Competition spurs format
By TOM PARKS
Saff Writer
Recent changes in the format of
the Chapel Hill Newspaper are in
response to the escalating competi
tion between local papers for Chapel
Hill readers.
Marty Durrence, circulation man
ager of the Chapel Hill Newspaper,
said the changes at the newspaper are
in response to the growing compe
tition between local newspapers.
Area publications are currently
involved in a "newspaper war" for
Chapel Hill readers and advertisers,
he said. -
The Chapel Hill Newspaper, the
Chapel Hill Herald and the Raleigh
News and Observer all feature cov
erage of Chapel Hill news.
: Chapel Hill has the highest per
capita newspaper readership in the
Groyps team up
By JESSICA LANNING
Staff Writer
In an effort to address more social
welfare issues, the Inter-Faith Coun
cil (1FC) and the Public Private
Partnership are discussing possible
projects and presenting them to their
respective boards for approval.
Richard Edens, president of the
IFC, said the council and the Public
Private Partnership Shelter Task
Force are discussing four issues they
feel are vital to area social welfare
needs.
The four issues include low income
housing, employment opportunities,
the formation of a downtown advi
sory council and fund raising, Edens
said. These are all possible ways to
address the homeless issue.
Salley Jessee, chairwoman for the
Public Private Partnership Shelter
Task Force, said a low income
housing project would include pro
viding boarding houses for those who
need several months to save enough
money to rent housing.
Developer
By TOM PARKS
Staff Writer
A developer has modified his
request to the Chapel Hill Town
Council to rezone a stretch of land
south of town to block the neighbor
hood's protests against a proposed
office park and shopping center.
Grainger Barrett, the developer's
attorney, said the rezoning request
was changed to exclude a 100-foot
wide stretch of land bordering U.S.
15-501 and Mt. Carmel Church Road
and the land to the east of the
highway. This land will remain a low
density residential area.
Jon Hoetger, president of Protean
Group Ltd., originally proposed the
rezoning of approximately 50 acres
of land to the east and west of U.S.
15-501 near Mt. Carmel Church
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Chapel Hill
country and this is the reason for the
intense competition between publica
tions, Durrence said.
"Everybody has always been going
after Chapel Hill," he said.
The high education level of Chapel
Hill's population is another major
reason for the competition, Durrence
said.
Mike McCormick, a Raleigh News
and Observer sales representative,
said Chapel Hill is also attractive to
newspapers because of the high
income of area residents.
Doug Rogers, publisher of the
Village Advocate, said Chapel Hill is
causing competition between news
paperSi because most residents are
not loyal to any one paper.
"What everybody is fighting for is
the advertising revenue," Rogers said.
On Feb. 16, the Chapel Hill
A low income housing project
could also possibly provide tempor
ary housing for North Carolina
Memorial Hospital patients, Jessee
said.
The two groups are interested in
creating a better working environ
ment for the homeless, she said. The
proposal would make the public more
aware of the unemployed homeless
who may be able to fill temporary
positions or ' work at cleaning up
downtown, she said.
"Some stores need people right
away (to fill temporary openings),"
Jessee said. "The shelter has people
to fill those needs."
Formation of an advisory council
for downtown would offer a chance
for many representative members
from the downtown area to meet,
hear complaints and deal with them
in a constructive manner, she said.
Finally, a suggestion was made for
the Public Private Partnership to help
with fund raising for the activities of
the IFC, Jessee said.
revises laod zoning
Road from residential to mixed-used.
"The slope and topography (of the
100-foot buffer) make it almost
impossible to develop," Barrett said.
According to state law, the change
could mean that some signatures on
a petition protesting the proposed
rezoning are invalidated.
State law requires that if 20 or more
percent of the landowners within 100
feet of the area to be rezoned sign
a petition against the rezoning
request, then the council' must
approve the developer's rezoning
request by a majority of at least three
fourths. Pete Andrews, a local resident, said
the change in the rezoning request is
an attempt by the developer to block
such a petition. Signatures have been
collected from 250 area landowners
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Newspaper began a series of changes,
including a new, more colorful
format.
' Durrence said the changes were
also designed to make the newspaper
easier to read. The front page now
has four columns instead of six and
the print is enlarged.
Beginning Sunday, the newspaper
will be delivered free to approxi
mately 19,000 nonsubscribers in the
Chapel Hill and Carrboro area each
Sunday and Wednesday to attract
more readers, he said.
Other changes to the newspaper
include the cancellation of The
Picture, the Chapel Hill Newspaper's
weekly shopper's supplement, Dur
rence said.
The newspaper began publishing
The Picture 10 months ago in
response to a growing demand among
for social
"At this point these are all sugges
tions," Edens said. "These are just
explorations being made."
The next step is for the two leaders
to present the ideas to their boards
for discussion and additional sugges
tions and get their reactions.
Jessee presented the issues to the
Public Private Partnership Monday.
She said they were receptive to all
the ideas except fund raising.
There are too many groups within
the Public Private Partnership to
start another fund-raising project, but
individuals would continue the fund
raisers they are already conducting,
she said.
Edens said he was unsure how
helpful the Public Private Partner
ship would be since only discussions
have taken place.
"If programs generate out of this
and we get greater cooperation with
sections of the community, that kind
of thing will help," he said.
Jessee said this effort follows a long
period of concentrating on the issue
and residents against the proposed
development.
