May 2, 2009 (Grumpy Editor delivered by Newstex ) --
Editors seeking to improve their print products, including sports coverage, would do well to listen to what readers have to say, especially in this era with ebbing circulations, notes Grumpy Editor. As an example, a Las Vegas Review-Journal reader called its sports editor to ask why --- one month into the season --- there isnt more Baseball coverage, especially of games involving the Los Angeles Angels and Los Angeles Dodgers , since many subscribers?are transplanted Southern Californians and remain heavy followers of the two major league teams closest to Sin City.
The standalone multi-page sports sections front pages this week was void of Baseball, the national pastime.
Focus was on basketball, football, boxing and hockey.? (And for horse racing fans, especially active in Vegas where betting is an attraction, yesterdays front page had no mention of todays Kentucky Derby.)
With Baseball, a summary?of prior days major league play, no matter how exciting or record setting, usually gets only one sentence inside the section, along with a page of box scores.
Why not more details of Angels and Dodgers games??? ?We rotate the (key) stories, like at USA Today, said the sports editor.? ?But the Review-Journal is not a Gannett publication, the caller reminded.?? ?Have a good day, was the response.
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In other Grumpy Editor end-of-week leftover notes:
Portfolio magazine closes.? Cond? Nast Publications, which publishes Glamour, Vanity Fair and Vogue, among others, shutters its two-year-old monthly business glossy Portfolio magazine with the May issue.? A drop in advertising pages gets the blame.
Clear Channel cuts more staffers.? Radio and billboard giant Clear Channel Communications is laying off almost 600 programming, engineering and customer service people in its radio division.? It follows 1,850 layoffs in January.
Another ?daily goes to five a week.? Starting Monday, the Nevada Appeal, Carson City, slices its publication days to five from seven.? Print editions continue Wednesdays through Sundays with online editions Mondays and Tuesdays.
?Research" effort stumbles.? Management terms the project ?market research.? But after grumblings from staffers, the Chicago Tribunes marketing department no longer solicits subscribers opinions on stories before they are published.?
Flu spurs sanitizing action.? Screaming headlines on flu triggers prompt action from makers of soap, face masks and hand sanitizers and their advertising agencies to push those products as prevention measures.
Newstex ID: GRUM-0001-34605734
