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Color coding brightens new phone book QwestDex's new volume of listings should start to show up on Rogue Valley doorsteps on Wednesday By GREG STILES Mail Tribune A more colorful version of the QwestDex telephone book will begin appearing on local doorsteps this Wednesday. More than 165,868 directories were printed for distribution, according to QwestDex Southern Oregon sales manager Jo Lynn Barnicoat-Thomas. That's an increase of nearly 29,000 since 1992. Barnicoat-Thomas said the phone company delivers an average of 112 directories each week following the initial distribution. The 23-person Southern Oregon QwestDex staff puts out four books each year. The closing date for entries in the Medford-Ashland book is Jan. 1. Jackson County deliveries are made in March, followed by Grants Pass - where 72,000 copies are distributed - in June, Klamath Falls in August and Roseburg in September. Listings for California's Siskiyou County were added to the local pages eight years ago. "In a typical year, 25 to 26 percent of the Medford book will change," Barnicoat-Thomas said. "That's a high percentage, in some communities it's only in the teens." The new book has 1,040 numbered pages, and several more unnumbered. It's 579 Yellow Pages outstrip last year's 570. It's 268 pages for Jackson County is one more than the 2001 book. Barnicoat-Thomas said that the 13,000 business listed in the book this year reflect an 8 percent growth over a year ago. Over the years the Yellow Pages have reflected changes in society and economic growth. The five classifications given new color-coded markings in QwestDex demonstrate an expansion and competition in several professions. Attorneys, highlighted in blue, run for 25 pages - 22 more than appeared in the 1982 Yellow Pages. If you need help starting your engine, automotive listings are marked in checker-flag black and white and roll for 31 pages - that's one less than packed the 1982 book. Dentists marked by turquoise edges account for eight smile-packed pages, up from three 20 years ago. The physicians and surgeons pages are notched with a teal stripe. They've grown from six to 22 pages in 20 years. The red-and-white paneled restaurant section covers 22 pages and 20 cuisine styles. Two decades ago, there were 12 pages of restaurant ads and it was anyone's guess how many styles existed. In 1982 it took 24 pages to index Abattoir Equipment to Zip Codes. The new book's index starts with Abortion Alternatives and winds up with Zoning Consultants. Perhaps no one will get as much return on his investment as Central Point attorney and city council member Dennis Richardson, who recently filed to run for the state legislature. This will be the second time he has the full-page color space on the back cover. (There is no mention of his political pursuits in the ad.) Businesses pay from a base of $10 per month to $2,000 monthly for two full pages, Barnicoat-Thomas said. That's dramatically more than QwestDex's primary competitor, Cedar Rapids, Iowa-based McLeod USA, which publishes directories in 26 states. McLeod bought out the old Regional Directory that served Jackson and Josephine counties about two years ago. Pat Hartman, vice president of media relations, said the Yell Group, a British firm, is buying McLeod's publishing arm and the Yellow Book of New York. Qwest reports independent surveys in this area show residents use its product 11-1 over independent books, but Ken Wangen, McLeod's district sales manager, said his company's total coverage of 175,500 books delivered in Jackson, Josephine and Siskiyou counties reflect more potential customers for advertisers. McLeod provides bold listings for free and its ads cost up to $1,400 per month for two pages. "We design our coverage areas by shopping patterns rather than go by county or exchange lines," Wangen said. "It makes more sense to the users and advertisers." McLeod's book is due out in September. Reach reporter Greg Stiles at 776-4463 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.