Dec. 4, 2003
Dear Editor:
   I don't usually do this; however, something in A.J. Livsey article just seemed very short to me. 
   I am a media planner/buyer in San Antonio and have been one for the past 23 years. I am experienced in both the good and the bad in this business. However, everybody deserves common courtesy.
   In my current position, which I have held for the past 14 years, I have learned a lot from my "partners" in the media world. 
  Granted there have been times that I could not meet with a "just dropped in to see you" sales person because of workload; but I can't remember one time when I did not learn something from a planned meeting with a sales person.
   The business has changed over the years, since your staff writer was only in the business a short time, maybe she did not adjust well to being a media planner. It does take a special person to handle this job.
   I operate our department on the philosophy that my mother taught me "You get more flies with honey" and the golden rule - "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 
   It sure makes the day brighter and you just might learn something.

Debbie Hamilton
The PM Group
San Antonio

Dear Editor:
Amen to this...You get what you give.

Linda DiLembo
Media Planner/Buyer
Grady Britton
Portland, Oregon

Dear Editor:
   First off, GREAT ARTICLES. I have been a long time fan and reader of the Media Life website, but this will be my first time commenting. I think the elements that have been discussed in this series of articles has both been funny and interesting and would like to add my comments.
   I am a former Media Planner/Supervisor, that went to the Client side and who also grew up on the business (father was in advertising). I would love to share some comments for both the Sales Community and the Media Planning community.

TO THE PLANNERS:
     Understand your role in the greater scheme of things:
     Just because you are working on Clinet X with a Male 18-49 target does not mean that within a weeks time, you will not be working on a piece of business that exclusively targets females because another planner decided to move on to new opportunities. Media Planning is one of the most fluid facets of the Advertising business, with high levels of staff turnover, internal account rotations, and Client assignments. Your job is to understand the publications that are appropriate for your Client, but it is naive if you think that you should not learn about other publications. When the head of your department schedules a meeting with a Publisher to have their staff come in and present something, don't blow off the meeting because "you wouldn't put this publication on the plan anyway." If your director thought it was important enough to have these people come in, then go to the meeting and hear what they have to say. You may be talking to the sales rep next month for a new business pitch or on your next account.
   Maintain good ethical standards:
  Just because reps are willing to give you things, does not mean that you should be taking it. I was a Planner during the dot com boom, working on a Client with a $20 Million print budget and a target wide enough to run in publications ranging from Individual Investor to People. During the planning process, every rep was offering up gifts, lunches, dinners, tickets, and anything else they could think of to help differentiate themselves. That's pretty exciting for a 25 year old Media Supervisor, but we did the right thing. We told all the Sales reps that we would not accept anything, nor schedule any lunches until we recommended and approved a plan. BE FAIR WITH THE SALES COMMUNITY. DO NOT ACCEPT ANYTHING UNLESS YOU ARE DOING BUSINESS WITH THEM. They have a lot of Clients that their efforts will better be focused on, so if you know that they are not going to make the cut, then don't take them up on their offers. Sure, it's a thin ethical line, but try to do the right thing - Sales reps will appreciate it and it will benefit you down the line.
   Dedicate Time to Communicate with the Sales Community.
  Sure, the business moves a mile a minute, but your team needs to work on a time management structure that provides time to meet with reps during slower periods of the year, so that you are not inundated when planning comes around. Obviously this is easier said than done, but work with your team to come up with a system that works because you will need to demonstrate the ability to manage people, relationships, and time to propel yourself to the next level. Never cancel on a rep when they are waiting out in the lobby. Sure, things come up during the day, but you need to make sure that you can take your meetings (schedule them in the early AM or during slow points in the day if things continually come up during your days).
  Think of the Sales Community as a Partner: 
   The objective is to get the Client the best deal package possible. This does not happen overnight by writing an RFP and demading the best possible rates and positioning. Chances are the covers and TOC are taken by long-term advertisers anyway, so see what they can bring you that is synergistic with your Client's plan objectives. Most of the time, the rush to get a response from an RFP is dictated by the need to secure planning rates, so just ask the rep for exactly what you need in the short-term and let them continue to develop ideas - your Client will appreciate well thought out ideas and you will build relationships with the Sales reps. Don't doubt for a second that they will be a tremendous help for you when you decide that you need to move on to another opportunity (and you all know that is coming sooner than later).

Stop Hiding Behind Syndicated Research:
   MRI data is only going to tell you half the story. Understand the publication and how it may fit into you overall plan. If it doesn't make sense from a strategic/editorial perspective, then tell them that. When you get yourself into "the numbers," the rep has no other choice but to show you how the numbers work in their advantage. You know that the numbers can be manipulated to prove the story that you want it to, so don't use them as a shield when providing feedback to the rep. If the numbers of the publication were not right, they would have never been invited to pitch the business in the first place. (You can use MRI data to send away the cold callers). If a pub submitted an RFP, then you should provide feedback so your rep can explain things to his bosses (you are not the only one that has someone to answer to).

