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OFFICERS PRESIDENT’S COLUMN
s President Jerry Micco
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 412.263.3052
s First Vice President Celeste Williams
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 817.390.7697
s Second Vice President Glen Crevier
New committee will help
Minneapolis Star Tribune, 612.673.4748
s Third Vice President Greg Brownell
Glen Falls Post-Star, 1.800.724.2543
APSE fulfill critical mission
s Secretary/Treasurer Ed Storin One of the things we all strive for as sports
Hilton Head, S.C., 843.363.2044
s Convention Coordinator Herb Stutz
editors is feedback. OK, maybe we don’t want
to hear it all the time, but we know in our
JERRY MICCO
Prescott, Ariz., 928.717.2271 hearts that it’s what helps make us better.
As part of its mission, APSE is supposed to Web master Chuck Grimes to see if we can use
REGION CHAIRS give feedback to members. Honest. It’s right there our Web site for critique forms or information.
s Atlantic Coast: Ron Wagner, in the bylaws in the back of the phone directory. By providing a critique for any member
Hendersonville (N.C.) Times-News The first line: “...to improve professional stan- paper who wants one during the course of a
s Canada: Pat Grier, Toronto Sun dards of newspaper sports departments...” year, we allow members options on what type
s Great Lakes: Scott Kendrick, The mission may be clear, but getting to it of critique they are seeking. For example, if
Willoughby News-Herald isn’t so clear. Or so easy. you want an exhaustive critique you may have
s Great Plains: Brad Zimanek, Paul Bowker, a past president of this organ- to work with the person doing the critique to
Appleton (Wis.) Post-Cresent ization, has off-and-on been asked to set up get it done in stages or have one of the editor’s
s Mid-Atlantic: Jim Jenks, critiques for our annual summer convention. assistant editors handle it.
Philadelphia Inquirer This gave a chance for any newspaper that We’re all busy, so the more exhaustive the
s Northeast: Mark Bickel, wanted to be critiqued to have it done while at critique, the longer it will take.
Poughkeepsie Journal the convention. When this is done, or the peo- But let’s say you want tips or a critique of
s Northwest: Dale Phelps, ple asked to do the critiques do a thorough job, your agate page? Well, those won’t take as
The News Tribune, Tacoma it’s a great help to a sports editor. There’s noth- long, and by going through Paul or a commit-
s Southeast: Bob McClellan, ing more helpful to a sports editor than a good, tee member, they’ll be able to find some agate
Nashville Tennessean honest, thorough critique. gurus or papers who do agate well, and get
s Southwest: Fred Faour, Houston Chronicle But once a year, jammed into an already- your page critiqued.
s Western: Larry Ames, Ventura County Star crowded convention program, is a tough crawl If you are concerned about why your cen-
for anyone. Paul’s done a great job with it, but terpieces seem a bit flat, then Paul can find
COMMITTEE CHAIRS trying to set up 25 or so critiques in a short you someone who is a centerpiece wizard.
s Contest: Celeste Williams, period of time is tough even for a hard worker This should not be perceived as the larger
Fort Worth Star-Telegram like Paul. Besides, if you’re not at the conven- papers critiquing and the smaller papers
s Convention: Jerry Micco, tion, you couldn’t get a critique. being critiqued, though that’s how it normally
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette Improving every sports section around the works out. As you know, we have many excel-
s Copy editing: Kevin Dale, Denver Post country should be the task of every APSE mem- lent small newspapers in our organization and
s Diversity: Peter Madrid, Arizona Republic ber. Whether it’s a call to answer a question or they have terrific ideas. I can remember doing
s Ethics: Dwayne Bray, taking time to serve on a panel at a region or the “Best Ideas” session twice at our summer
Dallas Morning News national convention, that’s part of the package. convention, and using about a quarter of my
s Commissioners: Dan Cunningham, I’ve always felt honored when anyone calls me 75 slides from papers under 40,000. Good
Houston Chronicle for a critique or to serve on a panel. As many of design and story ideas abounded.
s Writers group lisason: Bill Bradley, you know, I’m not exactly the shy retiring type, The goal here isn’t to load up one person or
Nashville Tennessean so maybe it just fits my personality. one paper with all the duties, but to spread it
s Legal Affairs/access and credentials: But we need a better vehicle than a once-a- around. As busy as we all are, it’s going to be
John Cherwa, Tribune Company year-at-the-convention approach to critiques. tough for one paper, or a couple of selected
s Newsletter: Glen Crevier, And I’ve asked Paul Bowker to lead this effort papers, to do a lot of critiques. That’s why Paul is
Minneapolis Star Tribune for our organization. going to call many of you and ask for your help.
s Olympics: Roy Hewitt, I’ve asked Paul to head a new APSE com- When you add it all up, that’s going to make
Cleveland Plain Dealer mittee on feedback and critiques. It doesn’t APSE a better organization. When we help one
s Outreach: Jason Carris, have a formal name yet, nor are there any another any way we can, it makes our organiza-
Vineland (N.J.) Daily Journal committee members save for Paul, but I’ve tion stronger and even more important to every
s Sports Management Insititue: asked him to form a committee to set up cri- sports editor in the country. If we’re stronger
Bill Eichenberger, Newsday tiques the year round. These members may and work together more, we’ll get more mem-
critique, or act as a broker to find someone to bers to join who hadn’t in the past.
NEWSLETTER PRODUCTION critique a section. And remember, that’s Job 1 for me and all of
s This bi-monthly APSE newsletter is pro- If you get a call from Paul — or one of his you — growing our membership.
duced — under the supervision of Glen new committee folks — in the next few weeks, I’m going to ask all of you to help Paul with
Crevier of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, please make sure to return it. If you do, you’ll this large endeavor. He’s willing to take this on,
APSE second vice president — by Mark find that he wants you to be on his team to cri- but we should be willing to help him. Whether
Hvidsten of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, tique papers for members. Better yet, contact you want to serve on his committee or volun-
425 Portland Ave., Minneapolis, MN. Paul (269-388-8541 or pbowker@aol.com) and teer to do a critique, let Paul know.
55488. Telephone: 612-673-4447. ask to be put on the team. It’s something we can use to make us all a bit
Paul is also going to work with our wizardly better and even more relevant to our readers.
2 OCTOBER 2004
Cover story: Surviving the hurricanes
“We spent a lot of time on the Internet squinting at hurricane tracking charts,
studying high-pressure systems, and sweating in our powerless
homes, but we still put out some pretty good stuff.’’
— Nick Moschella, Palm Beach Post deputy sports editor
Four hurricanes over a six-week span in South Florida
disrupted lives but didn’t keep newspapers off the racks.
By Tim Burke Beach County and areas to the north.
The Palm Beach Post Four hurricanes struck Florida in a
six-week span in August and September,
You know this isn’t your typical football an unprecedented disaster that began
season when: with Charley, followed by Frances, then
s Reporters ask if it’s OK to skip the Ivan, and, finally, Jeanne.
game they’re paid to cover so they can Weary sports editors in Fort Myers,
board up their houses and protect their Pensacola and South Florida can officially
loved ones. add “amateur meteorologist’’ to their
s You spend the first Saturday night of growing number of job responsibilities.
September in your bathroom closet with “We spent a lot of time on the Internet
the wife and kids, flashlights burning and squinting at hurricane tracking charts,
battery-powered radio cackling while won- studying high-pressure systems, and
dering which wind gust is going to blow sweating in our powerless homes, but we
your roof off. still put out some pretty good stuff,’’ said
s You send up to advertising makeup Nick Moschella, deputy sports editor of
a new space request titled “Hurricane the Palm Beach Post.
Revise.’’ Charley came ashore first, hitting the
s The sheriff announces that fans Fort Myers area as a Category 4 storm.
attending the Miami-Pittsburgh Sunday “Obviously, sports was on the back
night NFL game will be arrested and jailed burner here for a few days,’’ said Ed Reed,
if they attempt to drive home to Palm Beach acting sports editor of the Fort Myers
County because they will have violated the News-Press, which reduced its sports
8 p.m. curfew. section to two pages the day Charley hit.
Indeed, hurricane season turned foot- Several sports reporters filed daily stories
ball season into an afterthought for most from the hardest-hit areas, while Reed
everyone in Florida this year — with the spent many hours updating the newspa-
possible exception of the Steelers and per’s Web site.
Dolphins, who were determined to play
on Sept. 26, the same day Hurricane
Jeanne finished tearing through Palm >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 4
OCTOBER 2004 3
Cover story: Surviving the hurricanes
Taylor Jones/Palm Beach Post
Hurricane Frances blew down seven of the eight large light poles at Roger Dean Stadium in Jupiter, Fla., the spring training home of the Florida Marlins and St. Louis
Cardinals and summer home of the Major League Baseball teams’ minor league affiliates in the Florida State League.
STORM
Montgomery, Ala.) during the hurricane and stressed-out resident in the area, reporters
its aftermath, but wasn’t delivered for four and editors included.
days because of unsafe conditions for carri- “When you’re wondering if your couch
ers, Culpepper said. will be in your neighbor’s pool in a few days,
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 3 “We went really heavy on the Web for this it’s hard to concentrate on that Sunday cen-
period,’’ he said. “And since preps weren’t terpiece,” The Post’s Moschella said. “But
“It’s insane,’’ Reed said. “And we still have playing, we tried to get to the different sports we had staffers writing and editing stories
a month and a half left in hurricane season.’’ arenas, gyms, race tracks and colleges to get in between hunting down plywood and
In between Frances and Jeanne, a lot of pictures of the damage there.’’ stocking up on batteries, water, peanut but-
Category 3 Ivan roared into the Panhandle, Ivan’s original forecast path took it ter and crackers.’’
10 weeks after sports editor Joe Culpepper through South Florida, which was still clean- High school sports were especially affect-
arrived at his new job at the Pensacola ing up after Frances, a Category 2 storm. But ed by Frances and Jeanne. At the halfway
News Journal. soon after Ivan veered west toward the Gulf point of the football season, four of the 60
“Our desk crew hunkered down for four of Mexico, Hurricane Jeanne did a ‘360’ in the schools covered by the Post had yet to play.
consecutive days,’’ Culpepper said. “Slept on Atlantic and headed down the same forecast Others had played just one or two games.
the floor for four nights. The paper was nice path as Frances. “I often compared coordinating Friday
enough to arrange in advance to have food in Incredibly, the eyes of Frances and Jeanne night high school football to being in the mid-
the building.’’ came ashore in the same location — a statisti- dle of a hurricane,’’ Post assistant sports edi-
Culpepper said the news side borrowed cal improbability similar to, say, the Red Sox tor Jim Coleman said. “When a portion of the
two high-school sports reporters. They con- winning back-to-back World Series — landing roof of my deck collapsed at 4:30 a.m., I real-
ducted man-on-the-street interviews and took in The Palm Beach Post and Treasure Coast ized there was no comparison.’’
damage photos with digital cameras for the newspapers circulation areas of Martin County.
paper’s Web site. NOT AGAIN screamed the headline in The
The News Journal printed daily (in Post, summing up the feelings of every >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 5
4 OCTOBER 2004
Cover story: Surviving the hurricanes
Steve Mitchell/Associated Press
Hurricane Jeanne couldn’t stop the Sept. 26 NFL game at Pro Player Stadium in Broward County between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Miami Dolphins. But a late start
— the game was moved from 1 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. — caused travel problems for residents of nearby Palm Beach County, where an 8 p.m. curfew was in effect.
