"N" not DOA

The absence of "Ns" in the Toronto Sun's daily TV grid is temporary, Rob Granatstein, editorial page editor, tells TSF in an e-mail.

"Had you asked, you would have been told the (N) will be coming back," he writes. "It's a hiccup with our new provider. We're working to get it back ASAP."

TSF: Good, but were readers told of the new provider and the hiccup?

Rob also writes:

"No change to Strobel and Bono. Both still going strong."

TSF: More applause.

"Sue-Ann goes to the news pages three times a week, still in Comment on Sundays, but that does equal an extra column from our beloved City Hall columnist, too."

TSF: Howard Moscoe will be pleased.

"And we said the guide was revamped.

"We didn't want to change, but we have a new listings provider now. And we were one of the very last holdouts in North America to still run the vertical listings. Until today."

TSF: We would comment on the new look, but store-bought Sunday Suns don't include the guide.

"Finally, news isn't being used as column content. Our columnists also happen to be our senior reporters - Warmington, Bonokoski, Levy, Mandel, Strobel, Blizzard - to name a few. Our columnists are generating news. In newspapers in this era, we don't have the luxury of sending a team to every story. We wish it was still 1978, but it's not."

TSF: Damn fine talent in any decade, but when columns read like news stories, they are news stories.

"You may have seen the headlines about papers being in trouble, laying off people, going bankrupt, seeking protection. We wish we had the staff of days gone by. We don't. But our reporters and columnists are working harder than ever, producing more, while our editors are sweating every decision on what to cover and what we have to let go."

TSF: Quebecor is the only reason Sun Media employees are working harder than ever to produce more with less and PKP'a grand centralization plan that led to massive layoffs and cutbacks was hatched long before the recession and downturn in advertising. Sun Media is profitable, but unlike 1978, it is all take and no give and that is a travesty.

"We want the paper to be as good as possible."

TSF: People outside of 333 who believe in the Toronto Sun and want the tabloid to be as good as possible applaud what you are managing to do daily with depleted troops and resources. You do it because you are proud journalists, not to impress detached bean counters up the corporate ladder who couldn't care less about employee rewards and awards.

"We'll get that (N) back as soon as we can."

TSF: Thank you on behalf of couch potatoes everywhere. And kudos to the daily TV page editors for the perfect page. Adding daytime talk shows was brilliant.

And one more bouquet while we are at it. The Daily Dish is far more entertaining now with a variety of wire and staff offerings, sans WENN.