TO THE SALES REPS
     My advice is simple: Appreciate the Cyclical Nature of the Business
   Your time is better served meeting with the whole team and not a one-on-one with an Assistant Media Planner that just graduated from college. Sure, there are meeting quotas that you all have to meet, but there is a difference between quantity of meetings and quality of meetings. 
    Work with your director/publisher (whoever you have to show your schedule to) to come up with a weighted quota system, where a meeting with a whole planning team is worth more than a one-on-one meeting with someone that is likely not to know the answers you are trying to get or be off the business within 6 months. Your job is to service the Client and this is better served by developing a relationship with the overall team rather than an individual (more continuity on an aggreate level).
   Add Value for the Agency
   Make sure that you know their Client's business. Provide the Agency with interesting articles about their Client that will help them stay on top of their business. Not only will this help them, but it will also demonstrate that you are looking out for their interests and keeping current with what is going on in the world that you are calling on. Don't ask for a meeting unless you have something new and relevant to present.
  Use research as support.
   If you want planners to understand your publication, then keep the numbers in the appendix of the presentation. First of all, Media people are sensitive about their time, so get straight to the point. Also, you know your audience is likely to be overworked and tired. If you get into numbers, you are going to lose them because it is something that they should already know and let's be honest, it is not exactly exciting and attention grabbing. Include it in the leave behind and as a reference for the meeting. A good planner (or one that needs to know) will ask you the questions that your research proves/disproves.
   Understand your Audience.
   Determine how the planner prefers to communicate and work within that preference. If they are a phone person, call them, if they prefer e-mail, send them a note, but pick one and don't follow-up your calls with e-mails or vice versa -- it runs the risk of annoying them and will not help your chances of getting a response.
   Guide the Ethics of Favor Provision
   This gets back to the grey line discussed earlier. Sure, you are going to do whatever you can to differentiate your publication, but the truth is that the Sales community is more culpable for the state of the business today. If Sales people offer things up tickets, lunches, etc. to prospective business, then you are opening yourself up to requests for more things down the line and is that going to help you chances to get on the plan -- probably not.
  Remember, the majority of planners in the business can barely pay their rent (especially in NYC), so who can fault them for accepting things. Start weaning off from giving things to Clients that you are not doing business with, unless it builds the equity of your publication and helps your chances (parties, events, etc). An outing to a Yankee game does nothing to help your chances if you are a rep at Better Homes and Gardens. Save this stuff to build relationships with a team that you have existing business with to help better understand the needs of the Client. Otherwise, you are going to become a ticket broker.

Marc Hanson
New York

Dear Editor:
  All is forgiven. 
   I applaud A.J. for revisiting this topic from a sales perspective.
   She's proven in both articles that she's an incredibly talented writer.
  She's proven in the article titled 'yo planner, learn some manners' that she's wise beyond her years.

Marcy Kettler-Thibault
Account Executive


                                                                                                 Nov. 20, 2003

Dear Editor:
   Can't we all just get along.
   Like everything in this world nothing is black and white. A.J. has some tremendous points but nothing is ever that one sided. ("Please, rep, don't waste my time")  
   I have worked with a number of sales "Partners" over the years. If you call them "Rep-tiles" that is exactly what you will get.
  I would like to acknowledge the best part about being partners with sales reps. No, it's not lunches and SWAG. It's learning more about how to do our jobs better. Our job is to make sure the client's goals are reached.
  Is there a new development, opportunity or product we don't know about? 
   Let the sales professionals tell us, but please also tie it back to our client's needs. It's building the better mousetrap. Can we make a printed page or a billboard reach someone 10 different ways. Integrating executions so each medium is doing its job. We have to tell the sales people what that job is. It's about being able to ask if they can do something they have never done before and working through the problems versus throwing our arms up and calling it a day.
  Set the bar wherever you want. Sales partner to Rep-tile. Communicate your goals and objective. Lay down clear ground rules of how you need the planning process to happen. That's what it takes. Let's try and get there.
  Your site has always been about education and information.

                                                                                              Nov. 20, 2003
Dear Editor:
   It is no wonder people on both sides of the desk were offended by the ("Please, rep, don't waste my time") article. 
   What if you published an article by a 26-year-old salesperson telling buyers and planners how to do their jobs?
  Following A.J.'s instruction, a sales rep would find themselves out of a job in six months. The buyer-seller relationship should be symbiotic rather than adversarial.

