If you don’t see letters, we likely didn’t receive any

A publication I read in my youth — I don’t remember which one — carried a regular letters-to-the-editor feature titled “Letters. I Get Letters.”

Except sometimes, I don’t.

Around election time, letters come streaming in here at The Cambrian, but there are times when I don’t get many … or, sometimes, any at all.

That’s been the case in the past couple of weeks, when I’ve received a dearth of correspondence. A couple of readers emailed me about their concern that no letters had appeared in the March 10 and 24 editions. In each case, I didn’t receive any letters for that week — which is unusual. The problem being: You can’t print what you don’t receive.

So if no letters appear in The Cambrian on a given week, it’s a pretty good bet I haven’t gotten any.

The thing is, I like letters. Apart from the newspaper’s editorial policy, which encourages readers to submit their opinions, I personally enjoy reading these missives. Even the critical ones. (Well, maybe “enjoy” isn’t the right word, but I do appreciate them, because they provide valuable perspectives that help me learn more about what you, the readers, value.)

Occasionally, a letter falls through the cracks, as happened with one of the writers who contacted me recently. I had no record of receiving the letters he mentioned, but I was glad he contacted me: As a result, I was able to include a letter that I (and you) otherwise would never have seen.

The best way to submit a letter is in an MS Word document via email. My email address is sprovost@thetribunenews.com (don’t forget the “the” in front of tribunenews). Helpful hint: If you send me a letter in PDF form, I have no way of editing the content — which at times is necessary in a letter.

You can also submit letters here at the office, 2068 Main St., Cambria, CA 93428.

Letters should be no more than 250 words, but I do give a little leeway — especially on letters of thanks, as opposed to issue-based letters.

Ads and circulation

In addition to questions about letters, I also hear a lot of inquiries circulation and ads.

Unfortunately, I can’t be a lot of help with either.

Circulation is handled out of the Tribune’s office in San Luis Obispo, so your best bet is to contact the Tribune with circulation questions.

Another inquiry I get a lot begins with the words, “Will you run an ad …?” Sometimes, the inquiry has to do with a paid advertisement, which is the province of our ad department. There’s a “wall of separation” between advertising and editorial content, to ensure that paid advertising has no influence — real or perceived — on the stories we run in The Cambrian.

Sometimes, though, I get calls from folks who say they want to “run an ad,” when what they really want is a few lines alerting the community about an upcoming event. This isn’t an “ad” at all — it’s a news item. And best of all, it doesn’t cost you anything.

We’re happy to run news items about upcoming events free of charge precisely because that’s what we’re here to do: to serve the community. These aren’t ads, they’re community services.

I’m mentioning this because I don’t want anything lost in the shuffle. I don’t want to miss out on a community event because it’s been mistakenly classified as an ad.

If you want to alert the community of something in the news, please contact me at the email address listed above. If you want to pay for an ad, please contact Jennifer Perryman at jperryman@thetribunenews.com.

How Bruce got his name

In my most recent column, I ran an update on “Bruce,” the female sea lion who was rescued at Shamel Park recently.

The Marine Mammal Center representatives I spoke with explained that sea lions are named before they can be examined by a veterinarian — and, therefore, before their sex is determined.

What they didn’t know is how this particular sea lion came to be named Bruce.

As it turns out, my colleague Tribune copy editor Mark Powell was responsible.

He relates the story as follows: “I was on my day off in Cambria with my girlfriend when we spotted the Marine Mammal volunteers at the park. I chronicled the whole thing on video as my girlfriend watched. Afterward — and we weren’t the people who called in the stranded pup — they asked us what we wanted to name it, since we were the only ones still hanging around.

“The volunteers said they thought it was probably a male pup, so my girlfriend, Kimberly, knowing I love Springsteen, shouted out, ‘Bruce!’ And they said OK, as long as it hasn't been used in the past 10 years. The alternative was Rupert, so either way she was getting a male name.”

How much does Mark like Springsteen? Well, he saw him in concert twice this month, in Oakland and Los Angeles.

Now that’s one boss sea lion.

This story was originally published March 30, 2016 at 10:47 AM with the headline "If you don’t see letters, we likely didn’t receive any."