The Examiner celebrates its two-week birthday Wednesday. And, of course, lots has happened.
A small load of complaints mostly ? from folks who want their newspaper and didn?t get it started right away. It is a failing I hate but represents a bump in the road for your new newspaper. We?ll get better, I promise. A sprinkling of readers don?t want The Examiner, some who travel lots, some who fear it will hit the recycling stack as fast as other publications they get.
We?re stopping those deliveries and adding names of others to replace them. They?ll be back, I think, or slip down to the corner to grab one from our bright red Examiner boxes or check us out at examiner.com.
Two good-looking dogs appear in an Examiner TV commercial, baleful (perhaps) after their owner pulls an Examiner from under their food dishes, scattering their chow, simply because she forgot she had not finished dwelling on every word we published. Lots of folks liked it. A few thought we were fomenting dog abuse. I love dogs. But never mind that. These dogs, Perkins and Baxter, are Screen Actors Guild members who got union scale ? $2,500 ? to do this spot. They do a lot of commercials and receive lots of treats during filming. Neither was harmed during the filming of this spot.
Two biggest content complaints relate to death notices and final Orioles scores. We will be running death notices and, as soon as production and delivery are stabilized, our performance on late sports will improve.
Our opening editorial mentioned some Baltimore institutions, and institutional ought-to-bes, and we were reminded of loads we had missed.
So here are a couple more, and I?m taking nominations for those you think should be mentioned going forward. That kind of mention is “good news” in the most valid sense, mentioning and taking note of that which makes this such a terrific seaport to call home.
Found a real barber shop, The Quintessential Gentleman, 31 South Calvert Street. Haircuts, steamy towels, straight razor shaves and a shoeshine while you?re in the chair?plus a pool table. Owner Craig Martin, who knew a lot about barber shops before he opened one, notes that the Lord Baltimore hotel had a 12-chair shop in its heyday.
And we?re really fortunate to live in the hometown of the National Aquarium, our Pratt Street neighbor, whose Australian exhibit is rightfully attracting a steady stream of kids, parents and teachers leading spring field trips.
On a serious note, terrorist Zacarias Moussaoui should go to prison forever and we the people shouldn?t martyr him and let his memory inspire others who hate us.
Gasoline is approaching $3 a gallon; college tuition at our Maryland universities, state and private continues to climb; your check to BGE will be larger after July 1.
Your Examiner is free. The Calvert Street daily has a subscription offer at its Web site for $65 for 26 weeks (those of you who aren?t new subscribers may be paying more?) which could go toward a college fund, gas for your car or heat for your house. Please enjoy your newspaper ? free ? and continue to send via e-mail ([email protected]) more of the great news tips you?ve showered us with in the first 10 days. This is your newspaper; please help us make it a better one.
Michael Phelps is President and Publisher of The Baltimore Examiner