                                                                                              Nov. 20, 2003
Dear Editor:

  Although there are some valid points regarding A.J.'s article, I would have had more respect for her thoughts had she been on the other side of the desk at some point.
  I have been on both sides, first as a client and then as a rep, and I have to say it's a bit easier to criticize the sales people when you have what they are looking to obtain.
  I used to die when I would answer the phone and it would be a rep, as I knew that I would either lose about 15 minutes of my day right there, or would be forced to be rude to get off the phone.
  As a client you are not paid by the amount of rep calls you accept, and being nice to reps does not appear on the review sheet at the end of the year when raises are being considered.
   However, now that I have been on the sales side for about seven years, I can honestly say that I had no idea what went into the job of a print sales rep. You are forced to call, cajole and beg at times for meetings, business, and sometimes even to be treated with the respect that any human being deserves.
   About 80 percent of the clients are wonderful and easy to work with, but the 20 percent that are not can and do drive many people out of the business. 
  My point is, just give these guys a break. Some of them are new to the business, lack self confidence, or are merely intimidated by the fact that you have no interest in talking or meeting with them. 
  They are trying to get their job done just like you are. Yes, they should be more prepared, but if you are booking the call with them, you should also be willing to give them the respect that they deserve as a human being and fellow advertising community member and listen to what they have to say. You just might hear something that will help you do a better job for your client.

                                                                                              Nov. 20, 2003
Dear Editor:

 I started reading A.J. Livsey's article, ("Please, rep, don't waste my time")  with the same approach that I take to most articles that are written from the buyer's point of view-- curiosity--and hope that in it I might glean something interesting about why our industry has become so adversarial.
  Why indeed. Do most media planners really think this way? Do they rant and make sweeping generalizations about sales reps?
  I have one question. Who in the heck was calling on you? "One in 10 magazine sales reps really know his or her business." Are you kidding? Anyone who ever called on A.J. Livsey should do the rest of the industry a favor and quit now!
   I, too, believe that advertising is a business of communication. But for every rep without a clue, there are 10 fresh-from-graduation media planners who are over-worked, under-paid and drowning in a sea of senior-level decision making that is beyond their three weeks of training.
   Pleasant to work with? Sales reps eat crow every day, listening to the most inane and free-form reasoning on a daily basis. If the media properties aren't communicating properly with the media planners, it may have something to do with the attitude of the writer: 'There's nothing you can tell me that I don't already know.'
  Here are some don'ts for you:
  1. With regard to time-wasters: Don't send a request for proposal - with a two-day turnaround that asks for a laundry list of "Big Ideas" (which you have no intention of buying with your client's reduced budget). 
   And please don't ask us to "create something that best personifies your magazine." Why oh why does a rep need a glue gun and a Masters degree in fine arts? It's a waste of time and money and does nothing to demonstrate the power of the brand that we're selling.
2. Don't categorize magazines to make your media planning simpler. If you're targeting women (or men), look at ALL magazines that most effectively and powerfully reach that audience. 
  Don't approach your plan with a "one deep in each category" mantra. "Oh, we're not looking at travel-beauty-epicurean-shelter-fashion-health-lifestyle" (we've all heard it). Even if the readers in those forbidden categories actually are the target audience? Interesting.
3. Respect, you say? Respect our relationship with your client. We know your client. We were calling on your client before you got your job and they will still be our client long after you've rotated to another account or left media planning to write for Media Life.
  If you actually want us to believe that all good ideas will be championed by our media contacts, you're crazy. We go to the client because, more often than not, great ideas are "shot down" (A.J.'s words) by the agency because you're too busy to change your flow chart.
  Furthermore, it's mutual respect, baby. Don't treat us like petulant children. If you invited us to pitch a piece of business and we didn't make the plan, we want to know why. Most sales people want to know that they've done everything possible to win an account. When you don't win a piece of business that absolutely should be in your pages, you can't sleep until you find out why.
  And tell us the truth. Smoke screen answers are so obvious.
4. Don't make reference to a long-forgotten time that you weren't even a part of. The reference to ex-football player publishers who practiced wacky macho jock stuff at three-martini lunches filled with empty bragging was ridiculous. "It's a different marketplace now. There are lots of women in it, and more and more at the top"..yeah, since 1983 when the esteemed writer was 6.
  Did you actually ever meet an ex-football player publisher? Or have a three-martini lunch? Neither have I or anyone else I know and I've been in magazine advertising sales for 16 years.
5. Don't paint an entire industry with the same brush. All sales people are not imbeciles and all media planners do not universally hate us. Some of us actually understand our job--to help your client move product so that we all look good.
   Look, we all thought we knew everything when we started our first jobs at 21. Clearly, A.J. Livsey's notes on the dos and don'ts of advertising sales were written during the ripe years of 21- 26.
  Reread your diatribe in about 10 years and I'm sure you'll have a red face about it.
P.S. And by the way some magazines actually are No. 1. By any measurement.

