YOUR COMMENTS

How about more pregame coverage of local high school sports (Derryfield, Central, Memorial, Trinity, and West?)

More information beyond the "small print" NHIAA calendar on the scoreboard page might help boost attendance.
- Sportsfan, Manchester

What did I write? Gotta kick the coffee in the morning and use English.

'Just suggesting UL create some balance to their editorials, or welcome some other folks to submit opposing points of view.

And try positivism amid the doom and gloom and "crime all the time."

And I'm sure selling UL advertisements was easier when 75,000 papers sold each day.
- Gary, Manchester

Sure, eventually the Union-Leader would like to be the only paper in the world, but in the meantime, what is good for an up-country paper is good for them too. Baseball fans in Concord and Nashua don't realize that the Fisher Cats generated interest for them locally rather than stealing away ticket sales; Manchester Millrats doubled their attendance partly based on the U-L's coverage of a new team in Portland, Maine the night before.

And sure, newsprint is becoming obsolete, despite a previous column's paean to the joy of holding a newspaper--but the U-L is staking out territory in the new world too, as all readers of this obviously know.
- Spike, Brentwood NH

To the Self Appointed CFO

A finacially strong UL would be dependent on two key items. One being revenues. Does anyone there has an idea how to sell? Is there follow up with customers? Do sales people chase leads like a reporter chasing a story. Subscriptions alone do not generate the much needed revenue. The UL can't print its own currency like Obama does. Two it is obvious the unions at the UL will need to take pay cuts like to other newspapers nationwide to survive.

Sounds like the self appointed one is "self centered"
- Dan, Tuftonboro

"I'm not sure I got the last guy's point."

I don't thin the last guy understood his point either. That is the big problem with people these days, they hoot and holler about thing they know nothing about.
- Bill, Wolfeboro

Readers no doubt appreciate this new-found UL openness to feedback from readers and your public. Companies that learn to market successfully survive industry downturns. Newsprint is today's poster child for such challenges.

Listening to feedback from all -- and using that data to provide a news mix that reflects all readers' interests -- could ring the bell in the UL subscription department. And readership powers advertising...

Balancing UL editorial efforts with well-researched counterpoint by respected voices could enlarge readership as well. Democracy works best because many minds are usually better than the best of any minds.

Educating the public through news reporting is real-world education, the first fight for freedom. A balanced presentation of viewpoints would allow each citizen to decide what is best, and voice that conviction in the voting booths.

Best practice is calling, UL. Take the high road.

As your masthead mentor, Daniel Webster, noted, "There's always room at the top."
- Gary, Manchester

Seems to me that you should be trying to knock these guys off to gain subscriptions, not rooting for them.

Tough times for sure in the newspaper biz. Here is a big hint for the UL, they are going to get worse irrespective of which way the economy goes.

Time to dust off that capitalism 101 book.

I (and lots of others) particularly need a place to sound off on issues that are important to me. That means a financially strong UL. So you have responsibilities to me and others that are quite frankly more important.

Yours Truly
Bob
Self Appointed CFO
- Bob, Salem