Dear dimwit on the phone

We have one of those too.

 

We cover 100 teams and they are in the bottom 10 of us caring. We'll let that school's hometown rag do it.

 

Well we cover about 12, but they're one of the fringe schools.

 

We have several. If only I could get them to use email.

 

I'll throw my favorite story in on this one.

When I was a high school intern at the Townie Times I worked a lot of desk. Back in the day the Times had a writer, Ron Cole, that won a Pulitzer for a mega story that he broke. So one day I get a call at the desk.

BN: "Times Sports."
Dude with swagging voice: "Hi, can I speak with Ron Cole please?"
BN: "Um...he retired four years ago."

It's been almost eight years and I still relish his silence after I said that.

EDIT:
So I was supposed to have quoted a post about three pages back, but apparently it didn't tag. I still don't fully get the new system here. Either way, I like the story.

 

From the "turning in results via fax" department:
Coach, when turning in results from the league dual wrestling tournament you hosted, be sure to include the pin times and/or scores from each weight class in each match.
I've received more useful and usable information about junior high events.

 

We got blasted for our choices in coverage today.

Here's what was going on this afternoon involving schools we cover:
-Three section quarterfinal basketball games 40 miles away (five area teams involved)
-Section wrestling tournament 45 miles away (five local/area teams)
-Three section basketball games 65 miles away (three area teams)
-Another section wrestling tournament 70 miles away (three area teams)
-Section semifinal hockey game 100 miles away (local team)

Two staff members were available to cover events. What do you cover?

 

One of the basketball tourneys, depending on quality of matchups and probably the nearer of the two wrestling events.
Now, if "local" is a significant distinction in a circulation sense to "area" - more than half your readership, say, is defined as local to your office - then the local wrestling teams and the hockey.

 

I would say it depends on how good and closely followed each team is to your area. Obviously you maybe don't want to drive 200 miles just for a section semifinal game, but if it's important to readers and a closely followed game it's a tough choice.

 

For the events that are the farthest away, was there a reporter for another, non-competing, paper who could have covered also covered the events for you as well? Is there a budget for that or for freelancers for the closer-to-home stuff?

 

I'm always told by readers that we should just hire more people. It's that simple, you know. Just hire more people.

(I don't know how to make this post drip with sarcasm.)

 

You mean like this douchnozzle's suggestions?:
"Could I suggest some high school student stringer interns? With today's devices a story could be submitted immediately following the game. You could have even had a sports reporter watch the game on the local cable channel and write more than three short paragraph for Thursday's edition. Maybe even check a Twitter account, JJ Huddle, or MaxPreps and, at a minimum, publish a timely score? How will young people ever get in the habit of going to your paper for any kind of news?"

Gee, thanks buddy...yup, check Twitter for updates. Because there is NEVER anything incorrect about Twitter updates. Oh, just hire some high school interns? Yeah, seems legit. I'm sure they don't need to be paid or anything.
Watch TV? Why would we watch a local game on TeeVee if we could just be there in person? (we didn't have said man power for a 5th local game to be covered)
Of course, he's mad because it was the two local Catholic schools, "a big rivalry" in his mind (one team is .500, the other is almost winless and we are in the stretch run and were covering games that mattered for conference titles and whatnot). Plus, the damn game was scheduled at the start of the season to be on TV, it's not like the local cable company was demanding it as their GOTW! LOL