Saturday 7 November 2009

Pat Surphlis out

Pat Surphlis,a tireless promoter of the Toronto Sun for more than 25 years, was cut from the shrinking ranks at 333 on Thursday.

Pat, director of promotion and the biggest cheerleader you could find in print media circles, was affectionately labeled Promo Queen by Sun columnist Mike Strobel.

Now, she is another cutback casualty, one more name dropped from the Comment masthead. It is getting lonely at the top without a managing editor, editor-in-chief, promotion director etc.

Always appreciated by the founders of the Sun when the tabloid was reaching for the moon, Pat was one of the unsung heroes at the paper.

The effervescent staffer, with a winning smile, devoted years to promoting the Sun, mingling with sports celebrities, auto execs, delegates at media conferences etc.

Her pro-Sun zest took her wherever she could promote the paper, including the annual Toronto Sun Fitness Weekend and other reader-oriented events.

Pat was among the many women in the Sun workplace to make a difference over the years. We don't see her being idle for long with her credentials.

All the best, Promo Queen.

Comments about Pat's exit can be e-mailed to TSF.

3 comments:

  1. Good luck in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. And so what's the company's reason for her departure? Don't worry, we can promote ourselves with our website managed by one person?

    Best of luck Pat, you'll be back on your feet in no time. Another loss for the Sun and someone else's gain.

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  3. Quote: ...the biggest cheerleader you could find in print media circles..."

    Absolutely right! In today's world with a hundred TV channels and a zillion web sites, marketing and promotion is *the* most important part of any business. Marketing is the *only* thing that generates money; everything else generates cost.

    Pat Surphlis and Sun promotions: Women's Fitness weekend, public tours of the Sun building, annual open house, Sunshine Girl appearances at various events and fundraisers, big groups of contest winners vacationing down south --> all great ways to connect with the readers, which no other newspaper in Toronto ever did.

    Today, who cares?

    ReplyDelete