Big Doings in Dallas

I'll say this... I don't think they'd try anything here because it's local, but cut back that Friday night high school football coverage in the fall and watch the parents blow a gasket. They'll have to open up extra phone lines to handle the irate parents/fans/subscribers.

Not to mention Texas high school FB really does sell papers. And when he was sports editor, Dave Smith was quoted on record as saying as there was a 10,000-paper jump in sales on a Monday following a Cowboys win. So don't try to say sports sells papers. It does.

I have a feeling this isn't going to end pretty for Dallas, and I think Fort Worth will be the better if they go after this. Look at McClatchy in Minneapolis. Its management of the STrib, plus K-R's tightfisted policies, all but marginalized St. Paul PP in the eyes of the Twin Cities. It's just my opinion, of course, but STrib dominates that market.

 

I think you're off on this line of thinking - at least in Texas. In many places across the state, from what I've seen (especially smaller communities, but Metros as well), sports sells the paper - especially during high school football season. College football and the Cowboys, too, are huge and people buy the paper to read everything they can.

 

Hey, I hope you guys are right.

 

acc? that's an insult... no, i'm from an sec background, but cover a different conference now

and, well, i used to live in texas, pretty much everyone in my family went to mizzou and my sister went to a&m -- i know a little about the big 12

 

I don't believe they have a writer in College Station now. They moved Rachel Cohen back to Dallas several months ago.

 

Sorry Hoops, no offense intended. I believe we crossed paths back in the day. Seems like a lifetime ago.

 

Rachel Cohen is writing for the Star-Trib now.

 

I'd wager the DMN will stay on the SMU beat home and away.
Too many wealthy alums will expect to see the hometown 'Stangs in the hometown daily.
That might have changed, but you got lots of connected SMU types floating around the Metroplex. No publisher wants to take that call from a major player in town. You can, maybe, pull off wire on TCU, but not for SMU.
One of my PR peeps has a brother who is one the editors there at the DMN, I'll have to work the phone, when I get up the energy.

 

SMU might get home and away coverage in football (better win a few games first), but basketball? No way. Welcome to life at a mid-major have-not, Matt Doherty.

 

I'm not sure what business Pallister is in, but what he knows about the audience that consumes sports sections couldn't fill a message board post.
You think sports readers don't want maximum content?
Have you heard of ESPN.com?

 

It does not drive circulation, true. Absolutely.

But it provides advertisers with the most loyal, ravenous, unflinching readership of the newspaper in the 25-54 male demo.

Don't let those beancounter assholes get you down with the circulation crapola.

Advertisers need the sports reader... badly.

 

So do you think powers-that-be severely underestimate the intelligence of their sports readers? I.E. "Those meatheads won't know the difference! All they want to know is the score!"