puzzle shafted
In the scale of things, one newspaper puzzle doesn’t rate. But it does to thousands of readers, and to the people who produce it.
Since 1990, Snodger Puzzles has made the Giant Sunday Age crossword puzzle. Now The Age has replaced it with something much simpler.
If you like it, and miss it, let them know via the editor Peter Fray at pfray@theage.com.au,
or the puzzles editor Theresa Ambrose at tambrose@theage.com.au or phone (03) 9601 2251.
Brian McCarthy has been imported from Rural Press in the recent merger to ‘run the metropolitan regional and magazine publishing businesses”. A known cost cutter, he was confronted on expected savings by Lateline:
“ALI MOORE: That’s the culture. What about the cost structure? How different is, say, the cost structure of a Sydney Morning Herald or The Age compared to The Canberra Times?
BRIAN MCCARTHY: Again Ali, I don’t know. I’ve no knowledge of The Sydney Morning Heraldcross-structure versus Canberra Times or indeed The Age versus The Canberra Times.
ALI MOORE: You must have some idea, because you’ve already identified 35 million in synergies.
BRIAN MCCARTHY: Yeah, and virtually none of that is in those two mastheads.
ALI MOORE: Does that imply there’s a lot more to come?
BRIAN MCCARTHY: Well no. We think there might be more to come…”
Ah, a puzzle is such a small thing.
January 9th, 2007 at 9:25 am
One can only assume that this is another result of the WorkChoices legislation: the PM said he wanted to destroy the five day week and that means we can’t have people spending a day or more on a crossword.
Seriously, though, this is tragic. I can honestly say the giant Sunday Age crossword transformed my reading habits: realising that I knew the answer to one clue was ‘Gabriel Garcia Marquez’, but not knowing how I knew it, led me to a long adventure with non-English literature (and especially magic realism) from which I have yet to emerge. Tackling the Sunday Age crossword is why God gave us weekends, so you can bet I’ll be writing to the folks at The Age.
January 9th, 2007 at 10:02 am
I have mixed feelings about the removal of the giant Sunday crossword. Every Sunday morning, my wife and I curse at the ludicrousness of many of the clues and yet delight at the new knowledge gained by doing the research. Then we curse at the hours spent when other tasks have been left undone and yet delight at the time spent together. But of course there is the feeling of smugness that pervades the whole day on those rare occasions when we complete it.
The new puzzle is a snore.
I’ll add my name to the complainants
January 9th, 2007 at 11:38 am
Just the name of the new one is enough to repel me – Connoisseur. Has the Sunday Age really become THAT snobby? What sort of pretentious dicks do they think make up their their readership? Ok, don’t answer that. What’s wrong with history, science, geography, sport and politics, to name but a few ohh so gauche categories? C-Slacker is spot on. The big one was good because it was hard and you learnt something new about lots of things, even if some of the clues were farcical. The new one, though, is utter rubbish. Partly because of the aforesaid snobbishness, but primarily because it is ridiculously, boneheadedly easy. “Brain teaser”? They’re kidding, right?
What’s more, the old one made lots of funny dumb mistakes.
January 9th, 2007 at 9:53 pm
Just another reason why the Age has become unreadable, except the Green Guide, and only the computer advertising in that section.
January 14th, 2007 at 11:03 am
I glanced at the crossword again today. Am I the only one who finds a crossword that includes the clue ‘digit on foot (3)’ disturbingly trite? Mind you, I’ve never taken seriously a publication that includes a horoscope.
January 21st, 2007 at 12:14 pm
I agree heartily with all the complaints I have read about the “Connoisseur” Sunday Age crossword. The giant crossword was an exciting challenge to my general knowledge, followed by an interesting test of my reference library, followed by great practice for my websearch skills, which are just developing.
Today, I finished the “Con” in about 15 mins, and I only had to look up two things! Where’s the fun in that?
I shall certainly send my objections to The Age.
February 2nd, 2007 at 11:59 am
A Victory for the forces of good.
I did complain about the Sunday age crossword and today got this reply.
Dear Readers,
Your Snodger Giant Crossword returns to The Sunday Age this week.
I hope you enjoy it.
Happy crosswording,
Peter Fray
Editor
The Sunday Age
February 2nd, 2007 at 1:22 pm
Not the only one, C-Slack.
March 4th, 2007 at 12:18 pm
Great work guys, I’m overseas and just saw the news or I’d have been onto the Age in a nanosecond.