Daily Circulation: 187,409
Sunday Circulation: 228,262


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
More go-and-do coverage

More boxes on where to get more information

Overhaul of Weekend section: content and design

Improved packaging throughout

Goal of 12 forward promotions a day done by news department

Goal of 12 cross-promotions a day done by news department (not counting A1 rail)

Limits on story length: 50% of staff stories less than 15 inches

Emphasis on short leads - fewer than 30 words - on 80% of articles

Emphasis on entry points with 50% of staff-bylined stories

Overhaul Saturday feature section: brighter appearance, more home & garden focus

More discussion of what's relevant to readers' daily lives

Working on a personal health weekly section

Brand
Managing editor holds weekly update with promotions manager

T-D developed marketing plan

Budgeting for a major 2004 brand campaign

Promotion manager seeks branding opportunities with the summer music venues where - we sample Weekend sections

Broadcast News Service morning drive- time radio news with .15-second promotional message with reason to buy the paper that day

Service
Held small-group meetings with entire news staff on handling telephone complaints, messages

Check voice mail messages of staffers periodically

Circulation distribution centers are rolling out a plan where district managers take an active role in calling customers with complaints

Service Task Group administered company-wide survey on how we can improve service (internal and external) at T-D

HR classes on telephone and e-mail etiquette

Culture
Push more decision-making lower

Involve employees outside the newsroom in revamping sections

Involve employees outside the newsroom in planning event coverage

More focus on planning

Interdepartmental working groups



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?
Managing Editor's model for staff-produced pieces (short leads, tighter stories), forward and same-day promotion of stories within and between sections.



What is the most persuasive indication you have that your readership efforts are producing results?
RBS moved from 3.71 measured by Impact study of Richmond respondents, to 3.89 in February 2002, and to 3.96 in February 2003.



What is the most important lesson you have learned as you have worked on readership in the last few years?
Variations on "it takes a village"... It takes major work across departments. The silos have to come down.



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?
Still after the under 35's. We have to reach them outside of the newspaper, and for that, we need promotion dollars. Radio is niche-suited, but to make a real difference, we need good commercials on television shows catering to this demo. We also want to produce our own Total Market piece that is geared to this group. For this, again, tight budgets stand in the way.

Getting Traction on Readership

Survey Responses by Topic & Newspaper