoming Week and game tickets were given away as prizes to "fans with the most spirit. We also held Halloween costume contest for dayside and nightside employees. Winners got movie passes or tickets to local sporting events.

All employees received "Labor Day" thank you gift of Fort Collins Rocks CD in Sept. 2003 for the first time.

Employee survey was done in every department in the summer of 2003, and the majority of employees said the Coloradoan is a "great place to work". Still, meetings were held in each dept. and dept. heads are developing action plans to address concerns as needed.

More than 20 employees participated in Make a Difference Day projects, and the Coloradoan profiled six local Coloradoans Making A Difference winners based on reader submissions in October 2002. Each winner received a $100 donation to their charity of choice and was honored at a lunch. This has become an annual event

PEAK Intranet was launched in Oct. 2002 so that employees can better acquaint themselves with names and faces of employees in all departments electronically. Key company policies also are available on the site for our computer-savvy workforce.

Brand
Ticket to Dining - a circulation retention program was launched in September 2002. Subscribers who sign up for our EZ Pay program for a minimum of six months get the Ticket to Dining card, which offers 20% meal discounts to more than 20 restaurants.

Coloradoans Making A Difference Contest - The Coloradoan profiled six local Coloradoans Making A Difference winners based on reader submissions in October 2002 for the first time. More than 30 entries were received. Each winner was featured in a week-long series profiling Coloradoans Making A Difference, received a $100 donation to their charity of choice and attended an awards lunch. This has become an annual event and excellent good will vehicle.

Best in Business Contest - Launched in fall of 2002 with a reader ballot. We received more than 60 nominations. A diverse panel of about 10 community judges selected winners. Winners were recognized in Best in the Business Magazine and at an awards lunch in January 2003. Winners will be announced in Feb. 2004 issue of Best in Business and at Chamber of Commerce Event/Awards Lunch.

Big Boys Toys Expo - An estimated 3,000 people participated in the Coloradoan's first Big Boys Toys Expo on July 13, 2003.

Fort Collins Rocks CD - A team of music lovers from News, Advertising, Production and Marketing selected a dozen songs submitted by Northern Colorado bands for the CD project. About 5,000 CDs were produced to promote local musical talent and for the Coloradoan to reach the college and young, active folks interested in music.

Multi-media circulation campaign focusing on content - promotions focusing on the value of the Coloradoan's content and the importance of reading daily. Ads ran in-paper, online and on radio. We also had door hangers for canvassing neighborhoods.

Online contests/giveaways - In 2003, we've made the commitment to have ongoing giveaways to help drive site traffic and readership.

Getting Traction on Readership

Survey Responses by Topic & Newspaper