Gandy named Circulation Director
By Bill Petzold
Editor
CARO — The Tuscola County Advertiser is pleased to welcome Jean Norton to our team as our new Advertising Sales Manager.
Norton began her career in newspaper sales at The Vassar Pioneer Times in 1987. She worked at Bad Axe radio station WLEW in the early 1990s and sold ads in Tuscola and Sanilac Counties. She also worked for The Thumb Blanket for a decade, a shopping guide which is now owned by the View Newspaper Group. In addition, Norton has worked for the Huron Daily Tribune and has done telephone directory advertising since 2006.
Landing a position with The Advertiser brings Norton closer to her lakefront home in Port Hope and back to the area where she has worked most of her career. Her previous employment had her traveling all the way to Mount Pleasant and occasionally staying with her daughter’s family.
“It’s good to be back home,” Norton said. “I’m truly a newspaper person, and I was very excited to get back to this area that I’m extremely familiar with, and I know a lot of the businesses changed and all that, but I really like the whole newspaper, the Shopper’s Guide, the excitement of the radio. I like all of that, there’s all these things to do.
“I know a couple of years ago … the general feeling was that newspapers were just about gone — which a lot of us felt the brunt of that — but they’re really regaining (momentum) again, and I’ve been kind of watching that. I don’t think they’ll ever be what they were 30 years ago, but I think they’re going to hold on and still be a really viable business in the small areas. I feel very confident that’s not going to change.”
Norton said that in areas like Tuscola County, the newspaper serves a vital role in informing and entertaining the public.
“The tax pages in (Wednesday’s) paper were fabulous,” Norton said. “These are all things people need to know, that people would want to know. The
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columnists that we have here — that’s what people like. People enjoy them. A newspaper isn’t (intended to let) people know what’s happening in China anymore because, yeah, they can find that out somewhere else — it’s for what’s happening here.
“I think there’s a certain amount of (sales) that are going the way of (internet sales website) Craigslist, but it certainly doesn’t alter what the public really does. It’s not costing them anything to be there, but depending on what market they want to reach, the newspaper still does that for them. There’s a certain group of people out there that the newspaper is still the first thing that they go to for everything. That I don’t think is going to change.”
Jean has three adult children and five grandchildren: daughter Autumn Norton and grandson Henry of Bay City; daughter and April and son-in-law Nick Osborn and grandchildren Carter and Charlotte of Mount Pleasant; and son Tommy Norton and daughter-in-law Kate and grandchildren Michaella and Londyn of Port Hope.
To learn more about advertising with The Tuscola County Advertiser, contact Jean Norton at (989) 673-3181, extension 236.
Gandy promoted to Circulation Director
With the addition of Norton to the sales team, former advertising executive and advertising manager Lauri Gandy has been promoted to be The Advertiser’s new Circulation Director.
Gandy has a new job, but she joked that she’ll be using the same stapler.
“I have a tendency to break things, so they were a little leery about letting me come up here (to the front office),” Gandy said, laughing. “I have this thing with staplers for some reason, I break staplers.”
Gandy is a member of the Caro Rotary and creates the newsletter for that group. Her duties as Circulation Director will include overseeing The Advertiser’s carriers and drivers, newsstand sales and subscriptions, among other duties.
Gandy is something of a “Jack (or Jill) of all trades” when it comes to newspapers, having worked at just about every aspect of producing a print publication.
“I’m excited about starting something new,” Gandy said. “This is one of the few departments I have worked yet; I’ve worked upstairs, helped out the composition department — this is the only place they haven’t let me come in and help them yet.”
Gandy recently moved to Fostoria with her husband and family. She was hired by The Advertiser in the late 1990s and has been with the company for 15 years.
For circulation questions, to purchase new subscriptions or to renew existing subscriptions, contact Lauri Gandy at (989) 673-3181, extension 233.