Saturday, October 9, 1999

Readers respond to closing

Announcement brought consternation and tears

When my district manager told me that the Star-Bulletin was closing, I was so saddened by the shocking news that I cried while delivering my newspapers.

I read the Star-Bulletin every day after school because it has a lot of journalists who write articles that I can understand and relate to. They write about local things that affect the community, which is totally different from the Advertiser, which has mostly national articles that it gets from the Associated Press.

I have only been delivering the Star-Bulletin for about three years and my district managers, customers and other people I have met at the Hawaii Newspaper Agency have been like great friends. Now I feel like there's going to be a hole in my heart and it will never be replaced.

After high school and college, I was planning on working for the Star-Bulletin as a customer service representative or a district manager in the circulation department. But now my hopes have ended.

Alisa Kondo

Honolulu's forum for letters just got smaller

On the mainland, we were accustomed to reading a morning and evening newspaper. So, 37 years ago, when my wife and I arrived in Honolulu, we started subscribing to the Advertiser and Star-Bulletin.

I often wrote letters to the editor to both papers but noticed that, while the Star-Bulletin published about 95 percent of my submissions, the Advertiser published less than 1 percent.

I always sent the same letter to both papers, but apparently the Advertiser didn't agree with my opinions.

Many times I thought about discontinuing my subscription to it, but I never did.

On hearing the sad news about the Star-Bulletin closing, it suddenly occurred to me that I have lost a friendly, conservative, newspaper friend and probably will never see another of my letters in the ultra-liberal, unfriendly and unfair Advertiser.

What a shame.

Robert M. Lowe

Future subscribers are disappointed

When I read the online version of the Star-Bulletin a couple weeks ago, and was greeted with the headlines announcing its imminent closure, I literally gasped.

My husband and I will be moving to Oahu in December and have found the Star-Bulletin to be a veritable treasure trove of information. Because of your excellent website, we have been able to research the housing market, rental rates in various neighborhoods, local government and news items -- all without the extra expense of additional visits to the island.

I found your special report on "What Price Paradise?" invaluable in helping to plan what items in our household budget would invariably increase and by how much.

Also useful were your many reports on Hawaii gas prices, mortgage rates, etc.

The "little things" such as the questions, answers and mahalos in Kokua Line were charming, but also imparted important information for a newcomer about various areas and sites on the island.

I hope that the sale of the Star-Bulletin will be re-examined, because I, for one, was looking forward to becoming a loyal subscriber.

Yolanda Miller
San Pedro, Calif.
Via the Internet

Website kept family up to date on Ireland case

The announcement of the Star-Bulletin's closing on Oct. 30 deeply saddens me. The Star-Bulletin has provided me with a link to my niece's (Dana Ireland) murder trial. Your online edition allowed me and other family members on the mainland to keep abreast of the latest developments in her case.

I just wanted you to know that you will be missed. I felt like you were a newly found friend. Thanks for everything these past 18 months.

Whatever the reason for shutting down, you have a great staff. I pray each will find employment in his or her chosen profession.

Dolores Ireland Dooley
Steubenville, Ohio
Via the Internet

Sayonara to a great Internet edition

I am only now coming to grips with my denial that the Star-Bulletin will be no more come Oct. 30. I don't know how I will keep up with the local news once starbulletin.com goes away.

With all the local people leaving the islands, maybe there's no need for local news coverage anymore.

Aloha and mahalo, Star-Bulletin. You'll be missed, but not forgotten.

Miles Kaneshiro
Japan
Via the Internet

Shutdown announcement