STORM
condominium. Because of Jeanne, The Post printed its
“The week of Aug. 30 was tough on every- Sunday, Sept. 26 paper at noon Saturday, hop-
one,’’ Miami Herald sports editor Richard ing to get its carriers and trucks on the road
Bush said, referring to Frances. “We came off before tropical-storm force winds arrived.
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 4 the Olympics to finish up our big football pre- But the hurricane raced ahead of projections,
view sections only to go through hurricane and the Sunday paper wasn’t delivered until
The massive size of the storms and unpre- hell starting on Friday. It was a very long Monday morning. Post reporters covering the
dictability of forecasting forced all of the South week for a lot of folks.’’ University of Florida and Florida State foot-
Florida newspapers to plan for the worst. The hurricanes caused teams and schools ball games on Saturday filed their stories live
“Overall, we placed a high priority on at all levels to cancel and postpone games, for the Web.
the safety of our staffers,’’ said Brian White, forcing the Herald, Sun-Sentinel and Post to The Sunday college football section ran in
assistant sports editor of the Sun-Sentinel, revise their sections and deadlines daily, the Monday paper. Yet not a single reader
which was prepared to move from Fort including folding their usual double-section called the sports editor to complain that the
Lauderdale to an emergency newsroom at Sunday sections into one. paper arrived a day late, nor did anyone
its printing plant in Deerfield Beach, if Because of Frances, The Herald sent only demand to know the late West Coast scores.
necessary. “For writers, that meant allow- one reporter to New Orleans with the “Some of our readers who usually call
ing them to cancel trips to games if they Dolphins for their final exhibition. “We don’t were probably standing in line at Red Cross
wanted to stay home with their families. normally allow a reporter to travel on the distribution centers waiting for ice and
For desk workers, that meant moving team plane,’’ Bush said. “But all three papers water,’’ the Post’s Moschella said. “Who won
deadlines earlier, feeding them and giving (Herald, Sun-Sentinel and Palm Beach Post) the Oregon-San Jose State game was the fur-
them options for housing.’’ had one reporter on the Dolphins’ plane. thest thing from their mind.’’
Those options included staying overnight Otherwise, it would have been impossible for It’s amazing how priorities change when
in the office, at a nearby hotel, at White’s the reporters to get back to South Florida you’re living in a disaster area
house or at a deputy managing editor’s with all flights canceled.’’
OCTOBER 2004 5
Issues: Souvenir books
Book
’em
Fans have an insatiable
appeitite for anything
that commemorates a
local sports team’s
championship.
Newspapers are in a
prime position to deliver.
By Dan McGrath
Chicago Tribune
If you want to give your readers more
than the best daily coverage of a champi-
onship team or a memorable season,
throw the book at ’em.
It’s becoming an increasingly popular
trend.
Triumph Books, a Chicago-based pub-
lishing house with an aggressive sports
division, has teamed with several news-
papers in recent years to produce
dozens of souvenir books. The papers
supply the content, in most cases, along
with an insider’s knowledge and credi-
bility. Triumph provides the printing
and distribution expertise.
“It’s definitely win-win,” said Tom
Bast, Triumph Books’ editorial director.
“For the papers, there are ancillary
benefits beyond the revenue. It’s an
extension of your brand, for one thing.”
As a rule, Triumph’s No. 1 criterion
is a championship team; thus it would
be more likely to get another book out of
J.D. Salinger than it would to get a book
out of Chicago.
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 7
6 OCTOBER 2004
Issues: Souvenir books
Book of the month club
BOOKS
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 6
The Detroit Free Press is well-
schooled in souvenir books, having
produced five since 1998. Three of
the books commemorated Pistons
But from their base in Chicago, Triumph NBA championships and two were
executives noticed remarkable interest in the dedicated to the Red Wings’
Cubs’ surprising 2003 playoff run and Stanley Cup championships.
approached the Chicago Tribune with two
weeks left in the regular season.
“There was so much drama and excite-
ment involved with what the Cubs were doing
that we felt we could easily justify a book,” out all right and better than
Bast said. “It turned out to be the right call.’’ some because we put an editor
As the Cubs were facing the Florida from sports in charge.’’
Marlins in the National League The University of
Championship Series, Triumph hedged its Connecticut’s same-season
bets by approaching the Sun Sentinel of national championships in
South Florida, a Tribune Co. newspaper, men’s and women’s basketball
about a Marlins book. prompted a publishing
“We committed to doing it about a week or blitzkrieg at the Hartford
so before the World Series,’’ said Sun- Courant. A 114-page full color
Sentinel Deputy Managing Editor Jeff Glick, magazine was inserted into the
the project coordinator. “It was a joint effort editions of Sunday, April 18,
between editorial (book production) and mar- and the paper did books on
keting (contract negotiations.)’’ each team through Sports
Glick said the Sun-Sentinel was aware that Publishing.
the rival Miami Herald had an agreement “Each year we go into the
with a different publisher, “so we established season knowing we might do
tight deadlines to get our book out first. It something, so the writers and
took a staff of four to outline, research, col- “In the end the book looked pretty sharp, photographers are aware,’’ sports editor Jeff
lect material, edit and design our 96 pages. and it’s a good keepsake of the Marlins’ World Otterbein said. “The bulk of the magazine
Production took about three days.’’ Series title for our readers,’’ he said. “I think was photos, and it was printed in Upstate
Glick’s advice: the book sold reasonably well, so we’d proba- New York on a very tight time frame. The men
s Get your best folks on the team. Remove bly be willing to do it again.’’ won on Monday, April 5, the women on
them from their daily duties and put them in The Boston Globe committed to doing a Tuesday, April 6, and we had to be done with
a secluded spot. book with Triumph on the New England everything within three days to get it on press
s Start early. Begin collecting photos and Patriots’ Super Bowl season in mid-January. and back here in time to be in inserted into
copy and create a tentative outline. Deputy sports editor Reid Laymance was the the April 18 paper.
s Choose a publisher based on your ability to designated editor, and a former Globe graphic “We did all the design here and signed off
do a book. We wrote, edited and designed our artist was hired as the designer. on the pages right through our CCI terminals.
book. Given the press of time, the paper chose to The printing company would send us signa-
s Get your best negotiators to work with the use previously published Globe stories rather tures that we would OK. Production is costly,
publisher. That usually means someone out- than try to write new content for the book. but advertising made up for it.’’
side of editorial. But that still involved pulling stories from the Otterbein was less enthusiastic about the
With the Sun-Sentinel partnered with library system, converting them to Microsoft books project because the Courant had far
Triumph, the Herald cut a deal for a Marlins Word, editing out time references and e-mail- less control.
book with Sports Publishing, a firm that spe- ing them to the designer. “Basically, this company picks up stories
cializes in commemorative books. Much of the Globe’s heavy lifting was done out of your electronic library system, and
“Our part of the deal was not too difficult,’’ during the two weeks between the AFC takes your photos. They write the cutlines
Herald sports editor Richard Bush said. “We Championship game and the Super Bowl, and chapter headings, you write the headline
mainly had to help select already-published Laymance recalled. The Super Bowl pages for the cover. Bottom line is they do the bulk
Herald stories, and our photo staff worked and covers for hard- and soft-cover editions of the work and the paper gets a percentage
closely with the company on photo selection. were completed the day after the game. of the sales, but you don’t have much control.’’
They wanted the book out within 8-10 days of “We got it all done, but it was a little Courant staffers are old hands at acknowl-
the World Series, so the hardest part was rushed at the end,’’ Laymance said. “Because edging championships. Otterbein stresses the
coordinating the details in the middle of the the Globe and the publisher had asked for a value of preparation.
Marlins’ playoff run.” soft cover (96 pages) and a hard cover (128
Bush said the Herald was satisfied with pages), there was a little more shuffling than
the project. we anticipated. I would like to think it turned >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 8
OCTOBER 2004 7
Issues: Souvenir books
Missed by inches
BOOKS
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 7
Preparation doesn’t guarantee
publication. The Vikings’ 15-1
regular season in 1998 had the
Minneapolis Star Tribune
“Get your writers and photographers plan- sports department scrambling
ning as if they’ll have to do something, so when to produce a souvenir book
the team wins you’re all set,’’ he said. “Keep it commemorating a probable Super
simple, because these publications are where Bowl season. But the Vikings failed
you can really play photos well, spread out over to reach the NFL’s championship
two pages, all in color, things you can’t do in the game, and the uncorrected proofs
newspaper. Mix that with a very good ‘write’ on for the would-be Vikings book
how the season came together and you’ve got a remain stashed away in sports
nice product that is a keepsake.’’ editor Glen Crevier’s file cabinet.
The San Francisco Chronicle has been in
the book business since 1984, when a soft-
cover memoir of the 49ers’ second Super
Bowl season sold approximately 75,000
copies. The Chron teamed up with Triumph
Books on two ventures in 2002, one recap-
ping the Giants’ march to the World Series “That might have been the
and the other the Raiders’ to the Super Bowl. worst day,’’ Luft said. “The day
“We designated a Giants book editor in the books arrived, less than a
August,’’ sports editor Glenn Schwarz said. week after we hit the ‘send’
“Andy Pollack is one of our political editors button at dawn, the day after
and a huge baseball fan. He and I picked out the Cubs’ season ended, almost
key moments from the year and made sure all certainly was the best.’’
our writers were well-represented. We had Luft said the adrenaline gen-
help from the photo and art departments, and erated by producing a 128-page
we borrowed a copy editor from travel.’’ book on deadline kept his crew
The Chron followed a similar process for beneficiaries of Free Press book proceeds. going through nights that stretched into
the Raiders book. After Red Wings defenseman Vladimir mornings.
