Some people only pick up the Flyer when they’re sitting alone in a bar and have grown tired of people-watching. (Drunk people are only interesting for so long.) Others pick it up, glance at the calendar to see what’s going on around town, and quickly deposit it in the nearest trash bin. And we’re cool with that.
But we know there are some devoted readers who have picked up a copy every week for years, and not having the heart to throw them away, have allowed them to pile up into a paper tower in the corner of their living rooms. Okay, we really don’t know this, but we can hope, can’t we?
So if you’re wondering just how steadfast your Flyer allegiance is, take this quiz and then tally up your answers to find out just what kind of Flyer fan you really are.
1. Which current columnist was managing editor when the Flyer took off in 1989?
a. John Branston (“City Beat”) c. Jackson Baker (“Politics”)
b. Tim Sampson (“We Recommend”) d. Andria Lisle (“Local Beat”)
2. Who was the first local politician to grace a Flyer cover?
a. Willie Herenton c. Rickey Peete
b. Marion Berry d. Steve Cohen
3. In the Flyer’s first contest, a lucky reader could win a cruise for two on the Nile and 10 days in Egypt if he/she did what?
a. found a magic flute buried somewhere in the city
b. penned a winning piece of fiction for our sister publication, Memphis magazine
c. was chosen by judges after baring all in the Flyer‘s Hottest Ass Contest
d. did the best Elvis impersonation
4. What was the Flyer’s first cover story?
a. “Model Moms” — a story about child beauty queens and the moms who push them
b. “The Lost Elvis Diaries” — a story of how one reporter obtained Elvis’ journal
c. “Up In Smoke” — a story about the millions of dollars worth of pot eradicated yearly
d. “Poison For Profit” — a story about Velsicol selling U.S.-banned chemicals in the Third World
5. What was the name of the nightclub/bar column by David Lyons that ran in early editions of the Flyer?
a. “Nighthawk” c. “In Beer We Trust”
b. “King of Clubs” d. “The Nightclub Naysayer”
6. Which current radio personality once penned a weekly birthdays column in the Flyer?
a. Twitch from 93X c. Chris Jarman from Rock 103
b. Boogaloo from Hot 107.1 d. Tom Prestigiacomo from FM100
7. What was “Backfire”?
a. the former name of the Letters to the Editors page, now titled “Postscript”
b. the former name for the Flyer‘s classified ad section
c. the name of a “call us with your comments” hotline
d. an early ’90s Memphis band we covered the hell out of
8. What local publication ran “The Fly Swatter,” a spoof of the Flyer‘s “Fly On the Wall” column after we slammed them several times for poor copy editing (among other things)?
a. 901/Elite Memphis c. R.S.V.P.
b. The Commercial Appeal d. Gamut
9. When did the Flyer launch its Web site?
a. 2001 c. 1997
b. 1999 d. 1996
10. Who was the winner of the Flyer‘s first two annual Local Music Polls? (Hint: 2001 and 2002)
a. Cory Branan c. The North Mississippi All-Stars
b. Lucero d. Saliva
11. Which popular Memphis magazine feature got its start in the Flyer?
a. “Ask Vance” c. “Enough Said”
b. “Fabulous Finds” d. “City Lights”
12. What’s the name of the Flyer‘s travel columnist?
a. Walter Jowers c. Ed Weathers
b. Andrew Wilkins d. Paul Gerald
13. In April 1998, the Flyer (and several other alternative newsweeklies in other cities) ran a “This Modern World” political cartoon by Tom Tomorrow that caused an outpouring of letters to the editor and cancellations by some advertisers. What made that strip so darn controversial?
a. It depicted Clinton and Monica Lewinsky “doing their thing” in the Oval Office
b. It contained the work “fuck”
c. It was about gay rights and depicted two men kissing
d. It depicted a big ol’ orgy
14. What was “Stand By Your Band”?
a. the original name for the After Dark music listings
b. a contest where readers voted on what local band might go to Austin’s SXSW
c. the headline for the Flyer‘s first music issue in 2001
d. a Flyer-sponsored concert at Tom Lee Park
15. The Flyer has produced one paper a week since 1989 with one exception. When did we miss an issue and why?
a. 1994 — because of the big ice storm
b. 1990 — because Tim Sampson overslept
c. 2000 — because of an office-wide computer virus
d. 2003 — because of the big wind storm
The Flyer
by the Numbers
2/16/89 date of the Flyer‘s first issue
20 number of pages in that first issue
783 total number of issues, including this one
15 number of staffers at the Flyer at the time of the first issue
45 number of staffers at the Flyer today
3 number of editors the Flyer has had in its history
144 number of pages in the largest issue
99 number of distribution boxes in the area
9, 24 number of delivery people and total hours it takes to deliver the Flyer
619 number of distribution points in the city
250 number of distribution points when the Flyer began
$100 amount of a paid subscription to the Flyer
15 number of paid subscriptions
$1.75 average amount it costs to mail an issue of the Flyer
55,000-58,875 number of papers distributed per week
97 percentage of papers picked up by readers each week
224,900 average number of readers each week
10,000 approximate number of papers distributed in Midtown
75,800 approximate number of readers who own three or more cars
9 average number of letters about Tim Sampson each week
Answers:
1. b; 2. c; 3. a; 4. d; 5. a; 6. d; 7. b; 8. a; 9. d; 10. c; 11. a; 12. d; 13. d; 14. b; 15. d
The Score
Give yourself one point for each correct answer and no points for the incorrect answers. Tally up your score and see where you fit into the Flyer fan club.
11-15 points: Want a Job?
If you scored this high, you know your Memphis Flyer and you know it well. In fact, we’re wondering if you have a life at all. What have you been doing these past 15 years? Either you’ve spent way too much time alone at local bars or you’re just a huge nerd — or both.
6-10 points: Flyer Fan Club President
If you got this many right, you’ve obviously been reading the Flyer for a while, and somehow you’ve managed to absorb some information over the years. We’re glad to have readers like you — you know, not too smart but not too dumb. Kinda like us.
1-5 points: Brain Cells? What Are Those?
Either you’re a new reader or one of those I-just-read-the-Flyer-for-the-music-listings types. Or maybe you just smoked too much ganja back in the day and destroyed all your brain cells. That’s okay. We still love you.
No points:
Okay, we hate to break it to you, but you’re a total loser!
