Media

Press Release - September 2, 2003

Easier to Read Telephone Directory - makes a BIG difference

Kingston, Ontario -- Kingston's new Easier To Read Telephone Directory is in area homes now and it's making a "big" difference in a lot of lives.

"The first thing that will strike people is the large type," says Randy Bolton Vice President of Operations for the Easier to Read Telephone Directory Inc. "That makes a big difference for a lot of people who have trouble reading the smaller type in other telephone books."

"The second value in the book is all the additional information we provide."

For the Kingston Minor Hockey Association (KMHA) there is another big difference. The book was published in association with the KMHA and a portion of advertising revenue from the book is being donated to the association for use in development of minor hockey in Kingston.

The Easier To Read Telephone Directory features 10 point type in the white page listings as opposed to your traditional phone directory's 6-7 point type.

"Our book is a relief for people who have difficulty reading smaller type and people who work with their eyes all day," explains Mr. Bolton. "They can find what they are looking for easier and in lower light."

Since the company began distribution it has been receiving 50 to 60 calls daily from people who are delighted with the type size.

But the Easier To Read book doesn't stop there.

Inside are features such as community information, senior's services, a babysitters guide, church information and much more useful information for the community.

It includes street maps and postal codes for the communities it serves.

The Easier To Read book covers Kingston, Gananoque and Napanee and the areas surrounding those communities.

For the advertiser it offers exposure in several utility book markets for a fraction of the cost to advertise in one market with one utility book.

An extensive restaurant guide, camping guide, fishing and hunting information are also included.

This year marks the unveiling of the book in Kingston and it has been well-received by businesses.

"We have a large number of ways to advertise in the book from highlighted bold listings in the white pages to full colour ads on glossy pages," explains Mr. Bolton.

Canadian Tire for example, took advantage of a tear out page in conjunction with the Easier To Read Telephone Directory to develop a draw for 12 gift certificates.

DigiGraphics wanted a unique reminder so it purchased a small spot on the outside edge of every white page and Business Directory page as well as a full colour ad in the Business Directory.

For more information on the Easier To Read Telephone Directory or to place an ad in the second annual edition of the Easier To Read Telephone Directory contact the company at 546-1235.

By Henry Bury
The Belleville Intelligencer

Quinte-area residents should have a much easier time reading their phone books next year.

Essence Communications Group, Quinte's largest printing and publishing firm, will be publishing this area's first comprehensive, large-print phone directory in collaboration with Easier to Read Telephone Directory Inc. that has been producing these phone books in Kingston and other eastern Ontario cities as well as the Maritimes and 18 cities in five different U.S. States.

David Visser, Essence's operations manager, said the new phone book will feature listings "that are big enough for young and old to read, and the yellow pages are the same across all 55,000 books — at a fraction of what businesses are accustomed to paying the utility company for their books."

The phone books will be delivered free next June to all households in the Belleville, Picton and Trenton areas. The new edition of the Bell Canada phone book will be distributed as usual next May. But many people have criticized the utility's annual publication the past two years because of its smaller type size — thereby making it more difficult for users to read the names and numbers.

"We see a good opportunity to provide a real need in the community for an easier-to-read phone book and, at the same time, it's a perfect fit for our capabilities here at our new plant on Hanna Court," Visser said.

"It will be the only, locally-produced full service phone book in the area." He said it will also feature a rather comprehensive section on useful community information, with such things as maps, sports seating layouts, postal codes, seniors directories, emergency phone numbers, hunting and fishing guides, school board calendars and even a service directory.

Essence printed the Renfrew phone book last spring for the Renfrew-based company and Visser said he liked it so much that he decided to publish it for the Belleville community. "Initially, I was skeptical that we needed more than one phone book. But then realizing that most people have more than one phone and seeing how much easier it was to read and how more comprehensive it was, I realized it would be a good addition to the Belleville community," Visser said.

Randy Bolton, vice-president of operations for Easier to Read Telephone Directory Inc., said type size for its new Belleville phone book will be almost twice as large as in the utility publication — 11 point, instead of six point.

"We want to give people a more user-friendly alternative to their utility phone directory. Consumers, will find our book much easier to read and navigate," he said.

Next Summer's phone book will be between 700 and 800 pages — the utility directory has about 500 pages. Bolton's company purchases the white and yellow page listings directly from Bell Canada. That has been made possible by the deregulation of the telecommunications industry in 1997.

The white page directory, Bolton noted, will be more up-to-date than the utility directory "because we publish a month later and we will have all the newest listings." Consumers will notice a much more comprehensive yellow pages directory. Bolton explained that its yellow pages will cover four additional markets — Tweed, Picton, Trenton and Brighton — plus the existing utility's yellow pages.

"Our advertisers benefit from sales that are substantially more affordable then competing directories in our markets," he said. "We provide distribution and coverage areas that fit more with the way people and the communities they reside in, work and live. Consumers will benefit from having a larger geographical coverage for their yellow page needs."

Advertising will generate all the necessary revenue to produce the new telephone directory, he noted. "We are currently soliciting advertising sales in the Quinte area," said Bolton.