news-record.com

Well, that was fun.

Seriously, we didn't get that many calls and, frankly, fewer complaints than I anticipated. Many callers, skipping my column on the front page, said they were missing a section.

A few wanted world and national news more prominent.

Surprising me, several wanted those weather maps and temperatures of cities around the world, which we dropped, thinking that information was readily available many other places. One person said the world temperatures were the only reason he took the paper.

Another person said that he hopes that we do this, get it out of our system and return the paper the way it was Tuesday. Sorry about that.

Several took the opportunity to request the return of the weekly TV book, which we eliminated months ago, and which had nothing to do with this latest change. Others requested we kill/add some comic strips; we made no changes to the comics related to this consolidation. Still others asked that we go back to the stock market report we had a couple years ago.

None of those requests were unusual. Whenever we have made a change, people ask us to revisit decisions made months and years before.

Other comments that came in via e-mail:

Have you considered two sections Monday to Saturday? I remember the national and business news being in Section 1 and local and sport news in Section 2. This is how I remember the Charlotte Observer of my youth and the N&R of my teen and following years. Two sections are easier to keep up with at home and on the go.

*****

Well done, but would prefer "The Good Stuff" to start on page 1; continue it to A7, if necessary. However well-intentioned, that bright yellow seal ("The Good Stuff") looked odd, and was certainly overwhelmed by surrounding headlines, "Teen pleads guilty to murder charge" and "More charges filed in fatal hit-and-run."

*****

At first glance, I'm pleased with today's newly organized newspaper but do have one comment. In the weather report on page A7 I really don't miss the maps and world temperatures but I do miss the highest and lowest temperatures for the US the day before. Since that info took up such a small amount of space could you reconsider including them?

In all, a good day. We're collecting the comments and suggestions to evaluate the paper's changes and determine where we go from here.