Howdy SURGE fans and welcome to the 89th edition of SaveSURGE News! The only newsletter in the world dedicated to SURGE.

We’re all dedicated to SURGE here, right? There’s no better way to show just how dedicated you are than by calling our friends at Coca-Cola toll-free at 1-800-GET-COKE. Let them know how much you miss the one and only fully loaded citrus soda. We also encourage you (come on, you can do it!) to contact your local Coca-Cola bottling facility. You can find one near you in our Coca-Cola Directory located at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/help_coke.shtml.

Sightings Report
There were 3 new SURGE Sightings reported since the last edition of SaveSURGE News. They are in Kissimmee, FL; Lakeland, FL & Urbandale, IA.

Sadly, there were 2 deletions in Aurora, CO & St. Charles, MO.

Currently there are 137 SURGE Sightings listed. Thanks to each and every one of you who look out for SURGE wherever you go!

For more info, visit SURGE Sightings at:
http://www.savesurge.org/surge/sightings.shtml

Citra Being Repackaged, Now Called Fanta Citrus
The biggest news of this week has to be the new life given to SURGE’s cousin beverage, Citra. As you may know, Citra is a caffeine-free citrus soda which was developed at the same time as our beloved SURGE. While SURGE was released in 1997, Citra hit store shelves a year later.

SURGE (and Citra) fan Mike first broke the story on March 7 with a post on the SaveSURGE.org Bulletin Board stating that he wrote to Coca-Cola about the current status of both SURGE and Citra. In their reply, the Coke customer service rep stated that Citra’s name had been changed to Fanta Citrus and will be available sometime this month.

This news was both shocking and true. A visit to the www.fanta.com website now lists Fanta Citrus as a flavor. Interestingly, Coca-Cola’s own website has yet to mention the news. This leads me to believe that Fanta Citrus is not out in stores just yet. I would expect to see an official press release from Coke when the actual product launch takes place. At this time we are not sure how many areas of the country will have Fanta Citrus.

While I am very pleased and hopeful that Citra fans (including myself) will get a chance to once again enjoy that sweet citrus taste – I am also quite surprised by this move. It was just one of those things that most people probably never saw coming.

However, I believe the move does make sense. Perhaps what Coca-Cola is doing is placing the bulk of their citrus drinks under the Fanta name, which is very well known around the world. While the Fanta line of beverages is quite popular in other parts of the globe it has struggled to take hold in many parts of America. Adding the great taste of Citra could be the start of an effort to start marketing Fanta to more parts of the country.

This of course leads us to the question: Could SURGE be next in line? The issues seem to be a little bit more complicated for our favorite soda. The SURGE name is pretty well-known and Coke could be hesitant to change it. Although, the point could be made that even though the SURGE name is well-known, the brand also had some unfair baggage attached to it (high caffeine, failure to overtake Mt. Dew, etc.). Maybe repackaging SURGE under the Fanta name could be a fresh start.

We’ve discussed the possibilities of SURGE coming back under a new name before and fans seem to be very split on the topic. For me, as long as the formula and flavor remain exactly the same I’d be happy.

We’ll be on the lookout for Fanta Citrus. Even if it’s not available in your area, hopefully there will be a way to order it online so that everyone can enjoy the taste once again. And for SURGE’s sake, let’s hope that this is just the start of something big!

You can discuss Citra’s new life at:
http://www.karks.com/surge/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=992

URGE in the USA Update
As we announced in last week’s edition of SaveSURGE News, our friends over at Soda Favorites (http://www.sodafavorites.com) are looking into the possibility of bringing SURGE’s Norwegian equivalent, URGE to the good old USA.

George from Soda Favorites is keeping everyone up-to-date with the latest news over on the SaveSURGE.org Bulletin Board:

http://www.karks.com/surge/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=1012

SaveSURGE Radio on Live365.com
One of my dream jobs as a kid was being a DJ so to try and recapture some of my squandered youth I’ve created a SaveSURGE Radio Station on Live365.com! For those who haven’t heard of Live365, they are a company who allows anyone to start up their own internet radio station broadcast using your own music collection and/or talk. One of the neat features is that part of your monthly fee goes to pay royalties to the artists whose music you play on the station to keep everything legal. There are a few guidelines you have to follow (for example you can’t play more than 4 songs from a particular artist in a 3 hour span) but this looks like it’s going to be fun.

So what does this station have to do with SURGE? As of right now the station plays alternative rock (much like the kind of music SURGE used to promote) and once in awhile you will hear the SaveSURGE.org radio commercial. However, I do want to create some SURGE and soda related programming. This service allows you to do a live talk show (although I’m not sure if it can be a call-in show) and I think that might be something unique that we can try.

You can access the station by clicking on the banner on left side of most of the pages throughout SaveSURGE.org or by visiting:

http://www.live365.com/stations/savesurge

Right now I’m working on getting the whole station set up (it’s a lot more work than you might think) but I feel that this station can be a great service for both SURGE and music fans.

If you have an idea for a SURGE or soda related show please e-mail me at surge@savesurge.org.

Soda Activist Postcards in the Store
There’s a great new way to let Coca-Cola and its bottlers know that you want SURGE back. The Soda Activist Postcard has been designed with a message to the powers that be that SURGE fans deserve to have their favorite drink.

Check them out at:
http://www.cafeshops.com/savesurge.10168170

Poll Results - $1.00 to $3.00 sounds good to me!
The latest SURGE Poll asked you: Soda Favorites is trying to bring URGE to the USA. How much would you pay or a single 12oz can or .5 liter bottle?

55.8% - $1.00 - $3.00 per URGE
22% - $5.00 - $7.00 per URGE
22% - $3.00 - $5.00 per URGE

Total Votes: 136

Obviously, cheaper is always better! If and when Soda Favorites is able to bring URGE to the USA, the cost is sure to be cheaper than that of expired SURGE.

That’s all the time we have for this week. Thank you SURGE fans for your continued support!

Sincerely,

Eric Karkovack
Co-Webmaster
www.savesurge.org