Problems solved, Star-Bulletin says

By Frank Cho
Advertiser Staff Writer

The Honolulu Star-Bulletin's publisher said yesterday that problems with the newspaper's presses have been resolved, and the paper's evening edition was expected to reach subscribers on time.

The paper got off to a shaky start Thursday, publishing hours late and leaving some subscribers without evening papers.

But the Star-Bulletin's new owner, Canadian publisher David Black, said about 100,000 copies were printed yesterday. Copies of the morning edition were in various locations around O'ahu and the Neighbor Islands, Black said, but the paper is still going through growing pains.

Calls have flooded the Star-Bulletin's newsroom.

"We apologize and ask for patience from people," Black said.

Other media, including The Advertiser, also have received numerous calls from Star-Bulletin readers about delivery problems.

In reporting on the calls during its evening newscast, KHON News reported that Black had said that if subscribers still aren't getting papers, it may be because of inaccurate subscriber information provided by Hawaii Newspaper Agency.

Mike Fisch, president of The Honolulu Advertiser and formerly president of the now dissolved Hawaii Newspaper Agency, said Black's assertion is false.

"That's simply not true, and I'm angry that he would accuse the employees of The Honolulu Advertiser and our company of those kind of tactics," Fisch said. "We provided them a list on the 21st of February that was required by the sales agreement. We provided it in the electronic format that they requested. At that same time we provided all the lists of carriers, lists of news stand locations and other pertinent data related to distributing the Star-Bulletin. During the period of Feb. 21 to March 14, we clarified the information that they requested clarifications on, and at the closing on March 14, we provided them another list of subscribers as of that day and the cash balances in their subscription accounts."

Black arranged to buy the Star-Bulletin last November for $10,000 from Liberty Newspapers, which announced in September 1999 that it planned to close the paper due to declining circulation.

The Star-Bulletin had projected a combined weekday circulation of 100,000 copies.

The Star-Bulletin added the morning edition after 119 years as an afternoon daily to compete with The Honolulu Advertiser's morning edition.

The Advertiser launched its own afternoon paper Thursday.