LETTER FROM THE EDITOR: WELCOME USA WEEKEND, `BIZZARO'

A new year brings two changes to the Southeast Missourian. The first one you already know about: "Bizarro" is replacing "Far Side" on the comics pages Monday through Saturday. The second one is a return to USA Weekend as our Sunday magazine, replacing Parade.

"Bizarro" starts Monday on the comics page after getting the most votes in a reader poll. Gary Larson, the creator of "Far Side," is retiring. He will be missed by many readers.

USA Weekend starts today. Many readers will remember that Parade was a Sunday fixture in the Missourian for years until it was replaced by USA Weekend in the mid-1980s. A couple of years ago the switch was made back to Parade, and now we have USA Weekend again. Why?

There are several reasons.

Content: USA Weekend has responded to the requests from readers and editors to upgrade its content and become more relevant to today's reading interests.

Throughout the year, USA Weekend will have special theme issues that give readers an in-depth look at topics that are generating the most interest. In addition, Cape Girardeau has been selected as one of the magazine's focus sites for 1995. this means special polls on some issues will include readers of the Southeast Missourian, and poll results will be broken out to show our views.

There also will be opportunities during the year for the Missourian's own news staff to coordinate special coverage with USA Weekend.

Another feature of USA Weekend is "Make a Difference Day," which is part of a national effort to call attention to people who are doing something good. This project is assisted by the Points of Life Foundation and its volunteer centers across the nation.

USA Weekend also connects readers through interactive stories. Toll-free telephone numbers allow readers to participate in the stories and public-opinion polling.

A popular feature of USA Weekend is the summer fiction series. Last summer there were six new pieces of fiction by some of the most popular authors around: Clive Barker, John Jakes, Louise Erdrich, Douglas Coupland, Susan Cheever and Bebe Moore Campbell.

Advertising: As with all newspaper decisions, a major consideration is the ability to produce revenue. During the year, USA Weekend offers 14 advertising tie-in promotions that allow the Missourian's sales staff to coordinate its efforts with themes that range from Valentine's Day to travel to entertaining to the introduction of the 1996 automobile lineup.

Practical considerations: There are some easy-to-understand practical reasons for making USA Weekend a part of the Missourian. These include cost, plus the flexibility to put the magazine in any day's edition that we choose. For now we want USA Weekend to be part of the Sunday paper, but the option to put it in Saturday's paper or another day of the week is there.

Choosing a Sunday magazine is difficult when the choices are USA Weekend and Parade. Both are good magazines, and both have their strong points. I hope you have enjoyed Parade these past months, and I hope you will look forward to USA Weekend each Sunday.