"All they are trying to do is block
us," Andrews said. .
Andrews said that now the two
major landowners within 100 feet of
the proposed rezoning are the State
Highway Department, which does
not usually sign petitions, and the
man who sold the land to Hoetger.
The group will continue in its efforts.
Margaret Taylor, president of the
i Alliance of JVeighborhoods said the
alliance opposes the rezoning request.
Two and a half years ago the land
was zoned for residential use and the
alliance believes that nothing signif
icant has changed to justify rezoning,
Taylor said.
"There is no legal basis for the
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readers for a weekly shopping guide,
he said.
In addition to advertisements, The
Picture consisted of local and
national news articles and an enter
tainment calendar, he said.
The last issue of The Picture was
published on Wednesday.
The paper made these format
changes in response to requests from
readers and advertisers, he said.
Advertisers wanted readers to see
their ads in a newspaper instead of
a weekly supplement, Durrence said.
The newspaper released the first
issue of Cue Magazine, a weekly
entertainment supplement, on
Thursday.
The newspaper has received "liter
ally thousands of letters of support"
in favor of the paper's new look,
Durrence said.
issues
of the location of the homeless
shelter, Jessee said.
Edens said the recently formed
Public Private Partnership Shelter
Task Force initially became involved
over the conflict of the homeless
shelter location.
After much debate last fall, the IFC
made the final decision to keep the
homeless shelter at the Rosemary
Street location despite complaints
from the merchants that this would
possibly hurt business and lower
property values.
The homeless shelter took over the
old Chapel Hill Municipal Building
and will be renovated this April to
include the shelter and the commun
ity kitchen.
Both the IFC and the Public
Private Partnership Shelter Task
Force had focused so intensely on the
site location, other issues were not
being addressed, Jessee said.
"Now we want to put our energies
somewhere else," she said.
request
rezoning," she said.
As of now, the Chapel Hill Plan
ning Board is scheduled to consider
the amendment on April 4, and the
town council has scheduled a public
hearing for May 15. These dates may
be changed.
Taylor said a representative from
the Alliance of Neighborhoods
should be at the planning board
meeting.
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By TRACY LAWSON
StaffWriter
In response to recommenda
tions made by the Chapel Hill
Appearance Commission ed Hoc
Committee, a redesigned multi
newspaper rack holder was placed
on the sidewalk in front of Taco
Bell on Franklin Street
Wednesday.
Committee Chairwoman Cas
sandra Sloop said the size of this
holder and the number of holders ;
will increase if the response is
favorable.
"At present the newspaper rack
holder only contains five racks,"
she said. "However we may place
more racks at this site and at other
sites if the response is good."
Danny Fox, a committee
member, said he supports the use
of the holder even though he had
other intentions.
"My desire would be to limit the
number of sites on Franklin Street,
but no municipality or group can
do that (limit distribution sites)
because of First Amendment
restraints," Fox said.
"I personally think the structure
works well as an organizational
tool; however, it has not gone far
enough in covering the back of the
machines," he said. "It has,
though, given the area a more
uncluttered look."
Marty Durrence, circulation
manager of the Chapel Hill News
paper, said local newspapers are
planning to plant shrubs in front
of the holder to cover the back
of the machines.
"The public works department
is going to draw up a sketch of
the number of shrubs that will
need to be planted," Durrence
said.
"I think the new holder is cute.
I think as long as the city is paying
for it, it's even cuter. It gives the
racks a nice, little home.
"My only hope is that the
college community acts responsi
bly and doesnt destroy it or cover
it with flyers and announcements,"
he said.
Re-election
enough.
Misunderstandings on the parts of
the candidates and the Elections
Board caused the problems, Rober
son said.
Stricter supervision of the polishes
... "
v J - I
' 1 SAu
SAVE'25'To50 ' ;
Throughout The Store
The Daily Tar HeelFriday, March 3, 19895;
n
Phoenix editor Ed Davis said
he does not oppose the holders if
they don't incur other costs.
"I haven't seen the structure, but
anything the town wants to do that
makes it easier for someone to
read our paper is fine as long as
it doesn't cost us anything," Davis ,
said.
The construction of the news
paper rack holder is part of a serids
of actions the committee has
recommended to improve the
appearance of the racks. ,
The committee has established
10 guidelines that newspaper
distributors must follow to
improve the appearance of the'
areas around the racks. If the
guidelines are not met the violator
is notified and has 30 days to
comply.
The committee is working with
an attorney to determine if it is
legal, without writing an ordi
nance, to remove the rack if it is
not repaired within the designated
30 days.
Currently, the newspaper
vendors will be responsible for
self-policing the areas around the
vending racks.
"The areas will be policed on
a daily basis by individual papers,"
Durrence said. "There will be on
site inspections conducted by the
on-site inspection committee every
60 days."
"I think the guidelines are
reasonable, and anyone who can't
adhere to them shouldn't be
(selling newspapers) on the street,"
he said.
Davis said he agreed with
Durrence. "On the surface the
guidelines don't seem unreasona
ble," Davis said.
"The only sad thing is that
imposing guidelines on racks
appears to be the only thing the
town council has to think about,"
he said. s
Committee members said they
were generally pleased with the
recent events.
from page V
is needed to ensure that students vote .
correctly, Esposito said.
"If no one tells them not to (vote
for a candidate outside their district),:
they're going to," he said.
8 A M. TO 10 P.M.