“The Giants’ book did much better; we Konstantinov and trainer Sergei Mnatsakanov “The idea that we might do a book didn’t
went to a second printing,’’ Schwarz said. “I were severely injured in a limo accident follow- even get started until the end of the season,’’
guess Giants fans are much more interested ing the Wings’ 1997 title, the paper made a Luft said. “I don’t know who had the brain-
in books than Black Hole denizens.’’ $100,000 contribution to closed head injury storm, but it was decided to divide the book
The Detroit Free Press is the John Grisham research from its ‘98 book profits. And several into nine ‘innings’, or chapters, with the sto-
of the newspaper book business, having pro- students from inner-city Detroit can have a sig- ries of the postseason being ‘extra innings.’ It
duced five books since 1988 to commemorate nificant part of their college education paid for proved to be a perfect concept.’’
each of the Pistons’ three NBA championships by a commitment the paper made when they As for that pessimistic publisher’s rep, Luft
and the Red Wings’ two Stanley Cup titles. were 4-year-old pre-schoolers. can’t say whether people do in fact “read these
Free Press staffers select the stories and “We took $92,000 from the first Pistons things.’’ But they sure do buy them. Even
photos and do the editing and design. The book and bought 20 tuition plans from the though the Cubs fell short of the World Series,
paper then turns its work over to Triumph Michigan Educational Trust,’’ Robinson said. the Tribune’s “Out of the Blue’’ sold nearly
Books for printing and distribution. Speed is of “Walking into the bank with the check that 200,000 copies and was the best-selling news-
the essence at both ends — the staff gives itself day was one of the coolest things I’ve ever stand publication in Chicago in 2003.
12 hours to get final material to the printer after done in journalism.’’ But sometimes a paper’s best-laid plans ...
the last game of a championship series. Kerry Luft of the Chicago Tribune didn’t The Minnesota Vikings went 15-1 in the
“One year the Pistons won on a Friday think it was too cool when a publisher’s rep 1998 regular season and looked like Super
night and we had books available at the suggested substantial trims to several chap- Bowl contenders every step of the way. The
parade on Monday,’’ said Dave Robinson, the ters in the paper’s Cubs book for the sake of a Star Tribune of Minneapolis began prepara-
Free Press deputy managing editor who flashier design. Luft, the Tribune’s foreign tions for a book in mid-November.
coordinates the book projects. editor, was then the paper’s sports projects “We had 50 percent of it written, edited
“It’s a great promotion for us, and every editor and was overseeing the book’s compi- and sent to the printer and had the proofs on
time one of the teams wins we make a big lation. He was faced with cutting accounts of our desks when Morten Andersen of the
donation to charity,’’ Robinson said. the first-ever Cubs-Yankees series and a sea- Falcons kicked his game-winning field goal in
The minority journalism program at Wayne son-turning five-game September Cardinals the NFC Championship game,” sports editor
State University, alma mater of the late Free series into about 650 words each. Glen Crevier recalled.
Press editor Bob Magruder, and a storm relief “Don’t worry, nobody reads these things,’’ “The galleys are still in my file, just in case
fund in the Detroit area have been among the the rep assured him. we have to do it again.’’
8 OCTOBER 2004
Coverage: The 2004 Olympics
By David Sell
Colorado Springs Gazette
The Summer Olympics in Athens were the
biggest political, cultural, business and ath-
letic event on the planet, and newspapers
gave it big-event coverage. And that was with-
out a catastrophic terrorist attack.
The Olympics also gave newspapers a
chance to report on relatively obscure sports
with relatively obscure athletes from their
own backyards.
Jumpers and gymnasts pushed for space
that usually goes to quarterbacks and short-
stops. The New York Times and the Colorado
Springs Gazette both wrote about a shooter,
Emily Caruso, who grew up in Connecticut,
lives and trains in Colorado and is a non-
hunting, vegetarian member of the National
Rifle Association.
Swimmer Michael Phelps was a big story
for every paper, but a local one for the
Baltimore Sun and Washington Post, both of
which had tracked the Baltimore swimmer
for months before the Games.
With Phelps in mind, the Sun and Post
filed Phelps-material to the web immediately.
The Sun’s sports editor, Randy Harvey,
served as the “webby” from pool side. A Post
staff member did an online chat each day. To
blog or not to blog was a question, to which
some answered yes. Stand alone Stand united
The marathon is always a big story at the Several newspapers, such as the Fort Worth Star- Other newspapers, such as the Pittsburgh Post-
Olympics and the historic route from Telegram, devoted six or more pages in a special Gazette, incorporated their Olympic coverage into
Marathon to Athens gave it more flavor. The section to their 2004 Olympics coverage. their daily sections.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram spent 150 Euro for
a taxi to transport a reporter along the route Kendrick said the paper did not realize to spend thousands of dollars to send people to
for an interesting story, according to sports Jeschelnig was violating International Beijing,” said Kendrick, who is moving to
editor Celeste Williams. Olympic Committee rules until midway Jacksonville to work for the Times-Union.
Hammer thrower Jackie Jeschelnig used through the Games and he hopes the IOC
email to do a daily journal for the Willoughby changes its rules.
(Ohio) News-Herald. Sports Editor Scott “It’s not fair to the rest of us, who can’t afford >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 10
OCTOBER 2004 9
Coverage: The 2004 Olympics
2004 Olympic preview sections
GAMES
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 9
Here’s a sampling of special section covers previewing the 2004 Summer Games in Athens:
The calendar conspired to make for extra
work for people in most sports sections. With
football starting at all levels, preview sections
still had to be produced. The situation will be
similar in 2008. The Beijing Games are sched-
uled for Aug. 8-24, 2008. The Winter Olympics
in Torino are scheduled for Feb. 10-26, 2006.
Finding space is part of the Olympic
challenge. Many papers did preview sections.
Fort Worth and Colorado Springs published
22-page preview sections. The Orange
County Register spread its preview
coverage over weeks and months.
During the Games, USA Today had a
12-page separate section, while Colorado
Springs, Minneapolis Star Tribune and Fort 1 2 3
Worth published 6-page separate sections.
Other papers incorporated Olympic cover-
age into the section, albeit with extra space.
The Boston Globe used 6 to 8 extra pages,
the Washington Post used 5 to 6, and the
Denver Post had five. Newsday produced 8 to
12 tabloid-sized pages. The Willoughby (Ohio)
News-Herald used two full pages inside. The
Reading Eagle-Times used a full page inside
and often got as high as two pages total.
Some papers with staff members in
Athens rented cell phones off the Athens
organizing committee rate card. Others
reported saving a lot of money by buying or
renting phones from independent companies.
Those who bought phones plan to use the
phones in Torino, Italy and perhaps, Beijing.
USA Today supplied each of staff member,
including 29 reporters, with Blackberrys in 6 7 8
expectation of security problems. “It turned
out to be a very smart thing to do, not
because of security, but because it kept us in
touch when cell phones weren’t feasible,”
USA Today sports editor Monte Lorell said.
San Francisco Chronicle sports editor
Glenn Schwarz said he was surprised the
entire press center was not hooked up with Wi-
Fi and hoped that would be the case for Torino.
In a different realm, a major complaint
was the mixed zones, which is where most
interviews were conducted after events.
“My writers had one complaint, and they all
had it: The mixed zones were just intolerable,”
said Washington Post deputy sports editor
Tracee Hamilton, who directed the paper’s
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 11 12 13 14
10 OCTOBER 2004
Coverage: The 2004 Olympics
GAMES
WHO THEY ARE
1: Boston Globe 9: Seatle Post-Intelligencer
2: Buffalo News 10: San Jose Mercury News
3: Colorado Springs Gazette 11: South Florida Sun-Sentinel
4: Baltimore Sun 12: Palm Beach Post >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 10
5: San Diego Union Tribune 13: Salt Lake Tribune
6: Miami Herald 14: San Antonio Express-News coverage from Athens. “The crowning blow
7: Milwaukee Journal Sentinel 15: Dallas Morning News was waiting nearly two hours for the U.S.
8: Minneapolis Star Tribune 16: Charlotte Observer women’s soccer team to make itself available. I
don’t know that the organizing folks have any
motivation to make this situation better, but at
an Olympics where we are all actually on
deadline, this will be a big problem.”
U.S. Olympic Committee spokesman
Darryl Seibel said he understands the frus-
tration and he said the USOC has urged the
IOC and other organizers to prepare better
for future Olympics.
“We share those concerns. Several mix
zones were simply not functional,” Seibel
said. “We were working on daily basis with
4 5 the IOC and the (Athens) organizing commit-
tee to improve mix zones that were not func-
tional. To their credit, both were responsive
and did what they could to help. But prob-
lems need to be identified beforehand, not
once we’re on site. Three groups are
involved: the international federation for the
sport, which is responsible for conduct of the
sport at the games; the local organizing com-
mittee, which runs the entire operation; and
the IOC, which monitors planning. We’ve
been encouraging the IOC to make it a higher
priority with the local organizing committee
and the international federations before
everyone arrives on site.”
The Olympics resonated with readers.
Lorell said USA Today had a 2-percent
increase in sales during the period. The
Colorado Springs Gazette had a 7-percent
9 10 11 bump in daily circulation. The Washington
Post’s Internet chats drew more readers
with more questions than the reporter had
time to answer.
The newspaper numbers reflect those of
television. NBC often dominated the com-
bined ratings of its competitors (ABC, CBS,
Fox) and had the highest ratings in all 101
primetime half-hours in the household rat-
ings. According to NBC, this was the first
time since Nielsen Media Research invented
its people meters in 1987 that a non-U.S.
Summer Games swept every half hour.
During an average minute, the games attract-
15 ed 24.6 million viewers, a 14 percent increase
over Sydney’s 21.5 million.
“People are positive about the Olympics,”
Boston Globe sports editor Joe Sullivan said
of reader and newsroom response to cover-
16 age. “The Red Sox? That’s another story.”
OCTOBER 2004 11
INTRODUCING: THIRD VICE PRESIDENT GREG BROWNELL GREG BROWNELL
THIRD VICE PRESIDENT
“I’m a true believer that you are never closer to the readers than
you are at a small newspaper. I get e-mails, calls, people stop and
see me in the mall. It’s all a matter of listening to what they want.’’ Keeping an eye
Newest VP will be the on changes in
the AP wire
voice for small papers For me, the warning bells went off
early in the spring. We had always
published separate spring training
By BILL BRADLEY (Calif.) Enterprise, reports on major-league teams in our
The (Nashville) Tennessean who left journalism region. This past spring, they were
to pursue a career nowhere to be found on the wire.
If you have been to APSE conventions as a Christian fic- It was only after making a call to
the past four years, you have seen Greg tion author. the Albany Associated Press bureau
Brownell. You may not have heard him. As a member of that I found out what was going on.
Brownell is the tall, soft-spoken guy in the the Executive The AP was cutting back on some of
windbreaker. He is also APSE’s newly elect- Committee, the items it sends to newspapers that
ed third vice-president who has already Brownell will rep- don’t purchase the highest level of
made a loud statement with his section. resent those mem- wire service.