Kate Dixon
Midwest Director
Miller Dixon Media
Chicago

                                                                                                     Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:
  
 I thought that A.J.'s article ("Please, rep, don't waste my time") was well written and very accurate. She brought up many good points about the information and qualities that media planners/buyers look for in reps.
    I don't think that her age is a valid reason for some of the readers to be upset. With her almost five years of media planning experience, it appears that she is very knowledgeable on media planning and that she made her clients' goals a priority. I think that the readers should be more focused on her knowledge and experience than her age.
  Perhaps Media Life Magazine should ask someone on their staff (or someone in sales who is a knowledgeable sales rep) to write a similar column about buyers and planners.

Marlene Kruelle
Broadcast & Online Media Consultant
Atlanta

                                                                                                 Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

   Let me just start by saying that the feedback regarding this article was forwarded to me by my beloved media director. His point: to remind us that media sellers are part of the cycle. And I can't agree with him more.
"Let me be blunt here." I'm an assistant media planner that's only been in this business for 2 years. In the two years that I have worked on various media on various accounts. This doesn't make me an expert in any way, and this doesn't make my opinion more or less valid than any one else in advertising.
    Here is what I think really needs to be said, at least as my own representative, to media sellers: Thank you for every outlandish effort you've put forth, not just for the client, but for also for me. And maybe you're not doing it for me, but you're doing it. You're making the impossible work so I don't have to say no to the client. So, thank you.
  Don't get me wrong. I have met some people that aren't very skilled as media sellers, but I can say the exact same statement in regards to media planners and buyers. We're all human, and we weren't all born to sell media.
And a quick comment to A.J. : I've had frustration with media sellers, but don't think for a second that media sellers don't have day to day frustration with media planners or buyers. I know I've bugged the hell out of them and had some freakishly inconceivable requests on behalf of my client.
   But thank you, A.J., for your opinion. We all have them.

Melissa Pongpitoon
Assistant Media Planner
FCB
Irvine, Calif.

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

   Sometimes the truth hurts! 
   As a salesperson I can say, no one in our community should be shocked or surprised by anything A.J. wrote. A little more thought and preparation would do everybody a little good -- on both sides of the desk.
   In the interest of fairness and equal time, A.J. should do a piece on some of the more irritating media planning idiosyncrasies. That too would be a "lively" conversation.
   A.J. is indeed a little smart-assy, but I thought it was a good piece.

David O'Connell

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:
   I loved her article and forwarded it to all of my media buying pals!!

Teresa Knight McMenamin
Warner Advertising Group
Burbank, Calif.

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

  Well, the good news is that we, media planners, are reading your email blast daily. 
  Unfortunately, I think that A.J.'s story was taken out of context. Agreed that she may have been too "hard" in generalizing all magazine sales representatives because on the whole most are very good, but some of what she said is very true.
   Good sales reps can be instrumental in the success of a media plan and make sure that your ad program gets good placement, great value added and the best rates possible for your client. 
   The multitude of phone calls and plans media planners receive is part of the game, but there some sales representatives that can put a downer on your day.
   Some are not very knowledgeable, some do go behind your back to the client and some don't know when to stop pitching, but that I doubt will ever change.
   Media buyers and planners are there to siphon through the clutter for the client. 
    That's our job, and it can be hard at times, but when you meet that gem of a sales representative that makes you look like a goddess/god to the client it's worth a 1,000 bad sales reps.

Dana Wright
Burgundy Group
Nashville

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

There are good sales reps and bad sales reps just like there are good planners and bad planners. I'm sure both sides could write many lengthy articles on all the bad practices out there. Maybe we should focus on "the best practices" for both sides and actually do something to improve the relationships.

Gwen Conley
Director of Integrated Marketing
davidandgoliath
Los Angeles

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

   I met A.J. about a year or so ago and I remember enjoying her scorching sense of humor.
    Clearly, she still has it. While I think her article "Please, rep, don't waste my time" was well written, she may have gotten a little too clever.
   Having been on both sides of the desk (sales assistant briefly and media planning for 15 years), I know that there are good and bad apples on both sides. I was not a good sales assistant because I didn't understand what I needed to know (and I didn't like taking no for an answer); but that is the nature of being new to most businesses. Many people stay in the business without ever realizing what it is that makes a good sales or media person, and sadly, many don't care.
   Knowing a client's business and name is not too much to ask, especially if there is some incentive (aka income/commission/ sense of accomplishment, etc.) involved. There are a few gems out there, but I agree with A.J. that they are not in the majority.
  Overall A.J.'s views are a little too tongue in cheek (or is it hostile?) for most people (especially those not gifted with a sense of humor), but she's not entirely wrong.
   As for rule #5, not everyone merits respect, and despite what people believe, quite often they don't have the authority they like to claim. 
    Many people getting into the business today have an extremely inflated sense of entitlement, despite being hired as low man on the totem pole. Respect is earned and authority is not automatic. All slates are clear when I first meet with someone (a rep), but if he/she isn't prepared for the meeting, unless there are extreme circumstances, then it's strike one. After two strikes, I generally will take it up with management so that when/if they don't get the business they will know why.
   Lastly, I believe that A.J.'s rules should include being considerate. Consideration includes honesty, hard work and respecting other's time and effort (including returning all phone calls, which I insist my people do). Basically, when all is said and done, doesn't it all come down to the "Golden Rule"?

