Today’s column paraphrases the message on the billboards for “Bob Patterson,” the new sitcom about a troubled motivational speaker. Let’s call it: “Help me help you to help me help you.”
Nearly every day at the newspaper, the Insideajc telephone line and e-mail address gets about 200 to 300 messages from people trying to navigate this huge organization. Here are the most important tips to keep in mind:
It’s all on Page Two: The handiest reference guide to the newspaper is printed every day on Page Two, in the top right corner of both the Constitution and the Journal. (On Sundays it’s on the bottom left corner.) Clip it out and save it. Put it on the refrigerator and leave it there. The next time you need something from us, the likelihood is that one of the numbers there will be your stating point.
The Page Two box includes the main numbers for Circulation, Advertising, Classified Advertising and all the newsroom numbers — Business, Metro, Photo, Living and Sports.
It only takes a minute: Let’s start at the No. 1 source of calls to the newspaper — circulation issues.
Like other newspapers our size, the Journal-Constitution several years back set up an automated telephone circulation request system that makes it infinitely easier to handle the vast majority of daily requests we get.
By calling our main Circulation number, 404-522-4141, you can handle everything from reporting a wet paper that needs to be replaced to arranging to have delivery stopped while you are on vacation.
The automated system is a bit impersonal, but it works amazingly well. I’ve used it many times. The process takes about a minute, but when you are finished the information goes directly to the people responsible for carrying out your request.
You also have the option of talking with a customer service representative directly instead of using the automated system. Please consider that during peak circulation hours — roughly 6 a.m. until 9 or 10 a.m. — the customer service reps can be very busy and you may be better off trying the automated system.
Classified Advertising: Most people and businesses that advertise with the newspaper do so through the Classified Ad department, which has its own automated telephone system. It works similar to the one in Circulation and it can handle the majority of your needs.
Reprints, Research and Archives: The Page Two box also contains some important information if you want copies of stories reprinted or old stories from our files. Here’s some more help: We keep a Web version of all our stories for the previous seven days on ajc.com. That’s free.
For stories older than that, our Web archive address, stacks.ajc.com, has almost every story we have written since 1985. Searching for the stories is free, but if you want to view and print out the full text, there is a charge.
If you need further research or more info, call the Stacks numbers. One other handy note: If you want copies of the newspaper for the previous 30 days, you can usually get them through the Circulation Department, at 404-526-5024.
The news editors you need to know: At the top right corner of the front page of each section you’ll find that section’s editor’s name, e-mail address and phone number. They’ll answer your questions, or find someone who can. If you just want to comment, they’ll listen. They are very busy people, but they take reader comments and concerns very seriously — we talk about them every day — and appreciate hearing from you.
And finally, there’s me: I hope that by channeling circulation, advertising and research calls to the right numbers, I can spend more time answering your questions and dealing with your concerns about news coverage. Here’s how you can help me:
When you call, or write, be succinct and as specific as you can. Read me the story’s headline and the page number and tell me what I need to know so I can check something out before responding.
We’re big, yes, but if we can get you to the right people, they’re ready to help.
