Change.
Does anyone really like it? I know our readers really don't.
Since we made changes to our features section the first part of
this month, I've received several calls and e-mails complaining about
the decision to move the Faith page from Page 2 to deeper inside the
paper.
The message of the callers was that we had relegated religion to a
less-than-important topic with our actions.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
First, let's talk about the feature that we placed on Page 2 on
Saturdays instead of Faith.
The page is called Boomers and Beyond and it is dedicated to
activities and stories from the older set in town, something that was
missing from our pages in years past.
A large portion of the Daily Pilot readership falls in that older
category, so we believed it was time we gave them more reasons to
read the paper.
Just a side note: I have to admit that the title of the page
didn't come from one of our newsroom staffers, but from Melissa
Adams, a Newport Beach library staffer.
Adams has been writing our Check It Out library book feature for
years. And one day she was in my office and we were talking about the
new feature page we wanted to start for seniors.
I mentioned to her that many Baby Boomers were now becoming
seniors themselves, but that they disliked that descriptor. So we
were trying to come up with a name for the page that would encompass
all those of advancing age.
You know, people who hit let's say, 50, but they aren't ready to
give up golf for shuffleboard yet.
That's when she suggested the name Boomers and Beyond and it
stuck.
Thanks, Melissa.
Page 2 seemed like a natural place to start it. But even more, we
wanted to add to our religion coverage that already features the
great work of Cindy Trane Christeson's long-running column The Moral
of the Story.
So I picked up a feature that we are doing in another of our
papers called In Theory. Each week, we will ask local clergyman some
of the burning questions of the day and get their feedback.
In addition to that, we will have an expanded faith calendar,
giving churches and religious groups a better shot at seeing their
activities get in the paper. In addition, we hope to expand the
religion coverage with stories on churches or church leaders or
church groups that will team up with our weekly features.
I think religious leaders will see more coverage not less,
something that is not possible to accomplish with the limited space
we have on Page 2.
So I know, change is hard. But I have faith, that in time, our
