LETTERS

Circulation Management, April 1, 2003

CO-PALLETIZATION FEEDBACK

In reading the article, "Co-Palletization Discounts Effective April 20," (February, page 16), I noticed an error that should be brought to your attention. On page 18, the article reads, "Other players are also expected to offer co-palletization services, but 'They haven't hung out their shingles yet,' says one distribution executive." That is not a true statement. Publishers Press has been co-palletizing and drop shipping short- to medium-run publications for more than three years.

If the distribution executive had been named, it could have been written off as ignorance of the competitive environment, but by using the quote in anonymity, CM gave it validity. As a result, it appears that the lack of industry knowledge shifts to CM. I hope that you will do something to set the record straight.

Ned Kulka, Marketing Director, Publishers Press, Inc.

Editor's reply : The article was intended to announce that the new rates would be going into effect, along with some new efforts to take advantage of these discounts. We did not mean to imply that others have not been offering co-palletization and drop-shipping services in the past, and apologize if that was the impression given. A number of printers have been offering these services for years now.

ANOTHER SPORN FAN

I spent most of my career (1966 through 1998) with the Circulation Group at Meredith Corp., and held the position of VP, director of circulation during the 1980's and until 1992. One of my most rewarding experiences had to be working with Larry Sporn (see tribute, Letters, February, page 8).

Larry consulted with our Des Moines circulation group for a short period during the late 1980's. Meredith was into a period of rapid magazine expansion, having started Wood, Country Home, Traditional Home and Midwest Living, along with the purchase of Ladies' Home Journal...I quickly came to respect Larry's knowledge and enjoy him as a personality. Frankly, he did a lot to convince our non-circulation management that we were pretty damn good circulators, and particularly strong in the area of direct mail solicitation. I'd rank him as the best circulation mind we had the pleasure to work with in my years at Meredith.

It's terrific that he was remembered in the pages of CM. You should start a CM Hall of Fame. I'd put Larry's name on the first ballot.

Clem Sevde, Norwalk, IA