Leading off.

Here at Sunrise Publishing, we've always made it a policy to listen to the people who mean most to us -- our readers and advertisers. Over the past few months, we've listened quite intently. Thanks to the efforts of two extensive surveys, one directed at readers and another at advertisers, along with two focus groups involving the same demographics, we're excited to report that much of what we do is appreciated. By and large we're viewed very positively amongst survey respondents. That's not to say that we're perfekt -- far from it in fact, as the forthcoming alterations in future issues will attest to.

On a lighter note, we have to share a response from one of our favorite business persons in the province (who shall remain anonymous), who responded to the question of "If I were editor of Saskatchewan Business Magazine the first thing I would change is..." with a humorous but unfortunately half-truthful reply of: "My address to Alberta."

With the above suggestion excepted, not only have we listened, but we've already taken steps to address some of the concerns raised. For example, you said we needed greater newsstand exposure, and we're very glad to say that Saskatchewan Business Magazine is now available at exponentially more newsstands than ever before.

Negotiations are still ongoing thereby making the announcement of an exact number virtually impossible, but suffice it to say that the listing is truly province-wide and has surpassed even our short-term expectations. Once negotiations are complete, we'll provide a full listing in a future issue for non-subscribers to use as reference.

Far and away, the largest criticism pertained to the perceived amount of government funding this magazine receives. As with all other criticisms, this point is valid, but unfortunately, perhaps more a sign of the climate in which we operate rather than an outright condition we can control.

As was relayed in the majority of our survey responses, Saskatchewan Business Magazine is a high-quality product, capturing a niche market. These characteristics contribute to a higher-priced product, which for the most part, makes it a more affordable and justifiable option for companies who allocate a portion of their budget to image advertising. Therefore, companies who fall under that criteria tend to be the larger firms, which, in this province, largely tend to be Crown corporations. We cannot help that six of the top 14 companies in this province, according to last year's Top 100 listing in Saskatchewan Business, were in fact Crown corporations. But just as we would not turn away advertising revenue from the other eight companies in the top 14, we accept any and all advertisers who adhere to company publishing policies regarding honesty and ethical advertising.

We would like very much to be in a position where the private sector was responsible for the majority, or even all of our advertising revenues. But until the time comes when the private sector is the engine truly driving our provincial economy, this is a situation that is unfortunately unlikely to change.

Keith Moen, Editor

Twila Reddekopp, Publisher