Hillary Ryland
Media Planning Director
RJ Palmer

I try to read Media Life every morning, but I missed Monday, which means I didn't get to read A.J. Livsey's apparently inflammatory commentary on magazine sales reps.
    But I did read Gene Ely's this morning ("Rebutting A.J.: Rant of a Media Queen") and was curious. Based on the quotes in Gene's piece from some angry sales people, I figured A.J. must be another untenured, snot-nosed, wet-behind-the-ears kid who didn't have a clue about the media business. 
   I should mention I'm a 36-year seasoned media veteran who has worked at major NYC agencies and buying services and that I have a curmudgeon box I use to deliver rants on many topics. So, I was ready to tear A.J. a new one. And I read her commentary.
   Absolutely on the money.
    Everything stated was correct. My feeling is those who have found fault with A.J. are guilty of the offenses stated in her commentary.
   The article was very well written, with just the right mix of sarcasm and irony. 
  More to the point, I didn't detect a hint of disrespect in the tone or intent. Actually, the thoughtful observations and comments read like it was written by someone with more years than A.J.
   So, as they say, "Power to yer arm!" and "Good on ya." Keep up the good work.

John Maher
Associate Media Director
FCB Southern California

     I didn't get a chance to read A.J.'s article yesterday so I read your rebuttal first ("Rebutting A.J.: Rant of a Media Queen"). 
  I expected to find a vicious attack with unfounded accusations against media reps when I finally did read A.J.'s article.
   What I found was a truthful account of what really happens more often than not in the world of print rep sales calls.
    It's also a sad truth that the most of the vociferous protests probably came from the very offenders themselves.
   Bravo A.J.! 
   By the way, I am not 26 and have been buying every media type for major accounts for 30 years. It took A.J. only four years to learn the truth.
    No wonder she left media planning.

Colleen O'Kane
EVP, Corporate Media Director
Fahlgren
Columbus, Ohio

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

   I enjoyed A.J.'s story, but have to say I was leery of her opinions since she did state her age at the beginning. 
   She may be young and only slightly less jaded than the rest of us but even those seasoned sellers have to admit she hit the nail on the head more than once.
   Since everyone is so up-in-arms about it, why not invite a sales rep to submit a "guest" article as a rebuttal? 
   That would be funny. It would be even funnier if you could find a sales rep with only five years experience who is the same age. Bet you can't find one, since most of the media giants out there burn through these poor kids like kindling.

Stacey Taylor
Media Director
Bradham-Hamilton Advertising

Andrew Ettinger
Media Supervisor
EarthQuake Media
New York

                                                                                                   Nov. 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

    Great article. You could have substituted "Radio Rep" for "Magazine Rep" and would have described our daily interactions perfectly! 
    Our company specializes in creating and placing recruitment advertising for clients on radio, TV and cable.  I can't tell you the number of "Special Recruitment Packages" we get every week that have everything to do with stations unloading trash inventory and nothing to do with targeted schedules that benefit our clients.  
   Keep up the good writing!  

John Mitton
Houston

                                                                                                    Nov. 17, 2003
Dear Editor:

   I just wanted to say thanks for the article. 
    A.J. Livsey makes some great points.  I wish this article could be sent to reps in all mediums.  
   There is nothing that bothers advertising media professionals more than reps who don't know who they're pitching to or who/what the client is all about.  
   I especially appreciate A.J. Livsey's comment about "never, ever, ever, say your publication is number one."  Especially, when the readership is less than 100,000.  Thank you A.J. Livsey for saying the things most advertising media professionals have been wanting to say for years but were afraid to at the risk of losing their jobs!

Kenneth Wolff
Burrell Communications
Chicago

                                                                                                    Nov. 17, 2003
Dear Editor:

                                                                                                    Nov. 17, 2003
Dear Editor:

   Just read A.J. Livsey's November 17 column, "Please rep, don't waste my time."
    I've been on the media planning and buying side of the desk for over 15 years, I've dealt with more than my fair share of reps, and even I was insulted by [her] very clichd and patronizing viewpoint.
   We're in a business that requires us to build relationships with our media partners, not turn them into adversaries. 
   I really like your site, but if you're going to allow some kid to use it as a place to vent about reps that apparently didn't respect [her] (i.e. kiss [her] a**) enough, I'll get my media news and viewpoints elsewhere. [She] just knocked the overall quality of your editorial down several notches. Those that can, do, A.J., those that can't criticize others.

