RedEye’s Got It Going On
Re: “What’s Black and White and Dead All Over?” by Whet Moser, March 12
Find enough of the right users to financially survive. If RedEye can do that—in print, no less—then it’s a model to seriously consider. Besides, its focus group is distracted people in transit. For those people at that moment, they just want packaging, not a soul.
James
Why not give RedEye its congrats on a great distribution strategy? I hear you on Huffington Post walking the line of stealing content. But you seemed to give them credit for figuring out the digital distribution game. Seems like from your visual sweep of Chicago transit that RedEye has maximized their distribution opportunity. So could RedEye with improved content (which probably comes with a higher cost) grow its engagement with readers and deliver more value for its advertisers and increase revenue?
Brad Robertson
Livid Over Liver
Re: “The Golden Goose” by Mike Sula, March 12
Thank you so much for listing the Chicago restaurants that serve foie gras. It makes it so much easier NOT to patronize restaurants that condon and promote animal abuse and cruelty. I will never go to any of those shitty restaurants, and will be sure to pass this info on to family and friends.
Thank you again,
Terri Barreras
The Foie Gras food war that transpired in Chicago was absurd. None of the aldermen who initially voted for the foie gras ban were vegetarians. There was no mention that cows, pigs, lambs, chickens and turkeys also experience traumatic and inhumane existences prior to their heinous slaughter. It’s now high time for vegetarians to unite and declare a bona fide food war as a means to protect all God’s creatures from ever becoming carcasses inside human digestive tracts.
Brien Comerford
Glenview
Good article, Mr. Sula. I’ve read Mark Caro’s book, and I’ve also visited 3 U.S. foie gras farms. Most important for me: these are responsible relatively small agricultural operations. They are not factory farms, as some of the anti-FG sites claim. (There *are* industrial FG farms in France and Quebec, but protesters hardly ever make a distinction.) The owners of the U.S. farms are food progressives—responsible omnivores like Caro. For some staunch anti-meat activists, this is an oxymoron, and therefore justifies deceptive, ill-founded claims. It’s noteworthy that Philadelphia is having its second annual Foie Gras Week without intervention from the former “Hugs for Puppies” protesters (who have been sued in the past for their extreme tactics, but seem to be now adopting a more civil approach).
Kate
Changes at the SAIC
Re: The Business by Deanna Isaacs, March 12
I, like [previous commenters] Diane and Art mom, have a daughter who is about to sign her acceptance letter, with plans to start at SAIC in the fall. We chose the school over a few key alternatives, all art schools, because of the philosophy, culture and, mostly, the breadth of course offerings at the school. They were the key differentiators that skewed the favor to SAIC .
Putting aside for a moment that some of the proposed changes would feel a bit like “bait and switch” to those of us who just signed on for diversity, there are a few fundamental business reasons to use real caution in considering these changes. (I say this as someone who also went to art school, and has depth in business management in a creative industry.)
The more SAIC begins to resemble some of its less expensive competitors, the less inclined some students and parents might be to pay a premium to attend school there. It’s no gain if you lose your franchise. I am reminded of a brand manager some years back who decided to change the look and taste of Coca Cola classic. Never forget who your target audience is, and why they buy your brand.
Sam