Seven Days of StarText

The Original Packaging ...



The Revised Package ...



If you've been following these posts one thing you probably already know:

StarText was never a big budget operation.

Most of the funding we did get paid for staff and computer equipment. There just wasn't a lot left over that we could throw at "marketing and promotion." A company like AOL spent more in one week giving away CDs than we would spend in, oh say, a thousand years -- give or take a hundred. The closest we came to that was The Big Modem Giveaway, which didn't deliver the results we hoped it would.

So for the most part, outside the "house" ads that ran in the Star-Telegram, we had to get creative if we wanted to get the word out to more people about StarText.

One idea that proved more successful was the "Seven Days of StarText" program.

It really evolved from our earliest marketing effort, the "Free Trial Password." The genesis of that was our conviction that if we could get someone to give StarText a try, there was a fairly good chance we could turn them into a subscriber. The free trial allowed someone to use StarText five times at no charge.

What we came to realize was a person could burn four sessions just trying to get their computer and modem configured for using StarText. Others would deliberately hold back logging on, trying to stretch the free trial for as long as possible.

So we hatched the idea of "Seven Days." For $4.95, someone could use StarText all they wanted for a week, giving them plenty of opportunity to try all the features. The package, containing a user ID/password, a User Guide and later, a custom communications program we authored called StarComm, was available directly from us or participating retail locations.

The latter was my challenge: Enlist stores who would display and sell the product. That also meant I was about to learn more retail selling than I ever wanted. Such as working out wholesale/retail pricing; affixing a bar code; tracking inventory; maintaining adequate supplies.

Just another "hat" among the many the staff wore on a regular basis.

Actually it was exciting as we signed up the first locations, for the most part "mom and pop" computer stores. But as we went along, we started getting traction in the bigger "chain" stores that had multiple locations. We found bookstores also receptive.

At $4.95, it made a great stocking stuffer as well.

At its height, we had "Seven Days of StarText" in over 70 locations around the Fort Worth/Dallas Metroplex. For a grass roots marketing effort, that seemed pretty respectable.

Proud to be a 'StarTexan'

A recent email from a faithful follower included this:

"I really like the StarText memories. . .but did you have a chance to mention StarTexans? I loved that term."

As a matter of fact, so do I.

"StarTexan" was coined to describe a subscriber to StarText. Credit for the idea goes to Bev Kurtin, a prolific columnist and contributor in her own right. It soon became a mainstay of our marketing programs and even graced a number of T-shirts.

While the word itself was good, it really needed a picture to go with it. A mascot, if you will. And so was born ... the Starmadillo! I ask you, what could be more Texan?





The assignment to create the Starmadillo was handed to J.D. Crowe, who arrived at the Star-Telegram in 1982 fresh out of Eastern Kentucky University. J.D. had his own unique style and what he created fit perfectly with what we had in mind. So much so we prevailed on J.D. to create a whole series of images featuring the Starmadillo in a variety of poses. Who knew an armadillo could be so loveable and appealing?



In the years since, J.D. has become a celebrated editorial cartoonist, going from the Star-Telegram to the West Coast and the San Diego Union-Tribune. J.D. currently toils for the Press-Register in Mobile, Alabama, where according to the bio he posted on his website -- "J.D. lives high on the feral hog in Fairhope, Alabama with his wife Lori, their daughter Bronwen, dogs Barkley and Chocolate, and Corduroy the cat."

Learn more about J.D. and his most recent book, Smell the Love, at his website:

http://www.crowetoons.com/

And here's a pix of the artist hismelf, who I'm happy to report hasn't changed a bit, including his unique slant on life and world affairs. By the way J.D., whatever happened to the little mouse who always made the scene in your drawings?

"Without StarText, My Life Would Be Different"

StarText subscriber Stephen Benoit's recent contribution:

StarText People: Stephen Benoit

... elicted this comment, which I thought bears repeating:

thegourmetgirls said...

"I have thoroughly enjoyed reading this blog. My Dad was the actual user/subscriber in our house but I connected with Stephen through StarText as a 14-year-old girl in late 1984. Today, 25 years later, he remains my closest friend. It's safe to say that without StarText, my life would be different - and not nearly as good. It's fun to read about the people and history of something that so positively impacted my life. Keep up the good work... and I'll continue to read."

Gourmetgirls -- I loved your comment. Your StarText experience reminded me of a favorite movie -- "Mr. Destiny," with James Bulushi. You just never know what the Fates have in mind.

Two StarText 'Groupies' Check In

The email arrived with the subject line, "Two of the Original StarText Groupies." It was from Dixie and Ed Crawford.