As sports editor of the Glens Falls (N.Y.) bers whose circu- That’s a concern for those of us at
Post-Star since 1999, Brownell has earned a lation is under small newspapers, because most of
reputation for producing a section that does 40,000. He will also chair the APSE us don’t get the full datastream, the
big events very, very well. The section annu- Recruitment Committee and write a column highest level of service from AP. We
ally treats the New York state high school for the APSE newsletter. get lower levels of service that are
basketball tournaments like the Final Four. Brownell joined the Post-Star as a cheaper, but offer fewer stories.
For its efforts, the Post-Star has won sportswriter in 1981, became assistant Paul Stevens, the AP’s vice presi-
APSE’s Triple Crown three years in a row, a sports editor in 1983 then Sports Editor in dent for the central region, said the
feat that’s tough to do for any paper one 1999. He served as the chair of APSE’s lines of demarcation among the lev-
year. Even more amazing, the 33,000 circu- Elections Turnout committee last year. els of wire service had become
lation daily competes in APSE’s most Not a bad resume for a guy who once blurred over the years. Simply put,
crowded category with more than 100 small balked at journalism in college. some of us had been getting service
papers entering the annual contest. “I never even considered (journalism) we weren’t entitled to. The amount of
What’s Brownell’s secret? until my junior in college at Plattsburg “bleeding’’ into the lower levels of
“Having no personal life helps,’’ Brownell State. I was in a bar and the sports editor of wire service differed from region to
joked. “I love being a sports editor and I love the college newspaper said he had an open- region.
doing what I love to do. And I spend a lot of ing for reporter to cover the college field Several months ago, the AP began
time in the office.’’ hockey team,’’ Brownell said. “I told him, ‘I reorganizing its wire offerings so
That’s not surprising to his boss, Post- don’t have time for this; and who wants to that each level of service was getting
Star managing editor Ken Tingley, who has work for a college newspaper anyway.’ what it was supposed to get. To its
often found Brownell doing tasks that many “A week later, I said, ‘Ah, alright.’ After credit, AP backed off on some initial
sports editors would delegate in a New York that, all I wanted to do was work for a news- cutbacks (partly due, no doubt, to
minute. paper.’’ complaints by some of us). They
“If he has an ego, I haven’t found it yet,’’ The Post-Star hired Brownell out of col- restored optional leads on certain
Tingley said. “One thing I keep telling him is lege on Sept. 14, 1981. As sports evolved in pro sports for most levels of wire, for
that a sports editor should not do the agate Glens Falls area, so did his job. For more instance.
page. But every so often I go back there and than 20 years, he has covered the usual I still feel some angst each time a
find him doing it so someone else can do a array of preps, a Class AA baseball team new season comes around as I won-
takeout or an enterprise story. and for many years he had the section’s der if something might not show up.
“He is a great writer. ... But he keeps giv- most important beat, minor-league hockey. But Stevens said he’s gotten few com-
ing up his own writing voice so someone Tingley, who had been sports editor plaints during the past five or six
gets the opportunity to use their’s.’’ since arriving in 1988, said the decision to months, and I must admit I haven’t
Brownell will remain as Third Vice- make Brownell his successor was simple. run into any major surprises lately.
President until the summer of 2006, when The tough part was convincing Brownell.
another election will be held before the con-
vention that year in Las Vegas. >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
He replaced Kim Orendor of the Davis >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 13
12 OCTOBER 2004
2004 CONTEST
BROWNELL
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12
For those of us with lower levels of
Wanted: contest A REMINDER
wire service, the things we should be
missing are certain ‘extras’ that AP
feels should go to the higher levels of
service, since those papers are pay-
catchers, judges If the check is not in the mail, well, it
should be. Notices for 2004-05 dues
were mailed Sept. 1. Please send
checks along with the forms to:
ing more. You might not get some We want you! Judging is Feb. 19-23 in
sidebars or secondary stories from Torrance, Calif., and the call is out for APSE
certain events that you got in the catchers and judges. If you’re interested in P.O. Box 7227
past, for instance, but it depends on pitching in, please contact Celeste Hilton Head, S.C. 29938
your level of service. Williams at 817-390-7697 or by e-mail at
If you’re not getting something and cxwilliams@star-telegram.com. Dues must be paid by Dec. 31 for a
you want to know why, Stevens said Some things to remember: the first newspaper to be eligible for the 2004
you should contact the AP bureau chief mandatory dates are Tuesday, Jan. 27, section and writing contest. Dues are
in your region. If it’s a mistake, they and Sunday, April 4. The final mandatory as follows:
can restore it. They might be able to dates will be posted on the APSE Web
offer some alternatives, like purchasing site by Jan. 1, 2005. All contest entries s Under 40,000 — $95 for the first
wire service from an adjacent state to must be mailed to the designated catch- member; $50 for each additional
pick up events from that region. ers and postmarked by Tuesday, Jan. 25. member.
But if it’s not on the list of what The executive committee meeting s 40,000-100,000 — $150 for first
you’re supposed to get, you’re not going is at 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 19. At that member; $75 for each additional
to get it. And in most cases, there’s no meeting, contest judging groups will member.
way to purchase individual elements on be announced and an opening-night s 100,000-250,000 — $225 for first
a case-by-case basis. cocktail hour will follow the meeting. member; $75 for each additional
Most of us don’t spend a lot of time Judging begins Sunday morning, member.
thinking about the level of our wire Feb. 20, through Wednesday, Feb. 23, s Over 250,000 — $300 for first
service, but it’s something we may need at the Torrance Marriott. The hotel member; $75 for each additional
to think about more in the future. room rate is $139, single or double. member.
The AP will be moving to eAP — the Judges from smaller newspapers might
Electronic Associated Press — some- want to double up to reduce the daily Information you provide on the forms
time in the next two years. It’s a deliv- cost to $70, plus tax. will be used in the 2005 APSE directo-
ery system that will give each newspa- Look for more information on the ry which will be printed in January.
per a better opportunity to select what contest in the December newsletter.
it needs and doesn’t need.
Stevens said the details are still
being worked out as to how eAP will
operate; whether we’ll select our
entire wire from a buffet or whether
3RD VP
ner under Tingley as well.
we’ll have an opportunity to add extra “It’s a double-edge sword,’’ Brownell said.
items to the service level we already “I’m not going to have to explain why we
get. Stevens said member newspapers should send somebody to a Triple Crown
will be involved in that process. >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 12 race or why it’s important to do this or that.
It sounds like an improvement. On the other hand, I’m not going slip any-
Right now, you have to pick a level of “For a long time, Greg didn’t have any thing past him, either.’’
wire service and you take what you interest in being the sports editor,’’ Tingley Added Tingley: “Anybody who has ever
get. There’s no opportunity to cherry said. “I was lucky enough that Greg and I switched from sports to news really knows
pick, outside of a few special offer- had a conversation (before Tingley was pro- how difficult it is to leave behind sports. I’m
ings. moted) and felt him out about it before I sure it was very difficult for Greg to have a
But we don’t know how much it asked him to step up. former sports editor to look over his shoulder.
will cost to add the extras under eAP, “He was ready. He covered the big “Thankfully he didn’t run screaming
and many small newspapers will be events. He was very meticulous beat writer. from the building. ... It was great to turn
reluctant to spend more on the wire if He was one of those guys who I felt confi- over to him what we thought was already a
the cost is significant. I hope the AP dent to turn over planning to. There were pretty good product. He has taken what we
will use a sliding scale to give smaller many times I was able to turn over the accomplished and taken it to next level.’’
papers a break. scheduling and big event coverage to him so After all this success, why is Brownell
It might be wise to make mention I could go off and do column writing.’’ still in Glens Falls after 23 years? He said its
of this to your upper management. Brownell said he owed being a sports because he likes connecting with readers.
We’re a long ways away from making editor to Tingley who “turned a dinosaur “I’m a true believer that you are never
any decisions, but you can let them into the a sports editor.’’ However, it’s not closer to the readers than you are at a small
know you want to be a part of the always a blessing having the previous sports newspaper,’’ Brownell said. “I get e-mails,
process if choices are to be made. editor as your boss, he said. After all, the calls, people stop and see me in the mall. It’s
Post-Star was an annual APSE section win- all a matter of listening to what they want.’’
OCTOBER 2004 13
Obituary
JOE FALLS: 1928-2004
Detroit News columnist cared
about the games and the fans
By Lynn Henning
The Detroit News WHAT THEY SAID
Michigan sports fans lost a booming voice
when Hall of Fame Detroit News columnist “He wrote from the human side, with
Joe Falls died on Aug. 11 following a long
battle with diabetes. a distinctive style, with his heart on
Falls, 76, retired 17 months ago from his sleeve in many instances.”
The News after a sports-writing career that
spanned more than 50 years. — Gordie Howe, former Red Wings great
“Joe Falls wrote a column that I still have on
the wall of my office about what the Tigers
meant to the city of Detroit in 1968,” said “When we opened our third Little
Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig. “He never
forgot what they meant and I never did, either.’’ Caesars store, it was in Joe’s
Flipping to the sports page to see “what
Falls has to say’’ became a daily ritual for
neighborhood and he and his wife
readers in a blue-collar city who ached for the were steady customers. He was a
columnist’s take on games, issues, personali-
ties or life in its most inanely relevant ways. big-time writer, but he loved all
“Joe was the voice of sports for three gener- sports and was very versatile. He
ations of Michigan sports fans,’’ said Mark
Silverman, publisher and editor of The Detroit another of his passions: profiling teams, play- made the time to cover everything
News. “They turned to him for his expert ers and coaches from the state high school from our Little Caesars hockey
analysis of the sporting scene. Joe brought basketball tournament.
sports legends from DiMaggio to Yzerman into Falls covered 50 World Series, 20 leagues and slow pitch softball
our lives and captured perfectly the way Kentucky Derbys, 15 Super Bowls, 20 Masters team in the ‘70’s to the Red Wings
sports touched the American psyche.” and U.S. Open golf tournaments, 25
Falls also authored a dozen books through Indianapolis 500s, and dozens of other major and Tigers of today.”
the years and was a national sports-writing championships.
figure of such stature that he gained an ulti- Falls began his life-long love affair with — Dave Bing, former Pistons great
mate prize two years ago: induction into the baseball when he went to his first game in
writer’s wing of the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1934 between the Yankees and the
Cooperstown, N.Y. Philadelphia Athletics. “I never felt that he was interview-
“I was always so proud of Joe because he He covered so many sporting events, Falls
loved his job so much and did it his whole life,’’ was fond of cracking that, “I’ve spent nine ing me, but rather it was always a
said Falls’ wife of 29 years, Mary Jane. “There days of my life standing for the national conversation between two friends
never was a day he didn’t want to write.’’ anthem.’’
