Talking About Your Magazine

Sixty-five Kentucky Living readers each gave up part of an evening in August to
attend one of seven “focus group” meetings, to talk about what they think of the
magazine.

Thanks to each of them. Those meetings will help us enormously
as we work to publish a magazine you will like.

I’ve reported in this column before on the results of telephone
readership surveys we’ve conducted. But these focus groups, although not large
enough to provide a representative sample, allowed us to listen to some in-depth
explanations of why people feel the way they do about Kentucky Living.

The focus groups were held in Elizabethtown, Bowling Green,
Winchester, Somerset, Prestonsburg, Florence, and Henderson. A professional
moderator conducted the meetings; in a room next door, Kentucky Living staff
members listened to the discussion over a baby monitor (nothing sneaky or secret
here, the moderator announced the sessions were being taped and that neighbors
were listening in).

Here’s some of what you told us:

We love the “Events” column. You like to go places and do
things, and this is the only list of activities all over the state. You even
asked that the events extend two weeks into the next month to make planning
easier. OK. Starting this month, we’re taking your advice.

Utility deregulation information is too complicated. You
appreciate being kept informed about electric utility restructuring, but you
want it written more clearly, so it is easier to understand.

We like the wholesome, upbeat style. Here are a couple of
quotations from the focus groups: “There aren’t many magazines that I’d discuss
with my grandmother, but we’ve talked about articles we’ve both read in Kentucky
Living,” and “There’s nothing negative in this magazine, and that’s part of
why I like it.”

Don’t make major changes. Focus group members made a lot
of suggestions, but they basically like the magazine. From the variety of the
cover photographs and feature stories, to the usefulness of the columns, Kentucky
Living seems well-liked. That’s especially good to know.