Answers

Susan Morgans was nice enough to respond to my questions in this blog post, What happened to us? I am reprinting her email with her permission.  She asked that if I do post her remarks, that they would be unedited.  I think the server that I use added some weird spacing, which it is known to do. I am reprinting it as it arrived in my mailbox.

Good Morning,  Elaine:

I noted your questions about the school district insert in Mt. Lebanon magazine and wanted to provide you with at least a partial answer:

    1.The school district provided the content (including copy, renderings, captions, etc.)  and paid for the insert.  We laid it out for them, provided proofreading services and took care of the printing and mailing.  We charged them our best nonprofit rate-the one we afford our own recreation department.  The magazine is charged with generating revenue, so we made a small profit on the insert, as we do with any "insert,"  which covered our time spent.

    2. Mt. Lebanon Magazine is not required to include any information about the schools.  We do write about the schools regularly, at no charge to the district (but paid for by advertising we sell), because schools are an important part  of our community and we are a community magazine.  A paid insert  is something that we do occasionally and upon request.

    3. The school district opts to include these "inserts" in the magazine because it is cheaper to reach every household through the magazine than it is to do a separate mailing.

    4.  My office talked with no one about this or the previous insert except Cissy Bowman (and Dr. Steinhauer's secretary , Janine, whom we called to tell we would be sending a proof) about this or the previous insert.

    5. We had no  requests from any individual or group to speak with us about the insert.

   6. Mt. Lebanon Magazine accepts paid inserts from any nonprofit or for profit entity, so long as the content is suitable for a family audience.  The entity paying for the insert is responsible for the content.

I understand that you do not like content of the insert, but the school district would have provided this information to the public in one way or another, and including it in the magazine was a very cost-effective way.

Sincerely,

Susan
--
Susan Fleming Morgans
Public Information Officer/Editor, Mt. Lebanon Magazine
Mt. Lebanon Municipality
710
412-343-3780Visit us at www.mtlebanon.org
or at www.facebook.com

Washington Road
Pittsburgh, PA 15228