— ADVERTISEMENT —
Starbulletin.com



TheBuzz
Erika Engle






Story about ’American
Idol’ star sparks
run on newspaper


art

Fans of "American Idol" star-turned-triple-platinum recording artist Clay Aiken are everywhere -- just ask Star-Bulletin receptionist Stacee Randall.

The front page of the Feb. 25 Star-Bulletin carried an image of Aiken created by graphic artist Kip Aoki, along with a story tease directing readers to the Star Weekend section. There, readers were treated to the full-length version of Aoki's Aiken and a photo-filled story about Aiken's nonprofit foundation for children with disabilities, written by John Berger.

Placing phone orders from around the country, Aiken fans snapped up every available copy of the paper, Randall said.

The phones started ringing a little after 2 p.m. Friday "and then it got real heavy around 3:15 or so and it never stopped," she said.

All 12 incoming lines were lit up "and there were like eight to ten calls waiting on the outskirts, waiting to get through."

To relieve pressure on the phones, classified advertising personnel and Human Resources Director Rebecca Stolar helped record requests. By the time the switchboard closed at the end of the day, more than 100 orders for hundreds of papers had been taken.

"We're still working on getting the orders out," Randall said.

A Clay Aiken fan club president ordered 20 or so copies for her membership; but most orders were much smaller.

"We do still have inserts, about 100 that we've saved, but the actual edition of the newspaper is completely wiped out," said Randall.

It had never happened before, she said. "It was pretty shocking. Even when we ran Jasmine Trias ... we did have local people come in and pick up the issues, but nothing like this."

Sellers on eBay are also hip to the mania, as evidenced by recent auctions.

Copies of the issue are being auctioned on eBay and have earned from $12.50 to $36. The paper normally costs 50 cents.

According to Star-Bulletin copy editor Jason Yadao, an original copy of the paper's "STATEHOOD" edition from March 12, 1959, sold recently on eBay for $11.50, while two copies of the Dec. 7, 1941, extra edition did not sell.

The Aiken craze was a new experience for Star-Bulletin Features Editor Nadine Kam.

"We should have guessed that something like this would happen," she said, citing the huge community of Aiken fans in Hawaii and on the mainland.

Kam surmised that Aiken's fans got the buzz going on Internet message boards, which led to the inundation of the paper's switchboard.

See the Columnists section for some past articles.

Erika Engle is a reporter with the Star-Bulletin. Call 529-4302, fax 529-4750 or write to Erika Engle, Honolulu Star-Bulletin, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., No. 7-210, Honolulu, HI 96813. She can also be reached at: eengle@starbulletin.com




| | | PRINTER-FRIENDLY VERSION
E-mail to Business Desk

BACK TO TOP



© Honolulu Star-Bulletin -- https://archives.starbulletin.com

— ADVERTISEMENT —
— ADVERTISEMENTS —


— ADVERTISEMENTS —