Hanscom AFB -- The 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs Office conducted a readership survey of the Hansconian from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, 2006, providing an opportunity for the Hanscom community readership to submit feedback about the newspaper.

"We appreciate all of the feedback the survey provided," said 2nd Lt. Lisa Spilinek, 66th Air Base Wing Public Affairs internal information chief. "The information gathered assists us in better meeting the needs of our readers."

More than 360 people completed the online survey.

When asked if the Hansconian is a vital source of base news, 37 percent agreed that it was, 16 percent strongly agreed, 13 percent disagreed, five percent strongly disagreed and 29 percent neither agreed nor disagreed that the Hansconian is a vital source of base news.

Respondents were asked to rate the Hansconian as a trustworthy source of information: 46 percent agreed, 25 percent strongly agreed, three percent disagreed and 25 percent neither agreed nor disagreed.

When asked to rate the Hansconian as a source of information about the topics they felt are most important, 41 percent gave a satisfactory rating, 29 percent rated the paper as very good, 17 percent felt it was below satisfactory, seven percent gave an excellent rating, and six percent rated it as poor.

The survey also asked readers how often they read the Hansconian: 62 percent said they read every issue, 23 percent said every other issue, seven percent responded every third issue, three percent said they read every fourth issue and four percent read it less frequently than every fourth issue.

Many of those who responded to the survey provided suggestions on things they would like to see included in the paper. Of the suggestions received, a few responders asked for more civilian personnel news and features.

Some readers mentioned distribution problems, explaining that too many papers are being delivered to some locations and not enough to others.

Any buildings or residents with Hansconian distribution problems should contact the Hansconian staff at (781) 377-5027 to have the problem corrected.

"We hope that our readers will continue to share their thoughts and suggestions with us so that we can better serve the Hanscom community," Lieutenant Spilinek said.

Key things to know about the Hansconian:

-- The Hansconian newspaper is published by the Community Newspapers Company. The Air Force does not pay to have the paper published; revenue generated by CNC through the sale of advertisements covers the cost of publication and distribution.

-- To submit articles, story ideas, or nominate someone for the Pride of Team Hanscom or the Deployed Pride of Hanscom e-mail, Hanscom.Hansconian@hanscom.af.mil. The Hansconian staff is always interested in story ideas from news to sports, as well as articles focusing on base organizations and personnel.

-- A calendar of events is included in each issue of the Hansconian. The calendar can be found on page 14. Anyone who would like to have an event included in the calendar should email their submission to hanscom.hansconian@hanscom.af.mil. Readers should note that calendar items for off-base events or activities will be run on a space available basis.