Bruce Haynes
Vice President, Media Manager
DONER NATIONAL BROADCAST

                                                                                                    Nov. 17, 2003
Dear Editor:

   After 20+ years with DDB, leaving as SVP/Group Media Director when Omnicom opened it's OMD buying service, I think I have a pretty good perspective on what is generally right and wrong with the advertising media industry.
    Of course, we're all entitled to our opinion, especially when it comes to rights and wrongs. And in my opinion, an example of one of the wrongs is blather the likes of which A.J. Livsey posted in today's issue of Media Life.
   Many of the points in the article are accurate. But the presentation proved indicative of a huge problem I see today: kids... and that's what people with five or less years in the business are... who feel oh-so important. 
   True, media planners are swamped these days, as the Starcoms, MindShares and other behemoths squeeze budgets by heaping more work on fewer people.
    And true, many reps don't use time appropriately. My complaint with A.J.'s rant is the smugness in which it is offered. The writer personifies a problem I saw as all to common: the young and inexperienced media person as haughty, self-important, snotty know-it-all.
   Under the heading "Respect My Authority," the writer suggests assistant planners and media directors should not be treated any differently. 
   Oh, really? After I nearly did a spit-take all over my keyboard as I tried to control my laughter, I wondered, "Who supervised this person? Who taught him or her to be so self-important?
     While every media person should be treated with proper respect, if an assistant feels he or she should be considered on the same plane as the media director, they are sadly mistaken. Of course, that's not to say they should be treated poorly. 
    But neither should they be treated the same as that veteran (and that's more than just getting to age 30, A.J.) given the responsibility for the agency's media product. I hate to break it to A.J., but respecting the authority of a media assistant is pretty easy, as media assistants have no authority. They are trainees... gatekeepers. Acting otherwise... and treating experienced sales people poorly... is a disservice to one's client, and will earn one a poor reputation over time. Unfortunately it happens all too often.
    This article could have been a very helpful piece for reps and planners alike. Mr. or Ms. Livsey squandered that opportunity, even while making several valid points. 
   The value was lost in the negative and overly authoritative tone. While not knowing A.J., but based on the attitude that colors today's article, the industry is better off having this person out of the agency side of the business. This is the kind of person who gives media a bad name.
   It seems as though this supports the old saw, "Those who can't do, teach."
   That said, I really appreciate Media Life. It's a great publication and I am happy to receive it. Keep up the mostly excellent work!

Dave Wilcox
General Manager
BlackHawk Farms
Frankfort, Ill.

You got it wrong on Maury' and 'Jerry'

                                                                                                     October 14, 2003
Dear Editor:

   I read with interest your story by Kevin Downey on Tuesday, Sept. 30, headlined "In syndication, strong get stronger." 
   What Kevin may not have realized is that "Maury" and "Jerry" were in reruns, not originals. Our new season did not begin until Sept. 14--so naturally their ratings would be lower than other shows in originals.
   Also, for Kevin to single out "Maury" and "Jerry" as two of the weaker shows in syndication is odd since in reality they are among the strongest and longest-running.
   "Maury" finished the 2002-03 season as one of the top-rated talk shows in syndication (frequently surpassing "Live with Regis and Kelly").
    It regularly gets numbers that are more than twice the size of the highest-rated new shows--they could only dream of having numbers that large--and a majority of the returning programs.
   In fact, it may interest Kevin to know that "Maury" has routinely beaten "Oprah" in the coveted women 18-34 demographic.
   "Jerry," meanwhile, has consistently ranked among the top five talk shows for six straight seasons--an amazing feat for any series. Only "Oprah" can claim the same. It was also the first and only talk show to have beaten "Oprah" for an entire season and, in the current third quarter, it has posted year-to-year growth despite being mostly in summer reruns.
   Media Life ran a story based on outdated numbers--on the very day the new national rankings report was released. The numbers change dramatically each week, especially when first-run shows are debuting for the new season with originals. Every other trade that week reported ratings information for the week of Sept. 15. That is when "Maury" and "Jerry" were up 12 percent and 5 percent, respectively, week-to-week for their season premieres.
   "Jerry" and "Maury" were relatively flat year-to-year during their debut week, holding up quite well against massive hurricane preemptions in East Coast markets.

Jim Benson
Senior vice president
Universal Television Distribution

The editor responds: The premise of the story holds. Ratings for the most popular syndicated shows tend to be going up while ratings for less popular programs tend to be falling. That isn't a trend limited to a single week but is an ongoing one that has been pronounced early this season. That pattern was apparent for the week of Sept. 15, which included the "Maury" and "Jerry Springer" premieres. Focusing on talk shows and based on a comparison of household ratings to the same week last year, as opposed to a week earlier when some shows were still in reruns, the three top-rated programs posted significant year-to-year increases while four of the five lower rated shows were down or flat to last year. "Oprah" was up 18.3 percent, to a 7.1 rating, "Dr. Phil" was up 18.2 percent, to a 5.2, and "Live with Regis and Kelly" was up 2.9 percent, to a 3.5. At the same time, "Maury" was down 3.4 percent, to a 2.8, "Jerry" was flat at a 2.2, "Ricki Lake" was down 14.3 percent, to a 1.2, and "John Walsh" was flat at a 1.1.

