From: Mike Martin mike@gmbac.com

TO:      Mr. Todd Bailey
            Houston Chronicle
            c/o christopher.bailey@chron.com
 
 
Dear Mr. Bailey,
 
I spoke with you in January regarding the decision by the Chronicle to discontinue publication of the Alief/Southwest weekly edition.  You shared with me that the decision was purely a business matter -- that local advertising revenues were simply not sufficient to support the publication of a weekly edition for our community.  I was sorry to hear of this decision. 
 
Since that time I have spoken with many of my neighbors.  They are concerned that such a vital communication link has been taken from this community.  To explain the matter to them I have published a statement on our new web site at www.GMBAC.com at http://www.gmbac.com/?p=165.  It is not a favorable statement regarding the Chronicle's decision, and in the spirit of fairness, I will publish any response -- unedited -- that you or any representative of the Chronicle cares to make.  Moreover, I trust that local advertisers such as West Oaks Mall and the individual stores in the mall as
well as the many establishments in Alief have been made aware that their dollars spent on advertising their products and services will not reach the targeted audience of local consumers of this community.  It’s only fair. 
 
Of course the reality is that this is a new web site and many of our residents have yet to log onto it, so exposure to these comments may be limited, for now.  Nevertheless, they will remain posted for future readers to review.  I guess that makes us the "media" and your organization the story.  I will strive above all else to remain objective in posting any reply you might care to submit.  Our strongest wish is that your paper might reconsider its decision to deny coverage of the events of the 200,000 residents of Mission Bend and Alief and the surrounding communities. 
 
Sincerely,
 
Mike Martin
President
Greater Mission Bend Area Council
mike@GMBAC.com