HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO US!
	october 2004

by Richard Koscher, Publisher

This October issue of 110° Magazine that you have in your hands is the initial issue of our second year in existence. It was a year rich in experiences, challenges, and rewards. During the past twelve months we have been elated, depressed, astonished, discouraged, and thrilled. Looking back over the year it seems that we’ve gone through all those emotions in about equal parts.

One emotion none of us ever experienced during this entire year was boredom. I count that to be a blessing. Throughout all the up and down passions we’ve gone through over the past twelve months, we were really “alive” every minute of the time.

Excellence is Rewarding
We’ve never skimped on quality with 110° Magazine. We could have created cheaper covers. We could have used newsprint for inside pages and cut down the number of photos. We could have created black-and white pages or two-color pages.

We never were tempted to take anyof these shortcuts. Both Don and I agreed that we would begin, with the first issue, to create the best magazine we possibly could. It would have been less nervewracking, perhaps, to have started out with a smaller and cheaper magazine. But we’re putting out a publication that local residents are starting to look for in their mailboxes. Many of them love getting it, reading it, and sharing it with their friends. Perhaps one of my favorite quotes comes from Steve Onzo who lives in Discovery Bay. He told us “Your magazine is so outstanding that waiting four weeks for the next issue is unberarable! I need you on a weekly basis!” We’re convinced that this kind of excellence eventually will pay off. “What goes around comes around.” We’re sure that’s going to happen with us. We’re seeing the payoff already!

Buckling Down for the Long Run
We expended a lot of resources over six months sending complimentary copies to readers, first to Byron/Discovery Bay and then to Oakley. This activity, plus a lot of word-of-mouth, has resulted in a gratifying number of subscribers. We continue to send complimentary copies to all street addresses in Brentwood, and plan to do that for the foreseeable future. We’re looking forward to the future with keen anticipation. The hard part seems to be over. East County residents have come to recognize us. More heart warming than that is the affection — sometimes bordering on adulation — that many readers have come to have for our magazine.

110° — 100% Californian
One thing we are particularly proud of here at 110° Magazine is that we are 100% California grown. The govenor called on us to spend money in California, so we are printing our magazine in Sacramento. Some local publications don’t even print in the U.S. In the decision about which press to use, as in so many other decisions that

I make, there is always the temptation to cut corners. We’re anxious, of course, to save money wherever we can. But we try to draw the line on matters having to do with quality or values. We aim to be thrifty; we refuse to be cheap. We’re having a great time and look forward to years of supporting the people and institutions in our East County and the economy of our state.

Good reading to you all!