LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: SURVEYS PROVIDE FEEDBACK

Over the past few weeks the Southeast Missourian has been doing a bit of informal polling as part of the USA Weekend Trivia Contest. Readers have been asked to indicate how much they read local columnists, special sections, TV Update and comics

It is interesting that most of the respondents to the trivia quiz have been women -- anywhere from 82 percent to 87 percent of the total. As you can imagine, readership among women is distinctly different from what men say they read most. As a result, the survey results are skewed, and it is easy to see that the results of these mini-surveys aren't scientific at all.

Nonetheless, the survey results provide a glimpse at what the readers who responded like a lot and don't like so much. For example, a few weeks ago readers were asked which local columnists (the ones on Page 2A five days a week) they read. Here are the results (men's and women's responses are combined):

Mark Bliss 37 percent

Bill Heitland 26 percent

Sam Blackwell 24 percent

Joe Sullivan 30 percent

Heidi Nieland 67 percent

None 10 percent

Among the women respondents, Heidi Nieland's column rated even higher: 75 percent. That is quite a good showing for any newspaper feature, and it certainly should make one of our newest staff members extremely proud.

Another survey asked readers which special sections they read:

Business 70 percent

Learning 50 percent

Home 75 percent

Arts & Leisure 59 percent

Health 72 percent

Lifestyle 80 percent

Finance 37 percent

As expected, the section that rated among the best read by women (Home) was the least read by men. And the section the men said they read most (Finance) was the lowest among women. Interestingly, both men and women indicated high readership of Business.

TV Update came in with high readership among men and women:

Read TV Update 82 percent

Use all week 75 percent

Readers provide considerable feedback about TV Update on a continuous basis, which goes to show how much interest they have in the listings as reflected by the high readership.

Finally, the comics:

Calvin & Hobbs 49 percent

For Better/Worse 54 percent

Garfield 65 percent

Frank & Ernest 42 percent

Geech 35 percent

Cathy 35 percent

Peanuts 64 percent

Blondie 63 percent

Beetle Bailey 55 percent

Ziggy 44 percent

Bizarro 25 percent

Family Circus 74 percent

Bleachers 26 percent

Hi & Lois 61 percent

Born Loser 55 percent

It is interesting that the time-tested comics like "Blondie" and "Peanuts" retain high readership, while family-oriented comics do well overall. The lowest readership among those responding to the survey is for some of the newer, offbeat comics like "Bizarro" and "In the Bleachers."

Does all of this mean my column and Bill Heitland's, which were among the least-read in the bunch, will be dropped? Frankly, no. In the first place, no editor likes to see his precious words kicked out the door, and editors have some say in the matter. And a fourth of the Missourian's readers -- including me -- like Heitland's column, so it will stay too.

What the survey shows more than anything else is that variety is what makes a successful newspaper. No newspaper can even attempt to provide readers only with what everyone will like. But a well-rounded newspaper will offer enough so that everyone will find something of interest.

~R. Joe Sullivan is the editor of the Southeast Missourian.