He interviewed all the greats: Walter ... Personally, I will miss Joe as a
Spring training ritual Hagen, Arnold Palmer, Ted Williams, Mickey writer and as a friend.”
Falls savored March. He would join the Mantle, Joe DiMaggio, Gordie Howe, Magic
Tigers in spring training — baseball, he con- —Scotty Bowman, former Red Wings
ceded, was his favorite sport — and two Hall of Fame coach
weeks later would return to Michigan for >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 15
14 OCTOBER 2004
FALLS APSE CONVENTION
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 14
Johnson, Al Kaline, Mario Andretti, A.J. Foyt,
Willie Shoemaker, Bill Hartack, Paul
Convention site gets
an upgrade for 2005
Hornung and Bobby Layne.
Writing for the sports page was an
improbable career and life for a man born
May 2, 1928, in a hardscrabble neck of New
York City. His father was a policeman and his
mother a homemaker. Falls was 18 years old By Herb Stutz
in 1946 and working in a drug store stocking
shelves when he learned that part-time work-
Convention Coordinator TRAVEL GUIDE
ers for the wire services could get press APSE is going to The Ritz!
passes for New York professional games. In an unprecedented action, the site of Phone Card Answer To
He hooked on with the Associated Press, next June’s APSE Convention has been moved Exorbitant Hotel Rates
working as a copy boy until he showed his boss- from the JW Marriott Grande Lakes Orlando
es he had a knack for writing. Falls was an Resort to The Ritz Carlton Grande Lakes. One of the regular and legitimate
instant hit. He was crisp with his words, he was The move was initiated by JW Marriott complaints we get from convention
a crackerjack reporter, and, key for a wire serv- officials in July when APSE was informed goers is the ridiculous rates our
ice, he was unbelievably fast. Speed remained that the hotel had an opportunity to possibly convention hotel charges for tele-
one of his trademarks in Detroit, even into his book a 900-registrant convention into its phone usage.
later years with The News. Falls once wrote a one-year old facility. Standing in the way of The answer to the problem is
ringside column at a Tommy Hearns fight — a that lucrative booking was a contract with simple: Purchase a phone card in
riveting 600 words — in 12 minutes. APSE, which called for us taking up meet- advance, which can be used
Falls came to Detroit in March 1953. He ing room space and 155 rooms of the 1,000- through the hotel’s telephone sys-
was only 24 years old, but had risen quickly room resort. tem, accessing a 1-800 or 1-866
with the Associated Press and was promoted Marriott officials suggested that APSE number.
to Detroit bureau chief. It was the first time he could be moved to their sister adjoining I recently bought an MCI card
had been west of the Hudson River, an intimi- property, The Ritz Carlton, for the same good for 680 minutes for $19.75!
dating move for him, but the job was a dream, contracted $159 nightly room rate. The Purchase one and your exorbitant
especially for a young man who had grown up group food prices, as well as audio-visual telephone bill will be a thing of
listening to radio broadcasts of games from costs, we were assured would be the same the past.
Olympia (the old Red Wings home), and from as the JW Marriott’s. — HERB STUTZ
what was then Briggs Stadium, home of the A check of each of the facility websites APSE
Tigers and Detroit Lions. revealed that the JW Marriott’s room rates
In 1956 he was hired by the Detroit Times for June, 2005 ranged from $299 to $349 a Website to Offer
and became the Tigers beat man for what night, while The Ritz Carlton’s rates began ‘Share a Convention
was then Detroit’s third daily newspaper. at $369.
When the Times folded in 1960, Falls was Ironically, my site inspection, normally Room’ Service
hired by the Free Press as its baseball writer, held in October, had been moved up to late With the help of Chuck Grimes,
an assignment that lasted until he was pro- July because of host Van McKenzie’s fall plans are underway to enable members
moted to columnist in 1965. The News hired surgery schedule. Thus, I had the opportu- to go to APSE’s website (http://apse.dal-
Falls to write a sports column in 1978. nity to look over each facility, both of which lasnews.com) to sign up for a room-
are outstanding, and found that The Ritz mate to share a room at The Ritz
A sense of compassion Carlton’s meeting rooms surpassed those of Carlton for the convention next June.
It was a sense of compassion that he the Marriott’s. The visit was followed by my Once the icon is designed, accord-
brought to his columns and it was never bet- recommendation to McKenzie and APSE ing to Grimes, APSE’s webmaster, all
ter displayed than during his 20 years of vol- President Jerry Micco that we should agree a member will have to do is hit the
unteer service to the Special Olympics, a to the switch if it were offered. appropriate icon, complete the form
world Falls regularly visited in his columns. Marriott officials informed us on Sept. 7 and wait for a contact to be made.
He had never planned to retire from news- that they had a signed agreement for its facil- The Ritz Carlton has 150 490-square
papering, believing he could write until his ity with the interested party and were willing feet double-bedded rooms.
last breath. But the diabetes began to take its to offer us the same contracted terms if we
toll in recent years, and then came neuropa- would move to the Ritz Carlton. Micco and
thy, an affliction of the extremities that made McKenzie immediately agreed and we are in has an outdoor pool, whirlpool, and a world-
it difficult for Falls to type, or even walk. the process of signing an amended contract class spa. In addition, lighted tennis courts
In his final column for The News, in May of for our June 22-25 convention. and a lazy river pool connected with the
last year, Falls wrote: “Now it’s all over. I can- Opened in 2003, the Ritz Carlton has 568 Marriott would be open to our use.
not write anymore. My disability has wors- upscale rooms, all with five-foot private bal- The Grande Lakes property is 10 miles
ened. So, what do I think of 58 years of writ- conies with panoramic views of the lakes, from the Walt Disney World Resort, two
ing sports? pool, gardens and the Greg Norman designed miles to SeaWorld and Discovery Cove,
“It’s been a joy. Thank you for being there golf course; oversized marble bathrooms, seven miles to Universal Orlando and 10
with me.” each with a bathtub and shower. The facility miles to Orlando International Airport.
OCTOBER 2004 15
APSE ROUNDTABLE SPOTLIGHT: RANDY HARVEY, BALTIMORE SUN
Coverage of youth
and recreational This offer he
sports is challenge
By Jason Carris
couldn’t refuse
Vineland (N.J.) Daily Journal By Joel Rippel ing skills but because we were the only two
Minneapolis Star Tribune boys in the journalism class. I managed to
Every sports department gets the calls. win a couple of statewide awards, which pret-
The Little League parent wondering Longtime Los Angeles Times sports editor ty much cinched my career plans. It was the
why the newspaper doesn’t have last Bill Dwyre says the business has a lot of only thing I knew I could do. I clearly wasn’t
night’s all-star scores; the Pop Warner sportswriters and some journalists. When going to be a rocket scientist.
football parent wondering why the high Dwyre announced that Randy Harvey was
school team gets so much coverage when leaving the Los Angeles Times to become the Q: What’s the biggest change in the job of
the Pee Wee’s work just as hard; the Assistant Managing Editor/Sports of the sports editor at a major daily newspaper over
grandmother of the gymnast who wonders Baltimore Sun, he praised Harvey as one of the last 20 years?
why the paper “ignores” that sport alto- the journalists. A: I’m not sure I’m the right person to answer
gether, except for the Olympics. After 22 years at the Los Angeles Times, that question. I wasn’t a sports editor 20 years
How do sports departments answer the Harvey joined the Baltimore Sun in April. ago. But I hope sports editors then didn’t have
call? One thing is for sure, there is no sin- Harvey, who grew up in Texas, graduated so many meetings to attend outside of their
gle answer to covering youth and recre- from the University of Texas in 1973 before departments. I’d love it if I had one day in which
ational sports. embarking on a journalism career that all I had to do was put out the sports section.
Some newspapers devote staff mem- included stops at the Austin American
bers and regular space to columns, fea- Statesman, Chicago Sun-Times, New York Q: You went to Athens this summer. What’s
tures and results. Others focus on human- Daily News and the Los Angeles Times. your best memory of the Athens Olympics?
interest stories, with results running on A: The rooftop bar at the Main Press
the agate page. Some avoid youth and Q: What lured you to the Baltimore Sun job? Center. Again, I’m only half joking. The jour-
recreational sports like the plague. A: I’ve wanted for a few years now to have an nalistic side of me really liked being
“It’s simply something we don’t do opportunity to run my own section. At age 53, involved in the Michael Phelps story for his
because of the enormity of the area we cover, I didn’t know if I’d be able to wait out Bill hometown market. It was a story I felt we
the people it would take to compile it, and the Dwyre to have that opportunity at the Times. had to own even though the poachers were
news hole to run it,” said Jeff Otterbein, I’m joking there, but only half. Actually, the descending from Washington, New York,
sports editor of the Hartford Courant. Times has a lot of good people within the L.A., etc., etc. Our reporter, Paul McMullen,
Otterbein’s frank explanation sums sports department, most notably the deputy did an outstanding job of making sure we
up the way most sports editors view Dave Morgan, and I couldn’t be sure that I weren’t beaten. It would have been very
youth and recreational sports. Sports would ever get the chance to run that depart- embarrassing if we had been.
editors ranked youth and recreational ment. The Sun gave me that chance.
sports coverage as a 4 on a scale of 1-10 Q: What is your favorite sports book?
in importance, according to an informal Q: What’s the best part about your new job? A: SportsWorld, a book on the state of sports
survey of nearly a dozen sports editors A: Bill Dwyre always talks about the democ- that Robert Lipsyte wrote 30 years ago or so.
for the APSE Roundtable. racy at the Times but never failed to add that It foretold a lot of the ills in sports today.
As expected, small, community papers he had 51 percent of the vote. I like having 51
ranked youth and recreation sports a little percent of the vote. Q: Is there a sport that deserves more cover-
higher than metro papers. Nevertheless, age by major dailies? Is there a sport that
only two editors ranked youth and recre- Q: Is there a difference between sports fans perhaps gets covered too much?
ation sports higher than a 5. on the East and West coasts? A: I’m not sure they deserve more coverage
“We publish everything we get, as A: East Coast fans are much more passionate now, but all sports editors should be look-
well as a feature story, every Sunday about their teams. Some become physically ill ing at extreme sports to see if they’re some-
as part of a page called Sports in Your when their teams lose. West Coast fans go to thing that could attract younger readers.
Town,” said Ron Wagner, sports editor the beach. They’re probably at least as relevant to the
of the 40,000-under Hendersonville future of our sections as golf and tennis.
