Erie's newspaper readers love news, and I always hear from several when a story runs on page 1 on the Erie Times-News that they don't consider to be news. This morning was no different.

Several readers called to ask, "What in the world is that story about 'The Godfather' doing on the front page?"

Interestingly, all three callers admitted they read every word of Gerry Weiss' piece on the 35th anniversary of the debut of Francis Ford Coppola's famous movie.

Yes, they said, they read the story and liked it, but that still doesn't mean it should be on the front page. In business, the saying is: "The customer is always right." And this is certainly a business. But journalism is a different kind of game, and in planning the coverage -- and where the various stories and photos are featured -- in our daily editions, we find we need to mix things up on occasion to draw readers in.

Would "The Godfather" story attract as much attention had it been buried on an inside page? Probably not. And the nicely-designed package would certainly have been cramped on another page.

As I explained to my friends on the phone, I think the placement of "The Godfather" story helped balance today's front page. It was surrounded by such serious reports as a new "junk" rating for Erie bonds, 2 Erie school directors falling behind on their taxes, and a man confessing to stealing 128 bronze military markers off the graves of fallen soldiers near Warren.

With that much sobering news, I felt the Godfather piece gave readers a nice break. Perhaps had news broken differently, such a large presence on page 1 for a story that's essentially a pop culture piece might not have been possible.

But, on this day, and in this place, it provided many readers with a smile, as they recalled such familiar lines as, "I'm gonna make him an offer he can't refuse."

So, go ahead, make my day by letting me know how you feel about this question. Wait a minute, I got the wrong movie. Just get a big dead fish, wrap it in today's newspaper, and leave at my front door. I'll get the message.

-- Kevin Cuneo

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