PUBLISHER 8 NOVEMBER 2025 www.goodnewsfl.org Good News • South Florida Edition Now I feebly sense why Jesus spoke in parables so often. There’s a lot of meaning in subjects and ideas that can be misinterpreted without a little context, because words alone are sometimes inadequate to express a thought properly. The impact of the passing of Charlie Kirk touched a lot of people in incredibly different ways — some with hate, but many with love. But I’ll come back to that thought. In my attempt to formulate some historical reference for such a ferocity of emotions — so many people caring so deeply, the confluence of such intensity — well, let me try. Forty years ago, in 1985, I was a participant in a series of events that felt mystically similar. The event: Prince appearing on the final leg of his worldfamous “Purple Rain” tour in Miami on Easter Sunday, at Miami’s famed Orange Bowl — a 70,000-seat stadium. The clergy went bonkers coupled with the then current monster Prince hit “When Doves Cry,” which was a total misread in meaning with the image of the sacred Dove imagery. It seemed sacrilegious! But the community itself was bonkers with excitement because Miami was a worldclass event city. As I recall, it split the county; some even openly accused racism might be involved, suggesting the show be canceled. The show went on, but feelings were still incredibly ruffled. In that time frame, I was the founder and operator of a computerized ticket company called Select-ASeat — now referred to as Ticketmaster or something like that. Hmm. I had the contract to sell those tickets, as well as many other events. Simply put, next to Roy Garrett, the maître d’ at Joe’s Stone Crab in Miami Beach, I was a popular guy for people who needed to glom tickets. I got a call from an old mentor and friend, Hank Meyer, the preeminent PR guru in the Southeast. He was famous for sending a simple letter to the biggest star on television at the time, Jackie Gleason. Hank had heard Jackie mention in an interview how much he loved to play golf. Sensing an opportunity, Hank sent a letter explaining that if Gleason moved his No. 1–rated television program from New York to Miami Beach, he could play golf 365 days a year. At that time, Hank was a veritable buffet of heavy-duty clients who could facilitate practically anything to lure a star. In fact, Jackie Gleason did move his production company and television show to Miami Beach, literally so he could play golf after filming each day. But I digress. Back to the call I got from Hank Meyer. He said, “Les, I need to get some [good] tickets for Prince for some of my clients. Can you help me?” I was first astounded that he even knew who Prince was, but I said, “Sure, Hank, what do you need?” He asked, “How many can I get?” Before I knew it, he was personally in the lobby of my small building. I had my PLAYBILL ® offices downstairs and my ticket company offices upstairs. I had just finished expanding my warehouse offices, literally building a second floor for SAS with no elevator, just stairs inside the building. My assistant told me some guy had just stepped out of a long limousine parked in front of the building and was waiting in the lobby. This was before we “pulled the switch” — before tickets went on sale to the public at all the Jordan Marsh stores, Peaches, and local record stores. My memory is a wee bit fuzzy, but Hank walked out with a couple hundred tickets in a series of envelopes. The Prince show itself sold out in an hour or two. About a month ago, the untimely assassination of Charlie Kirk created a firestorm of reaction — widespread love, grief and despair, but also significant hate and vitriol. After all, Charlie was only 31 years old and, before he was assassinated, was hardly known by many, but widely known by young people, especially on college campuses. So why such incredible polarization? Once again, the clergy dynamic was at the center. As stated above, last month the Good News Cover feature recognized the passing of Charlie Kirk. Our only editorial coverage was a timeline of significant occurrences during his 31 years, really not much comment, mainly the timeline itself. As of this writing, it is by far the most widely read and embraced issue in our 27-plus years of publishing. Recognition on social media, across various platforms, dwarfs in interest and engagement any issue or subject matter prior. Using the only barometer available to us in analytical format, we identified more than 14,100 responses. (Typical issues generally draw 400 to 3,000 actual engagement responses.) Breaking down the “Charlie Kirk engagement,” over 2,000 of the responses were marked as and 46 as . That, in itself, is overwhelmingly positive. I’m sure I have more than 46 people angry at me. On several occasions over the past three weeks, people have called the office asking for more copies of the current issue. They’ve run out. Just tonight, after fielding another request for more copies for a church, the prominent caller asked, “Hey Les, can I get some more copies of the Charlie Kirk issue?” I said, “Yes, how many do you want?” The caller responded, “How many can I get?” Within an hour, he appeared at our Good News office, and in front of the building he opened the tailgate of his large SUV, and we loaded in nine bundles — 180 more copies. Charlie Kirk created an indelible impact. Not everyone loves what he did, what he said or what he stood for. But I am reminded: it’s not our job to judge. It’s our job to love. “Prove me wrong.” Parables - Leslie J. Feldman - Publisher Advertising: We reach over 110,000 readers each month. 80,000 in print and 30,000 via our online digital edition. Placing an ad in our publication is affordable and effective to help grow your business. Call us today! Distribution: Available in more than 800 locations throughout South Florida. To become a free distribution point for the newspaper, please contact Shelly. The Good News is published by Good News Media Group, LLC, Reproduction in whole or part strictly forbidden without the consent of the publisher. Copyright 2025. All rights reserved. Good News Media Group, LLC. 600 S.W. 3rd St., Suite 4000, Pompano Beach, FL 33060 954-564-5378 • www.goodnewsfl.org Publisher: Leslie J. Feldman [email protected] Editor: Shelly Pond [email protected] Advertising & Marketing: Robert “Buddy” Helland Jr. V.P. Sr. Marketing Manager [email protected] Art Director: Milton McPherson [email protected] Cover Photography: Luis Feliz [email protected] Associate Art Director: Joseph Sammaritano [email protected] Social Media Manager: Ariel Feldman [email protected] Editorial Assistant: Eric Solomon [email protected] Good News • November • Volume 27 Issue 8
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