"We got the original StarText Classic on a machine we had built for us by a friend. When the paper started an ISP offering we joined up and had a ball. Sorry -- no online columns or pictures for us but I remember several of the group outings:

-- The old train trip from Fort Worth.
-- The trip to the science museum.
-- A barbque in Mansfield.
-- The ice cream social.
-- The trip to the now defunct horse racing track.
-- The excursion to the movie soundstages
-- The tour of the Star-Telegram plant.

"Most of this was put together by an energetic man by the name of Gerry (Did I miss anything??).

"Anyway it was nice knowing you --- I wish the old group was still active. Of course I was getting a free ISP out of the deal .

"Dixie ran across Dave Lieber and the talked a little about StarText --- so I started Googling for it."

Ed and Dixie Crawford
cdrboy@cdrboy.com

Dixie and Ed -- Great to hear from both of you and thanks for "Googling" your way here.

It's worth noting the StarText outings and get-togethers referenced in the email were more than just fun social events. They also provided a way for subscribers, staff and their families to interact in person; to see the faces and the people behind the bylines and email addresses.

I thought one of our marketing taglines captured it pretty well:

"StarText -- It's more than technology. It's personal."

Amon Carter -- The Texas Visionary in a Cowboy Hat

It's difficult to describe the late Amon Carter in a few words. As owner and publisher, he built the Fort Worth Star-Telegram into a dominating force whose circulation at one time stretched from Where the West Begins to the outer reaches of the Texas plains.

Consummate entrepreneur, flamboyant showman, brillant in business, friend to Presidents, no one who met Amon was ever likely to forget him.

Early in my Star-Telegram career I had the privilege of getting hired by Jerry Flemmons, S-T columnist and author, to edit his book "Amon: The Life of Amon Carter Sr. of Texas." It afforded me an up close and personal view of this extraordinary man.

Originally published in 1978, it was reissued and updated 20 years later as "Amon, The Texan Who Played Cowboy for America." The latter is available on Amazon; the former is out of print.

Recently, in preparation for a panel discussion at an online journalism symposium, I pulled "Amon" off the shelf and re-read it. With the current state of the newspaper industry being what it is, I asked myself, "What would Amon do if he were alive today?" I think I found the answer.

Quoting from the book:

"In 1921, radio was a gadget, a funny little black box that talked. Radio intrigued Amon, the consummate gadgeteer. He wanted one of his own."

Something else spurred his interest. A friend from New York warned Amon "the funny little box would kill newspapers."

That prompted him to assign Star-Telegram circulation manager Harold Hough to learn all about this thing called radio, saying "If this radio thing is going to be a menace to newspapers, maybe we better own the menace."

The result? On May 2, 1922, the first broadcast was aired from two, 70-foot-tall broadcast towers atop the roof of the Star-Telegram building. The station, whose call letters were assigned by Herbert Hoover, was WBAP, short for "We Bring a Program." The Star-Telegram was in the radio business.

By 1938, WBAP was one of only eight national stations broadcasting with 50,000 watts of power. In 1948, WBAP-TV went on the air, the first television station south of St. Louis and east of Los Angeles.

Risk taker, visionary -- I'm fairly confident Amon would have approached the Internet in much the same way he did radio and television. He would turn a "threat" into an opportunity.

While I never had the chance to meet Amon, I did know his son, Amon Carter Jr., who succeeded his father as publisher. Amon Jr. died suddenly of a heart attack in July, 1982, two months after StarText made its debut.

Newspapers Delivered by .... Radio?

In 1982 we all thought the idea of getting your hometown newspaper on your computer or TV screen was pretty darn revolutionary. Then you find out there were plans to deliver newspapers via radio over four decades earlier! Insert needle, burst bubble.

Larry Groebe, (StarText People: Larry Groebe), whose varied pursuits include media history, pulled the following article from his collection. Titled, "Home Newspapers by Radio" it is taken from the 1938 issue of "Scientific American."


Your Home a Silent "Press Room" ... Automatic Facsimile Reproduction ... Latest News by Breakfast Time ... Bulletins Are Now Being Broadcast

A private newspaper with any spot in your home as the press room, the world's best editors and reporters on your staff, is available today to anyone in the United States possessing an ordinary radio receiving set. No thundering press will deafen you while your newspaper is being printed; instead, equipment contained in a small attractive box will silently print your "latest edition" while you sleep, completing it in time for reading at breakfast.

