Gold Magazine September - October 2013, Issue 30

15,000 Words Later THE LAST WORD How things have changed in Gold’s first 2½ years By Peter Economides “Please keep it to 500 words.” That was my editor, giving me instructions for the first column I ever wrote for this magazine. Now I’ve reached fifteen thousand words. Thirty columns. Five hundred words per column. Fifteen thousand words. Fifteen thousand! If you read this column aloud, it would take you five minutes. Because we speak at 100 words per minute. This is a useless piece of information to most people. But not to me. I have spent a lifetime reading and criticizing and improving (or trying to improve) and presenting and listening to television and radio spots. “Are you sure this is a thirty second spot? I’ve counted 85 words...” “Peter, where is your article?” That was my editor again. Giving me hell for stretching deadlines to the limit. Like this one. Which is why I am sitting on a plane counting words. John! Can we run a picture of my dog? Probably not a good idea to ask. OK, forget it. Dear reader, you are reading the last column I’ll be writing for this magazine. At least for now. I am not sure how many of my columns you have read. For all I know, this may be the first. The one and only. I started thirty columns ago. That’s two and a half years ago. I have shared many of my thoughts with you through this column. I have spoken about

Gold Magazine September - October 2013, Issue 30 | Page 86