20 Under 40 - 2001 Profile: James Porter

PRESSTIME

By Presstime Magazine

First Published: November 2001

When James Porter gave up coaching high-school football for a newspaper career, he found similarities in both worlds.

"You have to have a game plan, be competitive and analytical," says Porter, circulation director of The Repository in Canton, Ohio.

"The most dedicated staff in the business," as he describes it, carries out his "plays." He credits employees for increasing circulation each of the last five years, despite stagnant population growth and competition from three nearby dailies.

"Circulation directors from all over the country come to see how we operate. They say, ‘This is a circulation department?' We're calm, professional and dedicated."

When Porter sought a promotion from sales-and-marketing manager to circulation director in 1999, he emphasized building circulation through improved customer service. His competitor for the job stressed marketing.

"It doesn't matter how good your marketing is, if you can't service [your customers], you're throwing money away," he says. Thanks to Porter's SCORE program—Service Concerns Our Readers Every Day—complaints per thousand declined to 0.7 in 2000 from 1.3 in 1999; missed deliveries dropped to 30 per thousand from 52; and daily inbound customer-service calls went from 572 to 402.

To boost single-copy sales in fall 2000, Porter devised a "High School Football Booster Bonanza" contest. Booster clubs that help finance sports teams earned cash by collecting newspaper coupons. The schools and clubs did the marketing. Some Catholic schools, for example, urged churchgoers to put the coupons in collection baskets. Public schools organized drop-and-drive locations. "We expected 20,000 coupons, and we ended up with 101,000," Porter says. A bank kicked in $12,000 of the $18,000 cost. During the 10-week promotion, single-copy sales increased 13.4 percent.

This year, we're projecting 200,000 coupons. The community is so pumped about it.

Now, that's some game plan.

Education: 1983-85, attended University of Akron.
Career: 1983-91, held various positions including promotions and marketing manager, Parke Hotel; part-time football coach, GlenOak High School; district manager, The Repository; and computer programmer, Timken Co., all in Canton, Ohio. 1991-present, district-sales manager, zone manager, district manager, sales-and-marketing manager and circulation director, The Repository.
Personal: Age, 37. Born, Canton, Ohio. Divorced, two daughters.
Diversions: Porter and daughters Kaitlyn, 7, and Bayley, 4, spend time at amusement parks, picnics and at the family's lake cottage.
Connections: The Repository, 500 Market Ave. S., Canton, Ohio 44702, (330) 580-8351, jim.porter@cantonrep.com.