The name of this service now available is facsimile, first cousin of television since it shares with it some of the same basic principles. Unlike its more glamorous and well publicized relation, facsimile steps into broadcasting from other communication fields in which it already has proved its capabilities in a quiet but exceedingly effective manner. Facsimile has been in daily commercial use for several years, speeding newsphotographs back and forth across the country via the telephone circuits and across the Atlantic by short waves.

In spite of the rapid development and use of every-day wire and radio facsimile service, many are unaware of its greater capabilities as a mass communications medium in the broadcasting field. This is largely because facsimile transmissions have been employed almost entirely to handle press photos for subsequent newspaper reproduction; in the average layman's mind this is the limitation of the method. Many also confuse television with facsimile and ask why television ultimately will not perform the same duty.

Facsimile, in its electrical communications sense, involves the conversion of illustrations or other copy, such as printed matter, photographs, line drawings, sketches, and so on, into electrical signals which can be sent over radio or telephone circuits. At the receiver, the signal is automatically converted back into visible form, appearing as a recorded rep.lica of the original copy. The received copy is permanent and, like a printed page, can be handled, observed, or read whenever desired.

Television also involves the conversion of visible aspects of subjects into electrical signals which can be scnt to distant points. However, the frequencies required for this conversion are such that ordinary telephone circuits or conventional sound broadcasting equipment cannot handle the signal. Costly coaxial cables with associated high frequency signalling apparatus or ultrahigh frequency radio transmitters and receivers are therefore required.

In addition, there is as much difference in the technique of the two mediums of communication as there is between making a newspaper and a motion picture. Where facsimile is concerned with the transmission and subsequent recording of copies of still snbjects such as pictures and printed pages, television deals with moving objects or persons. The image on the screen of a television receiver has the basic qualities of a motion picture . .The image moves, it is transitional, and when the show is over the screen is blank. Since nothing has been recorded, the images will not be seen unless someone watches the screen when they are to be received.

Facsimile and television thns perform widely different functions. Each will fit into the communications picture as separate services, having fundamental distinctions as widely divergent as those of the public press and the motion picture.


The Finch facsimile transmitter now employed by many broadcasters (see listing) in their experimental service, uses a scanning machine in which the copy to be sent over the air is inserted in what is termed the "copy head." This holds and advances the copy in front of the "scanning head," consisting of a small electric bulb, lens system, and photo-cell. Light from the bulb is focused as a small spot on the surface of the paper carrying the copy; the reflected light is picked up by the photo-cell. The scanning head is moved from side to side by an electric motor so that the spot of light traces a series of parallel paths across the copy which is moved upward through a distance equal to the diameter of the light spot at the end of each scanning stroke. In this manner, the entire surface of the paper is scanned, line by line; the black, halftone, and white areas reflect to the photo-cell varying amounts of light ranging from minimum to maximum. These variations in reflected light effect a change in the amount of current flowing through the photo-cell. This current is fed to the radio transmitter in the same manner as sound broadcast signals are handled. Any conventional receiver tuned to the frequency of the transmitter will then pick up the signals which may be rendered audible by a loudspeaker, or used to operate a "home" facsimile recorder.

The recorders now in use are self-synchronizing. This is an important advantage; the recorder may be located in one state and the transmitter in another-the system does not depend upon local power lines for synchronization. Recorders are available for A.C. or D.C. operation, or for battery supply for farm use.

The recording machine is similar in many ways to the scanning instrument. What is termed a "receiving copy head" holds the dry processed recording paper, which is fed as a continuous strip two newspaper columns wide from a roll carried in the lower part of the machine. A recording stylus is moved by a small electric motor from side to side across the surface of the paper, forming marks on the paper corresponding in position and shade to the elements of the copy at the transmitter. When the incoming signal is strongest the line traced by the passage of current is darkest; when it is weakest no mark is made. At the end- of each of these recording strokes the paper is moved up by an amount equal to the width of each line element. By means of extremely short low-tone signal impulses sent out by the transmitter just before the start of each recording stroke, and by the use of a small motor turning over at a predetermined speed, the recording stylus moves across the paper in step with the scanning head of the transmitter, recording copy in its proper position. In this manner the recorded copy is built up line by line to appear as a duplicate of the original. One hundred lines will build an inch of reproduced copy; at the operating speed of the present machine, a two column newspaper will be "printed" at the rate of five feet per hour. It is not impractical to hope for a newspaper of five columns in the near future-tabloid size.