(N.C.) Times-News. “We have a 16-hour Q: When did you know you wanted to be a One thing I’ve always felt was overcovered
per week position devoted to nothing sports journalist? was the NCAA basketball tournament. I love
but that.” A: I, like most kids I knew in high school, was it. A lot of sportswriters and editors do. But,
Mike Peters, sports editor of the 60,000- stumbling along looking for a career path except for the Final Four, the television rat-
circulation Beaumont (Texas) Enterprise, when I became the co-sports editor for the ings don’t justify all the coverage we give
created a once-a-week page dedicated to student newspaper at Mineola High School in the earlier rounds. I doubt there’s reader-
recreational sports and activities. East Texas. The other co-sports editor and ship to support it, either.
myself were appointed to that position not
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 17 because of any particular writing or report- >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 17
16 OCTOBER 2004
Notebook
HARVEY Q: Who was a big influence when you were
first starting out in the business?
A: My father was a school administrator
ON THE MOVE
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16 who got into that field because he couldn’t By LARRY AMES
make any money in newspapers. Because he Ventura County Star
didn’t make that much as a school adminis-
Q: Baltimore has new stadiums for the trator, either, he worked as a reporter for the
Orioles and Ravens. What will be the solution
to the NFL returning to the L.A. market?
A: I’ve been trying to figure out for 10 years
local newspaper in the summers. I was
inspired by the stories he wrote as well, of
course, by the bylines he earned. He always
Anchorage Daily
what the NFL is going to do about L.A. So has
the NFL. I’d like to see a football stadium for the
NFL at Chavez Ravine and a new baseball stadi-
encouraged me toward a newspaper career,
which is the reason I was in that journalism
class in the first place. He was very support-
editor returns
um downtown near Staples Center. That would
be better for the neighborhoods near Dodger
ive of my career, even when it took me far
from home in Texas to work in Chicago
to writing roots
Stadium — they’d only have to put up with the when I was 25. As for people within the Under Beth Bragg’s guidance, the
traffic and noise for 10 or so dates a year business, Blackie Sherrod, who was sports 80,000-circulation Anchorage Daily
instead of 81 — and downtown L.A. would be editor and lead sports columnist for the News has tradition-
further revitalized by having a baseball stadium Dallas Times Herald when I was there in ally been among
there. Making all that happen is the hard part. 1974 and ‘75, was amazingly generous to me the APSE’s top 10
with both his time and his praise. He didn’t newspapers in
Q: What do you do in your spare time? have to take an interest in the young people daily and special
A: I really like spending time with my wife and on his staff, but he always did. He taught me sections in the
7-year-old son. I can’t tell you we do anything in a lot about being a sports editor. Of course, 40,000-100,000 cir-
particular, just hang out. We’ve just bought a lit- Bill Dwyre was a huge influence. I was still culation category.
tle trailer at the beach in Delaware and we’ll young when I went to work for him in L.A. in But the 12-year
spend a lot of weekends there. 1981. And so was he. sports editor has
Beth Bragg tired of the paper-
work surrounding
the job and two months ago became
the paper’s metro columnist, succeed-
ROUNDTABLE
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 16
national tournaments. And, we might run a
nice feature now and then, but that would be
based on story value, not on getting recre-
ing the retired Mike Doogan.
“The focus of my job was more and
more management and more paper-
ational sports in the paper.” work and training sessions. I was
“We run listings, results and photos that Sports editors seemed to agree space and doing less reporting, and writing has
are submitted,” Peters said. “For a paper our resources, in no particular order, are the always been my love,” she said.
size, I think it’s the way to go. ... We can usually biggest obstacles to expanding coverage of The Billings, Montana, native has
fill three columns. Sometimes we have an these topics. A handful of editors, however, come a long way since leaving Vanderbilt
entire page of information. ... We take informa- pointed to a lack of cooperation. as a sophomore in 1978 to join the sports
tion by email, fax or mail. We don’t take any- “We had one group asking for bowling cov- staff of Bozeman Chronicle.
thing over the phone.” erage,” said John Purcell, sports editor of the The Daily News certainly gives its
Barry Forbis, sports editor of the Rocky 40,000-under Antelope Valley Press in readers a wide variety of content,
Mountain News, said given a choice, his read- Palmdale, Calif. “We told them we would run despite a sports staff totaling 12.
ers would rather have “more coverage of the their scores and standings, if they got the The Sunday newspaper contains a
major sports.” information to us. They did for one month, special outdoors section and a local
“I don’t hear a lot of clamoring for more then they stopped.” wrap with zoned sports coverage. This
coverage of youth and recreational sports ... Some sports editors worry about delving is in addition to the regular sports sec-
but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a need for too far into youth and recreational sports. tion. Its 48-page Iditarod preview is one
recreational coverage in our sports section,” “There are inconsistencies on the impor- of the top special sections each year.
Forbis said. “We devote a lot of resources to tance of events,” said Brian Clark, sports edi- “We have a fairly industrious staff
covering adventure-type sports (downhill ski- tor of the Modesto (Calif.) Bee. “It seems that with not a lot of down time,’’ said
ing, extreme skiing, mountain climbing, etc.) in every (youth) sport, there are about 10 Bragg. “We run a lot of outdoors,
because those are sports that are distinctive national championships a month that, when including a lot of nontraditional
in some ways to Colorado and important to looking at the teams involved, could be sports like mountain running, ski
our readers. termed as a regional event. We get calls say- jouring, cross country skiing,
“We also have a weekly recreational golf ing so-and-so won a judo ‘national’ competi- biathlon and mountain climbing.”
page in season. All of those features, though, tion, then find out the event was indeed
are consumer-oriented, not features and called a ‘national,’ but was held in Northern
results. We will run brief items on local ama- California and had no one competing from >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 18
teur teams — youth or adult — who play in outside the state.
OCTOBER 2004 17
Notebook
REGION Compiled by
FRED M. FAOUR
Houston Chronicle
ON THE MOVE
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 17
REPORTS
The Daily News also covers its
prep and college teams and regular-
ly travels with its Alaska-Anchorage
Division I college hockey team.
“Our readers tend to participate
rather than be spectators,” said
Bragg.
When it started The Student Section on Bragg, who came to Anchorage
ATLANTIC COAST Sept. 21, about a third of the high schools in 1986, became an assistant sports
Michael Vick, Allen Iverson, Aaron Brooks. were contributing. Within a week of the editor in 1990 and became sports
The Virginia Peninsula has long been page’s debut more than half of the schools editor in 1992.
known for its outstanding high school ath- had signed up. Since moving to news, Bragg
letes. And the tradition goes back for several The Daily Press planned the page in says she has learned “that people
decades: Terry Kirby, Leroy Keyes, Earl February and began by calling the advisors at are more suspicious of a metro
Faison, La’Keshia Frett, to name a few. the high schools in the core circulation, who reporter than a sports reporter.’’
The Daily Press in Newport News, Va., helped recruit students to contribute. The “There are different people and
published a 28-page tabloid-sized special paper met with those students in the spring different kinds of issues. When you
section on Sunday, Sept. 26, cataloging the and summer to come up with ideas. The kids get into policy and politics, you cer-
100 greatest high school athletes from its filled up three easel pads. tainly need to do your homework.
circulation area. To try and give the page more punch on You don’t want to get anything
The project took reporters Marty O’Brien Tuesdays and Wednesdays, the Daily Press wrong or make a bonehead
and Lynn Burke eight months to complete. designed it to run sideways on the back page mistake,” she said.
They reviewed microfiche from the 1920s with full color. In the meantime, the paper has
through today, and talked to current and for- Reader reaction has been outstanding. gone right to the top for her interim
mer coaches, players and fans. In addition, replacement. Managing editor Mike
they solicited the opinion of readers on the — DOUG ROBERSON Campbell will take her job until a
paper’s website, dailypress.com, to try and Newport News Daily Press replacement can be found.
make sure it hadn’t forgotten anyone when it
came to paring down the list.
Once it decided on the 100, it ranked the GREAT LAKES
top 12, wrote a story on each of the Dandy Big high school football sections kept the WESTERN
Dozen, as they were called, and had portraits region busy. San Diego Union-Tribune: Hired
taken of 11 of them. Each page for the top 12 For the first time in a number of years, the Eddie Ibardolasa of the L.A. Daily
included the story, a box chronicling their Chicago Tribune did a high school fall sports News as a copy editor. … Hired Brent
accomplishments, and an old photograph of preview section. The cover was a boxing card Schrotenboer as an enterprise/GA
the athlete next to the new one. featuring the area’s top two quarterbacks reporter. Schrotenboer was the
The other 88 were listed alphabetically, from last year, both back for their senior Auburn beat writer for the Mobile
noting their accomplishments, and included years. It was 12 open pages. ... The Tribune (Ala.) Register.
several old photos. also did a six-page college football wrapper. Orange County Register:
The project included a story on athletes The main story was on Big Ten QBs, but the Hired Mark Conley as assistant
from the 1920s-40s, when records weren’t Tribune also ran rankings of all 117 I-A quar- sports editor for high schools. Conley
kept as strictly as they are today, which made terbacks and the cover contained the name of was the sports editor at the Santa
it difficult to decide who could be included, every starter with action cutouts of all 11 Big Cruz Sentinel. … Promoted David
and a piece about the athletes who had aver- TenQBs. ... The Tribune did an 18-page pro Bean from high school editor to col-
age high school careers before becoming football section with the cover theme of the lege editor. … Hired Miguel Melendez
famous in college or the pros, such as new Bears passing offense. The Tribune also as a part-timer covering high schools.
Williamsburg’s Lawrence Taylor. did an 8-page wrapper every day of the San Francisco Chronicle: Hired
To find out who is No. 1, go to Olympics. Janny Hu, who completed a Hearst
dailypress.com/top100. The News-Herald (Willoughby, Ohio) had a Newspapers fellowship at the Seattle
The Newport News Daily Press launched a 24-page broadsheet high school football pre- Post-Intelligencer, as an NBA and
new high school product: The Student view that was designed to look like a 1950s general assignment reporter.
Section. The page comes out three times a newspaper. Keeping with a theme for the
week (Tuesday, Wednesday and Sunday) and
the copy and photographs are produced by >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
area high school students. >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 19
18 OCTOBER 2004
Notebook
REGION
regional meeting at the Trump Taj Majal
ON THE MOVE on Monday, Dec. 6 from 8:30 a.m. until
6 p.m. We hope that region members
will join us for an informal get together
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 18 on Sunday night before a full-day program
on Monday.