Flaw in George's thinking

                                                                                                     July 18, 2003
Dear Editor:

  Re: "Oh, for the day when I choose my entertainment" by George Simpson.
 What makes George think that he won't have to pay $125 a month (probably, by then it will $225 a month given cable rate hikes) PLUS the $4.95 per to download a movie? Expect a price fixed cable menu with all of the goodies to be al a carte.

Dorothy Schatzkin
Media Partnership Corporation
Norwalk, Conn.

On SUVs and Jesus

                                                                                                     July 15, 2003
Dear Editor:
  Re: "SUV owners: Don't tell us what Jesus would drive"
   Who really cares?
    SUV owners already have the right to drive whatever they want and Liberal Christians have just as much right to spread their philosophical views.
   The only purpose these ads serve is to put some extra money into the USA Today coffers, give the "What Would Jesus Drive?" campaign a little more mileage, and brand those who think driving the modern equivalent of the station wagon is "really cool" as doofuses.

Dave Woodall
Media director
smith/phillips/dipietro
Yakima, Wash.

Selling America in the Arab world

                                                                                                     July 11, 2003
Dear Editor:

   Re: "Now, a word from our sponsor, the U.S. . ."
    George is half right.
  It's not an advertising issue, but it is a branding issue. Once again, the world largely confuses the two. First you create the brand, then you raise the brand's awareness with advertising and PR.
  Simply raising awareness does nothing: everyone knows about cancer, but how many people want it?

Rob Frankel
Frankel & Anderson
Los Angeles

Morning papers are quite vital

                                                                                                     July 7, 2003
Dear Editor:

  Re: "Booming newspapers, just not here" of 24 June 2003.
    The article gives a good comprehensive coverage of various newspaper markets across the world.
   We at the Times group, publishers of The Times of India, the world's largest English daily broadsheet, are in a constant process of evaluating international media trends to realign our business suitably.
   Over the last few years we have come across various media reports indicating that the newspaper business in mature markets is on a gradual decline, as also pointed out in the Media Life article. 
   The trend in total U.S. newspaper circulation as reported by Newspaper Association of America indeed supports the declining trend.
    However if the data on total circulation is disaggregated for morning' and evening' newspapers, an entirely different picture emerges. 
   Morning newspapers in the U.S. have increased in circulation from 24 million in 1960 to nearly 47 million in 2000 and evening newspapers in the corresponding period have reduced in circulation from 35 million to 9 million. 
   The number of morning newspapers in the same period has increased from 312 to 766 and number of evening newspapers has declined from 1459 to 727.
   We observed very similar trends in the biggest newspaper market of the world, Japan, and in Canada. On the basis of circulation alone, the morning market is more than five times the evening market. For the lack of data at our end, we hazard a guess that advertising market for morning newspapers would be at least 10 times that of evening newspapers. 
   We thus feel that in any trend evaluation of the newspaper industry, the morning and evening newspaper markets should be commented on independently, being two very different segments. 
   
Sumit Mittal
Bennett Coleman & Co. Ltd.
New Delhi , India

The Bernie I remember

                                                                                                     July 7, 2003
Dear Editor:

    I was a 21-year-old journalism student straight out of college when I had the extraordinary fortune of landing as a sales assistant to Brad Jones in the Newport Beach, California, office of Inc. Magazine.
   I didn't know it then but our odds were long to survive more than a year or two, the publishing business being the dog-eat-dog world it is. But led by Bernie, and inspired by his personal and financial commitments, we plowed ahead, not afraid to rub shoulder with Business Week and Fortune and Forbes (the Big Boys), convinced our message would strike a cord with readers. And it did.
   I left after only three years but not before having had the good fortune to meet Bernie personally and work on a day-to-day basis with the staff in Boston, all professionals, and all like family.
   I have thought many times of Bernie and the rest of the gang over the years.
    Hearing of his passing brings me sadness, even after all these years. He was a genius and a risk-taker, and publishing, as well as the world, is a lesser place without him.

