Thanks to each of them. Those meetings will help us enormously as we work to publish a magazine you will like.

I’ve reported in this column before on the results of telephone readership surveys we’ve conducted. But these focus groups, although not large enough to provide a representative sample, allowed us to listen to some in-depth explanations of why people feel the way they do about Kentucky Living.

The focus groups were held in Elizabethtown, Bowling Green, Winchester, Somerset, Prestonsburg, Florence, and Henderson. A professional moderator conducted the meetings; in a room next door, Kentucky Living staff members listened to the discussion over a baby monitor (nothing sneaky or secret here, the moderator announced the sessions were being taped and that neighbors were listening in).

Here’s some of what you told us:

We love the “Events” column. You like to go places and do things, and this is the only list of activities all over the state. You even asked that the events extend two weeks into the next month to make planning easier. OK. Starting this month, we’re taking your advice.

Utility deregulation information is too complicated. You appreciate being kept informed about electric utility restructuring, but you want it written more clearly, so it is easier to understand.

We like the wholesome, upbeat style. Here are a couple of quotations from the focus groups: “There aren’t many magazines that I’d discuss with my grandmother, but we’ve talked about articles we’ve both read in Kentucky Living,” and “There’s nothing negative in this magazine, and that’s part of why I like it.”

Don’t make major changes. Focus group members made a lot of suggestions, but they basically like the magazine. From the variety of the cover photographs and feature stories, to the usefulness of the columns, Kentucky Living seems well-liked. That’s especially good to know.