The Marin Independent Journal: paper’s 125th anniversary, the News-Herald Jim Jenks of The Philadelphia Inquirer
Named Ryan Metcalfe, formerly a sports counted down to the section by picking the top and Ron Fritz of the Wilmington News
copy editor at the IJ, to the prep sports 15 football teams in the history of our area. Journal are putting together the agenda that
editor position. Hired Jason Wilson as a The Canton (Ohio) Repository and will include sessions on the Internet, copy
sports copy editor/page designer. Cleveland Plain Dealer each themed their editing, critiques for all sections interested,
Riverside Press-Enterprise: Hired Las sections around elections. The Repository’s and a special guest speaker. The fee for the
Vegas Review-Journal assistant sports edi- was 20 pages, and the Plain Dealer’s was 16. program will be $50 per person.
tor Brian VanHook as a news copy editor. There’s a good story behind the football Members should call the Trump Taj Majal
section at the Times of Northwest Indiana directly (800-825-8888) before Nov. 5 to make
(Munster). They did 29 separate zoned prep their hotel reservations at an APSE guaran-
SOUTHEAST covers, then gave those papers away as a pro- teed rateof $79 per night, which includes
Miami Herald: Hired Steve motion to every student in the school. They parking at the hotel. Make sure to mention
Zimmerman, the former senior sports were done as tasteful, striking black-and- APSE when you call for reservations.
designer at the Post-Tribune in white photos of a featured player from each Our aim is to teach, learn and most of all
Merrillville, Ind., as a member of the school. If you want more information, their- share our experiences with one another to
presentation desk, where he will focus sports editor is Mike Clark (mclark@ make us all better sports editors. If you have
on sports. He will help coordinate the nwitimes.com). one of those tough editors that requires a
daily design of the section and assist The Great Lakes Region will get a new crowbar to pry the mere pittance of a fee
with special section production. Prior chair: Brad Zimanek of the Appleton (Wis.) from their budget, please don’t hesitate to call
to joining the Herald and Post-Tribune, Post Crescent. Current chair Scott Kendrick Jenks (215-510-0864), Fritz (302-324-2919) or
Zimmerman worked at the Rockford is leaving the region to become assistant APSE president Jerry Micco (412-263-3052).
Register Star as a sports copy sports editor at the Florida Times-Union in “We will be glad to make a call to justify the
editor/designer, Milwaukee Journal Jacksonville. expense,’’ Jenks said.
Sentinel as an online sports producer — SCOTT KENDRICK The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has
and St. Augustine Record as a Willoughby News-Herald started one new weekly section and
reporter/designer. … Hired Fred expanded another. Beginning on Sept. 12
Gonzalez, assistant sports editor at and continuing every Sunday through mid-
The Washington Post, as deputy sports GREAT PLAINS November, the Post-Gazette will publish
editor supervising reporters including The Hawk Eye (Burlington, Iowa) printed a CFXtra, a section devoted to college foot-
coverage of the NBA, NHL and auto special section to commemorate Todd ball, according to Jerry Micco.
racing. … Hired Drew van Esselstyn, Hamilton’s British Open win. Hamilton grew The section houses local college football,
zone sports editor at The Washington up in Oquawka, Ill., which is 10 miles from anchored by the P-G’s Big 3 schools: Pitt,
Post, as Sunday sports editor. … Hired Burlington. The section was published Aug. Penn State and West Virginia. It also handles
Monica Hare, copy editor at the Palm 12 as part of a preview for the PGA the large local small college football scene
Beach Post, as a copy editor. … Hired Championship. Similar sections devoted to and has an expanded national report with all
Alex Mena, editor in The Herald’s Hamilton are being planned in connection the breakouts that are standard fare, such as
Broward newsroom, as assistant sports with the four majors next season. the Heisman chart and top performers.
editor/Broward. … Promoted Nunzio The Wichita Eagle celebrated “Hall of Micco said the space stayed the same in
Ingrassia to full-time copy editor. … Fame Summer” with special packages com- the entire Sunday product. “We just trimmed
Promoted reporter George Richards, memorating the inductions of two Wichita some coverage in the main Sunday section
Broward high school reporter, to natives: Barry Sanders into Pro Football Hall and moved a couple features to other days of
Panthers beat writer. … Promoted of Fame and Lynette Woodard into the the week,’’ he said. “This has allowed us to
reporter David J. Neal, Panthers beat Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame. play the Steelers advance packages better on
writer, to national NFL and GA reporter. The Eagle also spent the month of August our front, and will clear front space for better
Lakeland Ledger: Named Larry researching and naming “Wichita’s Best display of the baseball playoffs.”
Everhart assistant sports editor. Everhart Athletes” in more than 40 participatory On Sept. 13, the paper debuted NFLXtra,
was a news copy editor at The Ledger. sports. The project enabled the paper to get which is an expanded version of the P-G’s old
The Florida Times-Union: Hired about 75 names and faces into the paper that Steelers Extra. Said Micco: “We pumped up
sports editor Scott Kendrick of the don’t often get there. space a bit in this section by repackaging it
Willoughby (Ohio) News Herald as — SCOTT DOCHTERMAN out of the Monday main Sports section. We
assistant sports editor. St. Joseph’s (Mo.) News-Press also went from a wrap to a stand-alone sec-
tion, thus giving us two color fronts.
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 20 MID-ATLANTIC
The Mid-Atlantic Region will hold its >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 20
OCTOBER 2004 19
Notebook
REGION
odd, newspaper sort of way.
ON THE MOVE We came up for air and then ... two days
after the Olympics ended we ran our first
“Sidelines,’’ an 8-page weekly college football
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 >> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 19 section.
Newly elected APSE third vice-president
Fort Lauderdale Sun-Sentinel: Hired “Our Steelers coverage was basically kept Greg Brownell and his crew at the Glen Falls
former sports copy editor Allen Cone the same, except for the addition of a third Post-Star in upstate New York won several
of the Las Vegas Review-Journal as a columnist, but we added more space to do a awards in the 2003-04 New York State
news copy editor. better NFL package, including separates on Associated Press Association’s writing con-
The Florence (Ala.) Daily Times: Hired every game. We are also looking at expanding test. Among them: Sports column: Michael
Gregg Dewalt as a writer/copy editor. our agate package and may do that down the Lewis, first place; Brett Orzechowski, second
The Mobile (Ala.) Register: Hired Evan line. We’ll do NFLXtra throughout the regular place; Greg Brownell, third place.
Woodbery to cover the Auburn University season and if the Steelers make the playoffs, — MARK BICKEL
beat. Woodbery comes to the Register we’ll do it until their season is concluded.” Poughkeepsie Journal
from The State in Columbia, S.C., and he — JIM JENKS
previously worked at The Anniston Star. Philadelphia Inquirer
Woodbery is living full-time in Auburn, SOUTHEAST
which is a change from the way the beat For the first time, The Nashville
has been covered in the past. NORTHEAST Tennessean is producing a four-page Titans
Northeast Sports editors Jeff Otterbein preview section on Sundays. The Tennessean
(Hartford) and Matt Pepin (New Haven) had had been doing a separate college football
GREAT PLAINS their hands full in late August as two profes- section for Sundays, but made a switch for
St. Joseph News-Press: Hired Clark sional tournaments took place in their back- ad-revenue purposes. Because the Titans
Grell, a former news reporter at the yards ... in the same week. Here’s how they opener against the Dolphins was moved up a
Columbus (Neb.) Telegram as a copy pulled it off: day, the first Titans preview section did not
editor/paginator. Pepin: In a normal year, the WTA’s Pilot appear until Sunday, Sept. 19, the home open-
Claremore (Okla.) Daily Progress: Pen Tennis tournament in New Haven and the er against the Colts.
Hired Charles Ward as sports editor after PGA Tour’s Buick Championship in As the cover story in its annual college
a stint as sports editor of the Cromwell, Conn., would each get big-game football preview section, a Mobile Register
International Falls (Minn.) Daily Journal. treatment every day in the New Haven poll named Ohio State the best overall pro-
Register. With the events occurring in the gram in Division I-A college football. Ohio
same week this year, the New Haven Register State’s rise to the top was the product of 64
GREAT LAKES published a six-page special tournament statistical categories that ranked the 117
Ottawa (Ill.) Daily Times: Hired wrap Aug. 23-29 in addition to an eight-page Division I-A teams in a number of college
Charlie Ellerbrock of the Bureau County sports section that included the Olympics, the football’s measurable facets, such as winning
Republican in Princeton, Ill., as a American League East race between the percentage, bowl appearances and All-
sports writer. Yankees and Red Sox and coverage of the Americans. All the data used to determine
Minneapolis Star Tribune: Moved UConn football team as it prepared for its the top programs can be found at
Michael Rand from high school sports first season in the Big East. www.al.com/ncaafootball/mobileregister
to beat writer for the University of Papers were distributed to patrons at the Bob McClellanNashville Tennessean
Minnesota women’s basketball team. Pilot Pen, which is held at the Connecticut — BOB McCLELLAN
Terra Haute (Ind.) Tribune Star: Hired Tennis Center at Yale. Nashville Tennessean
Todd Golden, sports editor of the Eau Otterbein: August was about as intense a
Claire (Wis.) Leader Telegram, as sports month as we’ve experienced around here,
editor. Former sports editor Mark more so than dual national titles by the SOUTHWEST
Bennett, who was sports editor for 11 UConn men’s and women’s basketball teams. Senior Deputy Sports Editor Cody Bailey
years, is now a general columnist/ We did three special sections — an and designer Michael Currie of the Fort Worth
feature writer at the Tribune Star. Olympic preview, a college football preview Star-Telegram presented a session at the
Canton (Ohio) Repository: Hired and a Buick golf championship preview. annual Society of News Design conference
Scott Brown, formerly of the Elyria (Ohio) During the Olympics we did a 4-page wrap on Sept. 30 in San Jose. Their session —
Chronicle Telegram, as a sports designer. every day around the regular sports section Big League Sports, Big League Presentation
Chicago Tribune: Longtime stats and in the final week of August we had the — focused on the importance of visual story-
editor Johnny Rosenstein left for Florida Olympics, Buick golf and Pilot Pen tennis telling in Sports sections. The Star-Telegram
and a job with CBS.sportsline.com as tournament. launched a redesign geared toward present-
assistant sports editor. We had two writers at the Olympics, five ing the news for the “scan reader.’’ The new
at the Buick golf and three at the Pilot Pen philosophy includes more hold-to-the-cover
To contribute to ON THE MOVE tennis. Some of our daily sections were as
big as many Sunday sections we have
stories and blurbs with an emphasis on visual
Send personnel moves to Larry Ames
at lames@venturacountystar.com throughout the year. The writers and copy
desk did a great job and it was fun in an >> CONTINUED ON PAGE 21
20 OCTOBER 2004
Notebook
REGION
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 20
APSE WRITERS: THE LIAISON GROUP
s Chairman/Pro Hockey Writers Association: Bill Bradley, Nashville Tennessean.
s Pro Basketball Writers Association: Jim Jenks, Philadelphia Inquirer.
storytelling and improving navigation for s Baseball Writers Association of America: Barry Forbis, Rocky Mountain News.
the reader. s U.S. (College) Basketball Writers Association: Mike Anastasi, Salt Lake Tribune.
