A Briefly Upset Enterprise Subscriber

Readers often call The Beaumont Enterprise newsroom to complain about not getting their paper.
If they call me and are particularly angry, refusing to let me transfer them to circulation, I often use this line: "No one wants you to get your newspaper more than me. Please let me help you get to someone who can help."
And I mean it.
Of course, I'm sure the publisher, editor and others care as much, but my point is to let the reader know that I spend a lot of hours up here coordinating and editing news coverage, and if the fruits of that labor fail to show up for a reader, well that pains me, too.
I don't envy the circulation director's job. He's where the rubber hits the road in regard to customer service, and the potential headaches are endless, from absent carriers to heavy rain to equipment breakdowns.
I can relate to those who sometimes don't get their morning paper. I've taken the newspaper at home for almost seven years, and I can count on one hand the number of times it failed to arrive in the morning. That's an amazing success percentage.
However, it doesn't make it any less aggravating when it doesn't arrive every now and then after I've looked forward to pouring over the Sunday morning sports section while eating breakfast burritos and gulping coffee.
Like any other reader, the first thought is: "^%$#@!!! WHERE'S MY PAPER!! I'M GOING TO CANCEL MY SUBSCRIPTION!!! AAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!"
The second thought is: "Oh well, I'm sure there's a reason, so I'll just call circulation and see if they can deliver me one."
I also chuckle over what might happen if I succumbed to the knee-jerk reaction. I could see this headline posted on web sites and blogs all across America: "Editor cancels subscription to own paper."
The potential consequences for such a thing could be brutal.
When I've called to report a circulation problem, the folks on the other side of the line always are courteous and eager to help. Seeing as these people get to work mighty early, I admire their cheerfulness. They even call later in the morning to make sure the problem was solved.
It's no secret that the newspaper industry is in a state of transition, broadening the focus on the printed product to becoming multimedia operations and a community's top resource for news, information and entertainment.
It's a scary yet exciting time for newspapers. Some day, I'll be able to sit in my front-porch rocking chair and reflect on a career that saw the introduction of computers to a newsroom, the creation of online newspapers, newspapers becoming multimedia operations and perhaps even the demise of the printed product.
For now, I'm still going to enjoy putting on my sandals around sunrise, strolling down the driveway, picking up my newspaper, taking stock of the quiet neighborhood and then reading our daily miracle over breakfast.