A nameless, faceless editor? Not me

I 've spent quite a scary week this week ... trying to get into your minds.
Now don't take that in a bad way, it's just that I have been looking long and hard at research I have just received on your reading habits.
You might recall in August we asked you to complete a survey on what you liked and didn't like in the Bay of Plenty Times.
Over 1000 readers responded to the survey which we think was a great result considering how busy everyone is these days.
And with that sort of response we feel we have a solid amount of information on which to base decisions on what we might do with the paper in the months and years ahead.
We have taken the raw data and drilled into it a little further to discover the types of people who responded, whether they are subscribers or casual buyers and whether they are retired people or a working mother with two children, for example.
If one demographic is overly represented in the statistics we have to bear that in mind when we make any judgements based on the figures.
But I must say it is tremendous to hear from so many readers.
Every day as we put together the paper we ask ourselves what do people want to read about today.
In the absence of a direct line to you all, we have to use our newspaper experience, knowledge of the area and its people and even what people in our circle of friends and family are talking about to gauge interest.
I often think about my lovely wife and what she would be interested in reading. If I think she and other readers will have absolutely no interest in a story, I ask my staff why are we doing it.
The bottom line for me is that every story should be of interest to a substantial group of readers.
I realise that some stories appeal to certain sectors and others not, so we have to look for a cross-section of material. I also realise that we will never keep everyone happy.
Now with this new data, we have a better idea of what sort of material you enjoy and want more of.
I must also take this opportunity to thank my family and friends who said they enjoyed reading my column each Saturday.
Surprisingly, From The Editor's Desk rated as the most read of the columns we run throughout the paper during the course of the week.
But don't be alarmed - I am not planning on expanding it to a daily diatribe or syndicating it internationally.
The premise behind the column has always been to bring an insight into how and why we do things at the Bay of Plenty Times.
Hopefully, if you are a regular reader, you'll have a better understanding of our approach to news and the reasons we make the decisions we make.
I also hope that I've given you a small insight into who I am and the values I bring to the paper.
I am not a nameless, faceless editor operating under a "Publish and Be Damned" doctrine.
My staff and I are members of this community just like you.
We have children at school, we belong to sports and cultural clubs, we pay rates, spend money at our local shops and enjoy the golden sands of our beautiful beaches.
The difference between my staff and you is simply that our job is to bring you the news that matters, six days a week.
* * *
I had a call this week from the producer of Media Watch, National Radio's special segment on events in the media world.
It seems a reader sent him down a copy of my column last week on the activities of the national media while in Tauranga last week covering the double homicide under the Wairoa River bridge.
Media Watch has decided to explore some of the issues raised in my column in their weekly show tomorrow at 9am.
I, for one, will be listening to see if the national TV media is willing to front up.