Thursday 5 March 2009

Comics: Blame Glenn

Updated 06/03/09
Sun Media's decision to switch to one comics provider for the Sun tabloids was based on money, not laughs, says an online story.

The story says Creators Syndicate has locked up five major Canadian dailies, becoming the exclusive provider of comic features for the Toronto, Ottawa, Edmonton, Winnipeg and Calgary Suns.

The decision to go with a single syndicate was a business decision by Glenn Garnett, vice president, editorial at Sun Media Corporation, says the Daily Cartoonist.

The comics are Rubes, Strange Brew, Zack Hill, The Barn, Agnes, Daddy’s Home, On a Claire Day, Doug Eat Doug, and Scary Gary.

Raise your hand if you have a favourite among today's comic strips, one that generates a genuine chuckle.

The story says while some fans of other comics from other syndicates might be disappointed, Garnett says there hasn’t been any major complaints from readers apart from the few that were anticipated.

That's not what readers have been saying in letters to the Toronto Sun and on blogs, including TSF. Our feedback is you get what you pay for and in this case, what Sun comics readers got is not a barrel of laughs.

(Check out the online feedback to the story.)

But hey, the comics are filling space for less money.

A TSF reader found something amusing in the Daily Cartoonist story.

"They don’t have to pay all the different syndicate fees that come with al-a-carte approach,” one quote reads.

The TSF reader says: "I always thought the expression was 'à la carte.' Or maybe they put some guy named Al on a carte. That could be funny."

3 comments:

  1. How do you think Glenn got to where he is?
    By telling PKP only what PKP wants to hear.
    Quality be damned, we can do it cheaper, Mr. Peladeau!

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  2. I doubt people would complain because they have given up long ago on the Sun being a quality paper.

    The company is certainly lowering itself to peoples expectations.

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  3. "Sun Media's decision ... was based on money..."

    Anyone here surprised?

    "... Creators Syndicate has locked up five major Canadian dailies..."

    Which major dailies went the cheap route? All the Sun papers. Who would've guessed?

    ReplyDelete