From: "robert buonincontro" <robert.buonincontro@canrem.com>
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.hardware
Subject: commodore fights back
Date: 29 Jul 92 20:26:51 EST
Reply-To: "robert buonincontro" <robert.buonincontro@canrem.com>
Distribution: comp
Organization: Canada Remote Systems


This is Commodore's reply to the recent Washington Post article  Enjoy!

==========================
amiga.dev/news #54, from jwiede, 7781 chars, Fri Jul 24 16:50:17 1992
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TITLE: Commodore asks for help...

Commodore is aware of the activity on computer networks in response
to the "Amiga/Slow Death" article written by Mr. Phillip Robinson.
Commodore wants to assure all you who are concerned that we are not
taking this lightly, and would appreciate your help in responding
to Mr. Robinson and to newspapers who have reprinted the article.
Therefore, we are providing the information that follows.  It is a
version of a correspondence sent to dealers in market areas where
the article has appeared.

All of us at Commodore share your concern about this story.  The
Commodore marketing and communications staff agree that this story
is one-sided, contains several inaccuracies, and does not
communicate the current thrust of our emerging, dynamic and leading
U.S. business presence in multimedia and related applications.

Specific Actions And An Update

We've had two conversations with Mr. Robinson since his article
first appeared.  We communicated to him all of the reasons why
suggesting that "Amiga is dying a slow death" couldn't be further
from the truth!  We have one additional interview scheduled with
Mr. Robinson next Wednesday (July 29th).  He will be writing a
follow-up article after the interview.  The follow-up article will
appear first in the San Jose Mercury News and then will be
distributed through the Knight Ridder distribution channels to your
local paper.  That process usually takes up to two weeks.

Mr. Robinson reports that the feedback he's currently receiving
from the "Amiga/Slow Death" article is the heaviest he's
experienced in the eight years of doing this column.  He reports
that some of the more virulent negative feedback has included
threats of violence.  We of course do not endorse violent feedback
of any kind.  But you can take constructive steps to channel your
negative reaction to Mr. Robinson's article.

You can help manage the negative public perception Mr. Robinson's
article has created by taking action with your local broadcast and
print media.  Please consider doing the the following:

1)  Write a letter to the editor of the newspaper that ran the
    Robinson article.  Correct the record.  Use some of the message
    points we've provided.  Voice your strong objection to the
    one-sided and ridiculous suggestion that Amiga and Commodore
    have no future.

2)  Send a copy of your letter to the editor directly to Phillip
    Robinson.  His address is P.O. Box 1357, Sausolito, CA  94966
    (as printed in the San Jose Mercury News).

3)  If you wish, voice your opinion to Mr. Robinson by leaving a
    voice-mail message for him at (415) 289-9498.  Do this in the
    next seven days so you have impact on his follow-up article.

Here are the primary message points that Commodore hopes to get
across to Mr. Robinson.  Perhaps you can include some of them in
your letters to the editor:

*   Commodore is a one billion dollar company.

*   There are more that three million Amigas installed worldwide.

*   Phillip Robinson's recent article, which talks about a "slow
    death" for the Amiga, was written with no input from Commodore.

*   Commodore is not "killing" the Amiga.  In fact, the company,
    and its developer network, currently are working on several
    enhancements to the Amiga product line.  Significant product
    announcements are planned this Fall at the World of Commodore
    show in Pasadena.

*   Approximately 1000 dealers distribute the Amiga in the United
    States.

*   Commodore recently signed a sole national distribution agreement
    with Merisel, Inc., the world's largest publicly held
    distributor of microcomputer hardware and software products.

*   Commodore recently signed a strategic product reseller agreement
    with Digital Equipment Corporation.

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