As George Mason University’s basketball team learned and the Caps remember from the Stanley Cup run, the only way you get coverage to rival the Washington Redskins in the Washington Post is to win in extraordinary fashion. The ‘Skins get the coverage by definition, win or lose. But go to the Final Four or the Cup finals, and the Post is there. I also seem to remember that the Post was there with the Caps early in the season until the Caps chased them away. Teams or programs like the Caps or GMU have to earn their coverage every day. It’s not fair, but it is business. Coverage by the Post is nice; of course the Caps want it. But do the fans really need the Post to recognize the Caps? There is plenty of excellent coverage of the team online, particularly in blogs. If the Post wants to give up that audience, as Ted points out, that is THEIR business decision. And I agree with Ted: it’s bad business for an industry (newspapers) trying to survive. The answer, of course, is to COMPETE online. But until the Post staffs its online operation competitively (with the newspaper), Tarik just won’t be able to keep up. Here’s the difference: Covering the Caps is Tarik’s job. For the bloggers, it’s their passion, and the Caps have wisely tapped into that passion.
Newspapers will reinvent themselves, no doubt about it. There’s too much money on the line. Turning a battleship around isn’t easy, but when it does get turned around, it’s got mighty big guns (and money, and talent, and readership) to aim at all those little blog cruisers and speedboats. When the Post just prints whatever Tarik blogs about (probably in a digested format), that turnaround is complete for the print edition. When they get him a videocam and a microphone, who else is going to have time, or the money to compete with the Post online?
I honestly don’t know why all the beating up of the Post. Yes, it has declining circulation and yes, it’s coverage of hockey is poor. But I ENJOY newspapers and not everyone spends all day on the computer. Dancing on the Post’s sick bed is petty and, it seems to me, counterproductive, if you are trying to improve their Caps coverage.
As George Mason University’s basketball team learned and the Caps remember from the Stanley Cup run, the only way you get coverage to rival the Washington Redskins in the Washington Post is to win in extraordinary fashion. The ‘Skins get the coverage by definition, win or lose. But go to the Final Four or the Cup finals, and the Post is there. I also seem to remember that the Post was there with the Caps early in the season until the Caps chased them away. Teams or programs like the Caps or GMU have to earn their coverage every day. It’s not fair, but it is business. Coverage by the Post is nice; of course the Caps want it. But do the fans really need the Post to recognize the Caps? There is plenty of excellent coverage of the team online, particularly in blogs. If the Post wants to give up that audience, as Ted points out, that is THEIR business decision. And I agree with Ted: it’s bad business for an industry (newspapers) trying to survive. The answer, of course, is to COMPETE online. But until the Post staffs its online operation competitively (with the newspaper), Tarik just won’t be able to keep up. Here’s the difference: Covering the Caps is Tarik’s job. For the bloggers, it’s their passion, and the Caps have wisely tapped into that passion.
Newspapers will reinvent themselves, no doubt about it. There’s too much money on the line. Turning a battleship around isn’t easy, but when it does get turned around, it’s got mighty big guns (and money, and talent, and readership) to aim at all those little blog cruisers and speedboats. When the Post just prints whatever Tarik blogs about (probably in a digested format), that turnaround is complete for the print edition. When they get him a videocam and a microphone, who else is going to have time, or the money to compete with the Post online?
I honestly don’t know why all the beating up of the Post. Yes, it has declining circulation and yes, it’s coverage of hockey is poor. But I ENJOY newspapers and not everyone spends all day on the computer. Dancing on the Post’s sick bed is petty and, it seems to me, counterproductive, if you are trying to improve their Caps coverage.