• by October 20, 2003

PUTTING ON A NEW FACE - Beginning Tuesday, The New York Times will change its typefaces for the first time since 1976. The Times will move from the mélange of typefaces - Latin Condensed, News Gothic, Century Bold and Bookman, for you type font geeks out there - to a single Cheltenham face. Now that seems like a small change to the print-is-dead folks, but it's a big deal to the ever-aging readers of newspapers. Riff still remembers a newspaper publisher's contention that the old Hartford Times' decision to drop body type in obituaries by a point doomed the Connecticut insurance capital to become a one-paper town in the 1970s. Readers care about typefaces more than almost anything else beyond perhaps making sure the bridge column runs without fail and, before the Internet and digital cable, getting the late sports scores in. But it's taken three years into the 21st century for The Times, which has been glacially slow to adopt technological change that swept other newspapers long ago. Remember how long it took them to get color capacity? Give it credit for realizing The Times have to change; we'll see tomorrow whether they did enough.

OPEN MOUTH, INSERT FOOT HERE - As readers of the Riff already know, we're trying to refrain from singling out conservative TV icons for their stupidity, but today's spotlight comes from no less a source than the Association of National Advertisers. Bill O'Reilly, the Fox News Channel host who was the master of ceremonies at the ANA conference last week. He told the ANA that he didn't believe in print advertising, that print is a waste because it's not as involving or engaging as TV. O'Reilly comes at that realization as a guy who has spent much of his career in television. On the other hand, would he say his forays into print -- including a book on the best-seller list right now -- are a waste of time or not involving? Probably all the way to the bank. O'Reilly's comments caused ANA Chairman James D. Speros to say the ANA does value print advertising, according to The New York Times.

IF ARNOLD AND JESSE COULD DO IT - "Access Hollywood" co-host Pat O'Brien is the latest to declare his political intentions. O'Brien said recently he's considering running for governor of South Dakota. It may not be as far-fetched as it seems. Instead of just being the silly host of a celebrity show, O'Brien was a good student at the University of South Dakota who later studied international economics at Johns Hopkins University. But Riff wants to know who's next to declare his intentions to run for office? Jerry Springer?

SPRINGTIME FOR CANDIDATE - As a matter of fact, yes. Springer told a group at the University of Akron that he might run for governor of Ohio in 2006. But according to ChannelCincinnati.com, Springer decided he couldn't run for governor and continue to appear on his infamous TV talk show. Why? It doesn't look like the talk show takes any effort at all.