The actual home recording machine, which, it is claimed, can be made to sell for less than $50 in mass production, is small enough to be housed as a complete unit in a cabinet approximately a foot square. It may be connected without auxiliary amplifying equipment to the output circuit of any broadcast receiver having a power rating of three watts or more. In operation the broadcasting station from which facsimile signals are sent is tuned in with a receiver as would be the case if regular sound programs were to be received. The loudspeaker is switched off and the facsimile recorder is switched on; the volume control of the receiver is turned to the point where copy has the desired contrast. The resulting recording operation is wholly automatic and requires no attention. Paper costs will be about 15 cents per week.

Until the development of an automatic machine and inexpensive dry recording paper of wide latitude which requires no liquids for moistening or smudgy carbon transfers for printing, the adaptation of facsimile recording methods to home service seemed rather remote. Concentration on the automatic recording problem has resulted in the present-day home facsimile machine which safely operates without attention throughout long facsimile broadcasting periods.

During the present experimental period-and probably thereafter-facsimile broadcasts take place between midnight and 6 A.M. when sound broadcasting facilities are ordinarily idle. Time clocks will turn the radio receiver and recording motor on and off at specified hours. "Printing" of illustrated world events, bulletins with latest news flashes, photographs, market reports, weather maps, cartoons, recipes, and illustrated advertisements of all sorts, will thus be effected in homes while their occupants sleep, the machine being practically silent and entirely automatic in its operation.

This, to some who are not familiar with facsimile develepments, may sound like one of H. G. Wells' prophecies. That it is not, is attested by the fact that at the present many of the leading major broadcasting stations in the country. already have been granted FCC permits and have inaugurated such a service using regular broadcasting frequencies and full power in experimental transmissions to determine public reaction and to obtain basic engineering data for home facsimile services. In addition, other important stations have applied to the FCC and are considering the possibilities of facsimile service.

STATIONS LICENSED TO TRANSMIT "HOME NEWSPAPERS"
WLW Cincinnati, Ohio
WOR . . .. Newark, New Jersey
WGN.. Chicago, Illinois
WSM Nashville, Tennessee
WHO Des Moines, Iowa
WSAL Cincinnati, Ohio
WW J.. . Detroit, Michigan
WHK Cleveland, Ohio
KSTP .St. Paul, Minnesota
WCLE Cleveland, Ohio
WGH Newport News, Virginia
W8XAL. ..Cincinnati, Ohio
W8XNU.. .. Cincinnati, Ohio


With today's newsprint going for around $600 a ton, you have to wonder how that compares with consumers supplying their own paper at an estimated "15 cents a week" in 1938 money? Widespread adoption would have had a chilling effect on Hollywood as well. Somehow newsboys shouting those "tabloid headlines" that were a major element in movies from the 40s and 50s just wouldn't have the same effect on home FAX machines.

StarText Subscriber Columnists

Throughout the posts published here the term "StarText subscriber columnist" has surfaced on several occasions.

Like many other things, the idea of subscribers authoring their own columns was never in the original blueprint for StarText. It just sort of happened.

As much as anything, it was a by-product of the "two-way" nature of our medium. Thanks to the fact our "newspaper" was delivered over a telephone line, our customers could "talk back" to us in the form of emails, comments, forums and the like. Talk about a game changer! The traditional "one to many" form of media distribution (radio, television, newspapers) could now be "one to one" as well.

(This would have far-reaching implications which would be fully realized with the advent of the Internet. Now, thanks to the Web, readers are fully empowered to zig zag across the globe. picking and choosing what media they will consume at any given moment. The local newspaper is but one of millions of potential destinations. Today's customer truly is King.)

But in 1983 the idea of an editor and a reader engaging in a conversation via email was pretty mind-blowing.

Anyway, one result of these early email conversations was the realization that many of our readers needed help. Personal computing was in its infancy and people were having a devil of a time trying to learn how to operate the danged things. One day it occurred to us: Why not publish those pleas for help online? Somebody out in StarText-Land might have the answer.

Guess what? They did.

Not only did readers offer answers, but much to our surprise, a handful stepped forward and volunteered to actually write columns dedicated to helping those new owners of Apples, Commodores, Timex-Sinclairs, IBMs and a dozen more that have been relegated to history. What an interesting and unexpected development: Non-journalists willing to write columns for no money. Didn't see that coming!

After much discussion and debate, it was decided. "This is new media, right? Boldly going where no journalist has gone before, right? Let's do it."

But we did set up some rules:

1. Aspiring columnists had to submit a sample column of what they had in mind.

2. If they made that cut, columns were assigned a system keyword. For example, a column on Apple computers was APPLECHAT.

