When it comes to letters, length matters more than viewpoint

Don Barry made an interesting point in a letter to the editor in Sunday's paper by noting that a letter bashing conservatives was far longer than most letters we run. That seemed to violate the Appeal's ground rules for letters because it far exceeded 350 words. "One must conclude ... since this letter endorses the biased views of your editorial writers ... it must be acorded special, preferential treatment," Barry wrote.

Mr. Barry, and all letter writers, deserve an answer to that one, which is best done with an explanation of how letters are selected and printed. The letter policy says they should be no more than 350 words and that we reserve the right to edit them. The reasons for that is that short letters are almost always more focused and interesting, and they allow us to get more letters in the paper. If you send a short letter, it will probably get in the paper within a few days.

For the long letters - and we often get several each week that exceed 350 words - the wait is often much longer, until the ebb and flow of the mail creates a gap. When time allows, I call the authors of those long letters and encourage them to edit them down on their own.

As I look at the long letters on hold now, I see very well-written ones on how we've changed since 9/11 and on another way of looking at the illegal- immigration problems and their solution. They're fresh perspectives on those issues, and I hope to find opportunities to get them into the paper.

Ultimately, almost all letters that are submitted make it into the paper, minus those that include pesonal attacks against non-public officials or that present other legal concerns.

So I encourage all readers to write (short) letters to the editor - readership surveys and my own experience suggest they are among the best-read items in the paper.

And it doesn't matter whether you agree with our columnists or think they're a bunch of nit-wits. In fact, I prefer the latter ... the day an opinion page has only one opinion is the day it's irrelevant.

We will never kill letters solely because they're too liberal or too conservative. Everything on an opinion page ought to have a bias, especially our political columnists. If they don't, they probably belong elsewhere in the paper.

•••

I had a call from a reader last week wondering why AM radio reception is poor in Carson City, and I vowed to do my best investigative work to find out.

Actually, I just called Jerry Evans, who owns the only Carson City-based radio stations, AM 1300 KCMY Clasic Country and FM 99.1 KKFT, and we couldn't come up with any logical reason. They put out a strong signal that should be easily received anywhere in the Carson City area.

Maybe you could buy a better AM antenna (the telescoping antennas that come with many radios are only for FM reception) or experiment with moving your radio around. AM reception is often unpredictable. In your case, that's a bad thing. That could be caused by any number of things, ranging from brick and aluminum siding to interference from other electronic devices.

The call reminded me that AM radio is far from dead, and it prompted an obscure memory of the days when I worked on a seismic survey crew that moved around the West. We often picked up and moved to another state after a few weeks on a job, frequently driving late at night. Those trucks had only AM radios, and that was fine with me.

Through the mysteries of AM reception at night, I could listen to high school football games from the Midwest, Bible-thumping preachers from the deep South, sports talk from Chicago, a show on the paranormal from the West Coast, farm reports from the grain belt. It was always a mystery what I would get, and always a question how long I'd be able to listen before that electronic squeal would take over and I'd have to play with the dial until the next state tuned in.

Frequently, you couldn't tell where a station was from, but you usually had a good idea based on the accent of the deejay. It was always entertaining, and the miles and hours melted away in the darkness of those desolate highways.

It's been a long time since I've taken one of those long, late-night drives, and it would be hard to duplicate the experience. My truck has an AM radio, but not a manual dial. The electronic tuning would skip right over most of those faint stations.

And, truth be told, I'd probably end up listening to satellite radio anyhow.

• Barry Ginter is the editor of the Appeal. Contact him at bginter@nevadaappeal.com or 881-1221.