Cindy Ellinger-Schwermer
Villing & Company
Mishawaka, Indiana

On the matter of Spike TV and your coverage

                                                                                                     June 20, 2003
Dear Editor:

 Interesting self-realization: I only enjoy the catty tone and op-ed writing style of Media Life Magazine when I agree with the slant of the article.
   There is an obvious anti-Spike Lee skew to your coverage of his injunction against TNN, and it bugs. The suit has, as your article points out, far reaching legal implications for our industry as well as others, and as such, warrants objective coverage.
    A definite and immediate association is made by the general public when the word "spike" is used in conjunction with entertainment. I'm not convinced that Viacom renamed its network to purposely profit from the use of the name, but I, for one, was sure that Spike TV was a Spike Lee enterprise and was curious as to what he was going to do on cable TV.
   To find out that Spike TV had nothing to do with the man made me immediately wonder if Spike was cool with the new name of the network. 
   I'm not surprised that he isn't. Programming content aside, the consumer takeaway from the title "Spike TV" is that the network is somehow his. With consideration of the content, I feel Spike has a right to protect his image from an association with raunch, and is valid in his legal pursuit.

Patricia Chambers
Media Consultant
Los Angeles

                                                                                                    June 20, 2003
Dear Editor:

    For all I know there is an attempt to cash in on Spike Lee's fame and fortune. 
   However, we should be reminded that before Lee there was Jones and hundreds or even thousands of long drinks of water with the nickname "Spike." 
   And your writer is right. There is no special magic to this name that used to be attached to tall, thin guys.

Nancy Lindemeyer
Ardsley-on-Hudson, NY

                                                                                                     June 20, 2003
Dear Editor:

   In reading the piece "After Spike spat, whither TNN?" I found myself re-checking the heading and the home page to see whether I was reading a news article or a commentary. 
   In the middle of reporting on Viacom's legal troubles over its choice of name for TNN, I was puzzled to find statements about the legal merits or "silly grounds" of Mr. Lee's suit. I went back to make sure that I had not missed quotation marks around the comments, expecting that such commentary must be attributable to a news source and not to the reporter. Did I miss something?
   As an attorney, I find the characterization of Mr. Lee's by the article short-sighed at least; after all, the courts have not had their final say. At a minimum, the comments were inappropriate in an article purporting to be news. 
   Further, as a woman I find it reasonable that a public person would want to disassociate himself and his image with the tasteless, and yes psuedo-pornographic, content planned by TNN for its relaunch as Spike.

Cheryl Ann Tolbert

Come on, Radar's not all that great

                                                                                                     June 20, 2003
Dear Editor:
   "The best new general interest magazine to find its way to newsstands in ages"? ("In praise of Radar, a promise delivered")
     Is our memory that short or are we so totally starved for a magazine that's not (a) lorded over by publicists, (b) feeding on insecure women, or (c) feeding cleavage and fart jokes to "lads", that our standards are at a low?
   Radar is ok, and thank god someone is trying something different, but it's not nearly as funny/irreverent as Spy was, nor as funny/smart as Might was.

Brad Kloza
Brooklyn

Don't blame the NBA finals on small-market teams

                                                                                                     June 17, 2003
Dear Editor:

     I agree with your basic premise that small TV markets equal small championship ratings. 
   However, I'd like to point something out to you. If you look at a DMA map of LA, Anaheim is definitely part of the LA market. Although Anaheim is  33 miles from downtown LA, that's not that far in LA distance terms. People commute much further than that every day.
   Also the Devils and Nets play in the Meadowlands, which is almost right across the George Washington Bridge and Hudson River from Manhattan (generally considered the heart of NYC). 
   Even if you argue that these suburban teams don't have the appeal of their urban cousins, you still have to keep in mind that if the state of New Jersey was a separate TV market, it would still probably be in the top 10 in population rank. 
   Maybe some additional factors are also at work here because the only one of the teams mentioned that fits the mold you're casting is the San Antonio Spurs.
 
Arnold Boatner
Senior Account Manager
Interactive Market Systems
Los Angeles

Thanks for your defense of Martha

                                                                                                     June 9, 2003
Dear Editor:

     I want to take a minute from a very busy day to congratulate you on your very smart column on Martha Stewart ("A modest, reasoned defense of Martha: What we are watching is an egregious abuse of power"). 
   You are absolutely correct and anyone who believes that what is happening to Martha Stewart is totally justified should ask themselves why haven't we seen the monsters from Enron and Tyco, etc., subjected to at least the same kind of smear and destroy campaign?
   Martha's no saint but she is, as you point out, entitled to what the law entitles everyone else to: innocent until proven guilty. 
   She's also, God help me, a woman - and perhaps not in the inner Bush-supermachotestosterone circle, so an easier and less protected target.

Nancy Haynes
Communications Director
Collins, Haynes & Lully Advertising
Charlotte, N.C.

                                                                *

                                                                                                       
Dear Editor:
  Thank you for the Martha Stewart defense. I made the same point at a dinner party this past weekend and was accused of playing the gender card. 
    I've forwarded your piece in my own defense.

Christine Salem
Director, Specialty Publishing and Strategic Planning
Outside Magazine
Santa Fe

F. Williamson Price
New York