Monday, February 27, 2017

WI DNR magazine subscriptions spike, customers dissed

The Wisconsin State Journal is reporting a spike in orders for the DNR's venerable, 100% subscriber-supported magazine
Wisconsin Natural Resources magazine cover photo
which Gov. Walker plans to budgetarily scrap as he continues his ideological war on science and the provision of public information: 
The nearly 1,400 subscription orders came in during an eight-day period after publication of articles in the Wisconsin State Journal and other newspapers about Walker's plan to cut the magazine. 
At the same time, environmental reporter James Rowen used his blog to urge his readers to subscribe.
Initially, the governor's office explained the budget proposal by saying the state shouldn't duplicate privately owned periodicals, but a spokesman hasn't given examples. But three private, Wisconsin-based publishers last week told the State Journal they don't compete with the DNR magazine and didn't ask Walker to eliminate it.
Props to the Capital Times for the push.

The agency has deleted from its online order form the two-and-three option, and claims it eliminated those options after Walker released his budget on February 8, but I emailed my order for a three-year subscription on February 14 as I said that day on my Facebook page  - - "I just subscribed" - - and my FB feed is filled with comments after the 8th from people signing up for two-and-three subscriptions.

Also, there are multiple comments on my blog item of February 14 appealing for subscriptions from people who said they just signed up for two or three years.


The Walker/DNR attitude is filled with contradictions and contradicts the agency's pledge to be consumer-attentive, as Secretary Stepp had declared not long ago:

Like any healthy organization striving to remain relevant and responsive to its customers...We are a customer service agency... 

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