We warned you it was coming, but it was still probably a bit of a shock to find a pink newspaper on your doorstep today.
Think of it as a collector's item -- I know we do.
We're the first paid-circulation newspaper in North America to try this, and no, it's not going to become a habit.
We wanted to do a significant fundraiser for breast cancer research, on the eve of the World Conference on Breast Cancer here in Winnipeg. Ten cents of every paper we sell today will be donated to the cause, and if all goes according to plan, dozens of my colleagues and I will have been out on the street from 6:30 this morning, hawking our hearts out.
We're hoping that turning this 135-year-old institution into a one-of-a-kind fund-raiser will help combat a disease which affects all of us somehow in our lifetime.
It's not my colour, pink. But it's a brave colour.
Our audience development folks came up with this idea some time ago, and let's just say it met with some resistance.
Editor: "What if there's a horrific disaster?" (Answer. We play it by ear. Thankfully, the fact that you're reading this means we had a relatively peaceful Tuesday.)
Director of Operations: "Where do you get pink newspaper?" (Answer: Our stuff was custom-ordered from Abitibi-Bowater, an international newsprint firm. Took eight weeks to lug from Iroquois Falls, Ont. to Winnipeg in two trucks, 23 metric tons apiece.)
Advertising Manager: "Who's going to advertise in a pink paper?" (Answer: A lot more businesses than you'd think, when they find out why you're doing it.)
Publisher: He's in Sweden. You don't really think we'd do this when he was in town, do you? (Oh OK, he liked the idea.)
And a funny thing happened as we pushed towards this date over the last few months. Everybody got on board.
Deputy Editor Julie Carl put out the call to create a special edition inside and out, with stories carrying the theme from news to business to life and sports. And the response was overwhelming. We're printing as much as we can today, with a few added bonuses on our website at www.winnipegfreepress.com
Our colleagues have been working just as hard. Sales people had to warn every one of their clients; the press room ran off trial pink papers; circulation and marketing stuffed a hawkers' war room full of pink balloons, ribbons, T-shirts, posters, ads -- all geared to getting as many as these commemorative editions out to as many hands as possible.
This is the first time Winnipeg has hosted the World Conference on Breast Cancer. It runs today through June 8. We're proud to host this significant event, and proud to do our part.
Thank you, readers, for supporting us today.
PREVIOUS