3. New columns were featured in a "Guest Columnists" area. This is where they got a "test drive" with our readers. Subscribers could comment on their content and the staff could see how serious the writer was on updating it.

4. Once a column was updated three times, it could officially become a new column on StarText.

While columns on computers dominated, eventually there were columns on all kinds of topics.:

• A psychologist answered questions and helped persons with their personal issues. (yes, every column had the standard legal disclaimer.)


• One column was on the origin of words.


• The Forum was the where subscribers could debate the topics of the day. And it got pretty heated sometimes.


• There were columns on pets, insurance, auto repair ... our subscribers were "experts" in many fields.

At its peak, there were just under 80 community columnists writing for StarText. You could say they were the early forerunners of today's blogs.

One thing many of our columnists found out quickly: Writing a column can be hard work. The constant updating, answering emails, the grind of finding something new to write about. Take it from someone who made his living doing that once upon a time ... it has its own challenges.

But overall they were amazing in their dedication, particularly given the pay. In that regard I have to single out the subscriber who early on volunteered to write a column for IBM PC owners, Carrington Dixon. Carrington faithfully updated his column every week for 10 years! If you are out there somewhere on the Internet Carrington, step forward and be recognized.

Correction: I did in fact locate Carrington and found out to my surprise his tenure as a StarText columnist was actually over 16 years! He has promsied to share his memories of that with us -- coming soon!

Why did they do it?

There were probably as many reasons as there were columnists. But I think one of our columnists said it best. This is taken from "Cruisin' With StarText," by subscribers Chuck and Terry Mencke. It was a column that appeared after StarText had made the leap to the Internet. Described as "Your Guide to Cyberspace and Beyond," this is excerpted from Vol. 2 Number 12, July 12, 1996:

Be A Subscriber Columnist!

Do you have a passion in life? Is there something that you are really interested in and would like to share with other individuals other than your immediate family? Have you always had the hankering to be a writer? Do you like to get email and help people with their problems? Do you like to be looked up to by your friends? Well, if you answered any one of those questions with a "yes," you are a candidate to become a subscriber columnists on StarText.

I look forward to each and every issue of Cruisin'. Normally it takes me around 8 to 10 hours to put together a column. This includes time for researching , formatting, writing and of course the final edit by Terry. Towards the end of the process it gets exciting to see the finished column appear in it's final form that can be enjoyed by all. I used to update Cruisin' once a week but it just got too hard to handle and the column suffered. Many of the columnists on StarText write a monthly column. In fact that is how my previous column, "StarTips," got started. I moved gradually to a twice a month update and then to once a week for a while. If you do decide to write a column, don't push yourself, enjoy the process. Update it when you can or when you have something new to share with your readers.

Don't ever feel that you are out there alone with no support. There is all sorts of help available from the columnists and staff alike. I'm sure any of the regular StarText columnists would be willing to give you a pointer or two. Speaking for myself and probably for Jim (WOW) [Boughton] as well, we'd both be glad to help anyone with the HTML coding and uploading. After you get the hang of it, it is really no big deal. In fact there are quite a few really good editors out there that will help you learn HTML.

So what are you going to write about? Do some brainstorming and I'm sure you'll come up with several ideas. Kick them around, bounce them off other columnists and friends and nail down the concept for the column. Just about anything goes that is within the realms of good taste. You can always drop [the editor] an email. She is the subscriber columnist editor on StarText and has always been very helpful. Bounce some ideas off of her, she'd love to hear from you. StarText is always encouraging subscribers to start their own columns. The subscriber columnists have been described as the "heart and soul" of StarText. Subscriber- written columns have been one of the main reasons I've stayed on StarText as long as I have.

Well I hope I've done a pretty good job of convincing you to at least consider becoming a StarText subscriber columnist. Be among the few, the proud, the elite. Still need some more convincing? Visit several of the columns that are now online. See what they are writing about. You could be doing the very same thing and have a great time making all sorts of new friends. Give it a try, you won't be sorry.

Terry, you said it beautifully.

There was another tradition connected with the subscriber columns -- the "StarColumnist of the Quarter Award." Since we couldn't pay them, we nonetheless wanted to honor their hard work. So every quarter the staff voted on the columnist who had gone above and beyond during that three-month period. The honoree received a nice plaque and three free months of service.

For me, the emergence of the subscriber columnists was always a big part of the "magic" of StarText. Empowering everyday people and giving them a voice -- providing a venue to showcase their talent and knowledge. Information Revolution and computers aside, it all came down to one of the oldest and most lasting of all human pursuits:

It was people helping people.