Dear dimwit on the phone

A Black Friday doubleheader,

Dear lady on the phone: No, I don't know if the game's on TV tonight. No, I don't know if it's on radio. I'm the newspaper. Call the effing TV or radio statstation. If they're doing the local game, it's their job to call me. I'm not calling every station in the market.

Dear visiting team's statkeeper: In case you didn't notice from the clacking sounds on the bluetooth keyboard in front of the iPad, I'm trying to write part of my story here at halftime. I don't know what the scores of all the other games are, except for Springfield-Shelbyville, because I have a reporter there and I'm updating our live blog with games of interest to our readers.

I'd say ask Santa for an iPhone so you could look them up yourself but, guess what ... for sending your buddy down to where I'm working five minutes later, asking for the same scores I couldn't give you, I'm calling my contacts at the North Pole, and you are soooooooooooooooooooooo on the naughty list it's not even funny!

 

So you do NOT want to be the "paper of record" in your community? LOL

 

yeah, i agree you should know what games are on TV and radio to run in the paper. We run if games are online and radio in our area schedule and in pregame facts boxes.

 

I know what's on the networks via our listings, wire services and, in the case of the NFL page, the506.com. As for the local stations, it would help if they showed a little effort beyond "High School Playoffs" in the listings. It's like the JV swimming results: I'm not chasing them down, but if they find me, we can do something.

 

Hansen,
Try zap2it.com.

 

How many papers don't change NFL: Regional Coverage from the AP TV sports schedule to the game that's being shown locally?

 

Um ... why are people advising HanSenSE better ways to do his not-job?

 

If you don't think that a sports-on-TV guide that is up-to-date or viable to be looked at, then you are crazy. It's one of the most looked at parts of the paper.
People are used to having correct info in the paper...I know...color me shocked!
If you don't want TV calls, then stop running the TV guide in your section and have news stop printing a complete TV guide. But enjoy the bitching calls you will get for the next month or so.
For the most part, you can take either 5-10 minutes a day or less than an hour in one day to get a whole week done. If you don't have time, well, hire an intern.

 

We agree there. Even with on-screen guides, titantv, and that in a two-team market I figured out in a two-team market the AFC will be on CBS and the NFC on Fox in most cases, people want those listings.

My problem with the locals is, in the time I've been in this post is, if they have time to look at our web page to a) find my number and start asking me questions for a story they should be doing themselves; b) have the local pizzaeria call in and ask us to take pictures because Podunk High is the ActionNewsOnYourSide "team of the week;" and c) their buddies on radio think we need to be there to take a picture of little Johnny getting their "athlete of the week," ... they sure as hell can a) send out an email or update their listings if I check their website saying what their game is; and b) when we announce our all-County team or I have a big story, give me free air time to promote it, just like they want free space in the newspaper.

 

Yeah, I agree there as well. Don't feel bad that you do your job well and they do there's poorly. Unfortunately, morons...I mean readers, think that shit like local TV info magically grows on trees. Those trees being our sheets of paper, I guess.

 

Local TV info isn't really that hard to find, guys ...

 

it is if it's not in the newspaper