The Denton Record-Chronicle went s Pro Football Writers Association: Chris D’Amico, Newark Star-Ledger.
reality TV with its football section. It fea- s Tennis writers: Bill Dwyer, Los Angeles Times.
tured a cover on North Texas running s Golf Writers Association of America: Bob Yates, Dallas Morning News.
back Patrick Cobbs as American Idol and s Outdoors Writers Association of America: Mike Anastasi, Salt Lake Tribune.
a local high school coach as Survivor. s American Auto Racing Writers Association: Mike Persinger, Charlotte Observer.
— FRED M. FAOUR s National Turf Writers Association: Gene Abell, Lexington Herald-Leader.
Houston Chronicle s (College) Football Writers Association of America: Mike Sherman, Daily Oklahoman.
s U.S. Boxing Writers Association: Jim Barger, Las Vegas Sun.
s Track and Field Writers of America: Dale Jones, Cedar Rapids Gazette.
WESTERN
The annual West Regional convention will
be Monday, Oct. 25 at the Treasure Island
Resort and Hotel in Las Vegas. Sessions
include “Crisis Management’’ and “Different
Ways to Hire Copy Editors.’’ Featured speak-
Seven new members
er will be boxing promoter Bob Arum.
The Ventura County Star ran an 8-page
special section on the Conejo Valley Little
League All-Star team, which won the U.S.
join Writers Committee
championship. One page was devoted to By Bill Bradley are considering creating their own writers
baseball cards of the 12 players, which was The (Nashville) Tennessean association. A recent clash stemming from a
originally developed for the paper’s Web site. special-interest group’s statements has
The Star covered the World Series final The APSE’s Writers Liaisons Committee has caused the newspaper members of the group,
with double truck color, including a full page a different look: Seven new editors have joined who are a distinct minority yet influential
of photos and a page of coverage and photos. the group overseeing eight writers groups. because of the circulation and credibility that
During the 18 days of the Olympics, The New to the committee are Mike Anastasi of they represent, to wonder whether continued
Star ran 16-page daily sections and 18- the Salt Lake Tribune (who will oversee two membership best serves their needs.
page Sunday sections to cover the groups); Jim Barger, Las Vegas Sun; Chris OWAA encompasses newspaper journal-
Olympics, two Little League teams in D’Amico, Newark Star-Ledger; Jim Jenks, ists, but magazine writers, book authors,
national tournaments and the Dallas Philadelphia Inquirer; Mike Persinger, Charlotte public relations representatives, website own-
Cowboys training camp in the paper’s cir- Observer; Mike Sherman, Daily Oklahoman; ers and editors and government employees
culation area in addition to its coverage of and Bob Yates, Dallas Morning News. who write about the outdoors.
the Dodgers and Angels in pennant races. The Writers Committee works with OWAA conventions have been a gathering
The Star, with a six-person desk, ran groups, like the Baseball Writers Association for the field and stream industry as much as
eight open Olympic pages daily, including a of America and the Pro Football Writers a meeting of journalists. New products are
back page color photo page, one advance/TV Association, to monitor such issues as access regularly exhibited and various companies
page and an Olympic scoreboard. and ethics. In recent years, the group has represented; whereas media companies
— LARRY AMES worked with the baseball writers to help sponsor events at APSE conventions, interest
Ventura County Star them make decisions about sponsorships and groups sponsor banquets for this group.
convinced the hockey writers to stop taking a Newspaper writers typically find the conven-
Editor’s note: No reports were received stipend from the NHL for voting on awards. tions helpful because of the confluence of
from the Canada and Northwest regions. The Writers Committee will offer updated sources that are present.
information on all of the groups it monitors in At the group’s convention this year, a
the next edition. representative from the National Rifle
HELP WANTED APSE members looking to join this commit-
tee are asked to contact Bill Bradley (bbradley
Association, a supporting member of the
OWAA, used a speaking forum to criticize the
@tennessean.com). We are planning on cycling Sierra Club, another supporting member.
The Newsletter Committee is looking for new members into the group each year. OWAA’s board of directors in turn wrote a
members to help write stories for upcom- critical letter to the NRA, essentially saying
ing editions. If you have an interest, Outdoors writers splitting? that an OWAA event is not the place to pres-
please contact Glen Crevier at 612-673- Politics could be the ax that splits the ent political views.
4748 or at gcrevier@startribune.com. Outdoors Writers Association of America.
The newspaper journalists from the group
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
OCTOBER 2004 21
Ideas: Football preview sections
Hip, hip, cliché
The Orlando Sentinel
landed a prize recruit and
Guest
claimed a little respect for Star
its 2004 football sections How’s this
for respect:
The Orlando
By Ron Matthews Sentinel
Seattle Post-Intelligencer convinced
comedian
Few things challenge the creative minds Rodney
in a sports department more than the annual Dangerfield
football sections. to pose for
We all want to raise the bar, build on the cover
team chemistry, give 110 percent, and knock of its 2004
’em off one section at a time. Yes, we’re football
preaching to the choir, but it’s gut-check preview
time and the heat is on. section.
You read those two sentences and imme- Dangerfield
diately envision an animated wpresentation posed for
(scolding?) from Kenn Finkel. the shot
In Orlando, they envision a section built shortly
on clichés. Eight sections totaling 72 pages, before he
to be exact. underwent
“The idea of a cliché theme started out heart
as a joke,” Orlando Sentinel deputy sports surgery.
editor Roger Simmons wrote in an e-mail
survey for this story. “We meet a couple of
times during the year to talk about proj-
ects. When we went into our May meeting
to talk about summer projects, we already
had a theme for our football preview and
had already started taking some photos.
“But we decided to kick around some
ideas to see if we could refine the idea or
come up with something better. About
three, fully fleshed-out theme ideas later, as
we were wrapping up our meeting, one of
our columnists joked about doing an all-
cliché football section. Then someone sug-
gested a photo we could shoot of a player
acting out a cliché.
“We all laughed, and then came up with
another example ... and another and another.
We then realized we stumbled onto some-
thing special.”
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 23
22 OCTOBER 2004
Ideas: Football preview sections
SECTIONS
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 22
The full complement
The Orlando Sentinel
based its 2004 football
preview sections on the
The ultimate cliché in sports — no respect following clichés:
— was saved for the cover. And who better to
showcase the cliché than the man who said it Buccaneers:
best, comedian Rodney Dangerfield. Team Chemistry
“In our Super Bowl preview, one of our Dolphins/Jaguars:
columnists talked to Rodney about both It’s Gut Check Time
teams claiming they weren’t getting any Florida: On The Ball
respect,” Simmons wrote. “Fortunately, when Miami: The Heat Is On
we contacted him in July, he remembered the Florida State:
story we did and was receptive to posing for Preaching To The Choir
our cover. We had one of our deputy sports Central Florida: There’s
editors fly out to L.A. with a photographer A New Sheriff In Town
and shoot Rodney at his home.” High schools: This Kid
Anxious moments are part of the special Gives 110 Percent
section process. But this one went to extremes.
“During the shoot, (Dangerfield) men-
tioned that he was going to be having some
major surgery in the future. What we didn’t
realize then was that the day he went into the
hospital for an 11-hour heart-valve procedure,
we were supposed to be rolling our section,”
Simmons wrote. “We met and talked about
what we would do if something were to hap-
pen to Rodney during the surgery. We literal-
ly had only about six hours before the section
was to roll to make a decision. Fortunately,
Rodney came out of the surgery fine and, as
planned, he was on the main cover of our
preview sections.’’
Dangerfield died on Oct. 5 of complica-
tions from the surgery.
In Fort Worth, the Star-Telegram request-
ed time to photograph Cowboys coach Bill
Parcells for one of its seven sections. Parcells
finally agreed following a morning workout
at training camp in Oxnard, Calif.
He arrived for the shoot — sweaty, with a
towel around his neck — with this message:
You get one frame.
“We ended up getting about 18 frames and
were able to get him to wipe the sweat off his
brow for a few of them. We chose to use him
on the double truck and use Eddie George as
our main image,’’ AME/Sports Celeste
Williams wrote.
While Orlando built its sections around
clichés, the Star-Telegram used lists.
“We did something really radical — no
stories,” Williams wrote. “We did lots of lists
and each of the seven section fronts
addressed a “10 reasons ...’’
Of all the replies received for this report,
the no-stories approach was the most daring.
>> CONTINUED ON PAGE 24
OCTOBER 2004 23
Ideas: Football preview sections
SECTIONS
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 23
2004 football preview sections
Here’s a sampling of special section covers previewing the 2004 NFL season:
Other items/ideas of note:
s The Washington Post built its NFL sec-
tion around the influx of quality wide
receivers in the league and how, coupled with
the mandate to penalize defensive backs for
contact beyond five yards, that would open
up the game.
s The Nashville Tennessean built its NFL
section around an election theme, touting the
Titans’ Steve McNair as “The people’s quar-
terback.’’ “Inside, we showed off his platform
and his ‘cabinet,’ which used some great pho-
tos that Titans played along with — such as
Keith Bullock ‘Chief Justice’ and Mike
Heimerdinger ‘Secretary of Transportation,’
wrote AME Bill Bradley.
s At USA Today, the theme was “How to 1 2 3
build a championship team.’’
“We spoke to key players and coaches to
get their thoughts, and then spoke to the
leading practitioners of that particular skill.
We then also broke out those thoughts in a
glance-type treatment,” wrote Monte Lorell,
managing editor for sports. “ ... Where we
raised the level was in our use of graphics
and the whole blueprint theme, from the front
of the section all the way through.’’
WRITERS
>> CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21
However, that touched off a firestorm
within the membership. Many accused board 4 5 6
members of playing politics of their own,
accusing them of being anti-gun or anti-NRA.
A large number of members, and several dis-
senting board members, resigned in protest.
Newspaper journalists fell on both sides of
the issue, with some ultimately wondering if
now wasn’t the time for them to form their
own group that operated more strictly within
the confines of our own ethics.
Michael Anastasi of the Salt Lake Tribune,
the group’s liaison, said: “This is relevant to
sports editors because a lot of our outdoors
writers belong to this organization. We should
be asking ourselves, what kind of organization 7
is it? Should we allow our people to belong?
“The way some outdoors journalists see it, if WHO THEY ARE
NRA wants to make a jackass of itself, then 1: Dallas Morning News 5: San Diego Union-Tribune
that’s good copy for us. Others feel strongly
that this should be a writers’ group focused on
2: Baltimore Sun
3: Boston Globe
6: Columbus Dispatch
7: Seattle Post-Intelligencer
8
writing issues and devoid of outside politics.” 4: White Plains Journal News 8: Elyria Chronicle-Telegram
OCTOBER 2004 24
