KC Star offering sports-only digital subscription

[Jake_Taylor]

It's true that newspaper editors are still slaves to the print product. I never refuted that. And maybe that daily grind and deadline does interfere with a beat writer's ability to explore certain kinds of stories.

My argument wasn't really about that, though. It was the notion that newspapers aren't making an effort to bring those visual elements to a digital audience. They are, and there are endless examples. It is fair to wonder, though, whether newspapers can continue to serve a print readership and an online audience with dwindling resources.

The Star's editors have definitely tried to adapt with the times. Jesse Newell is one of the more innovative beat writers around, taking an analytical approach and really diving into advanced stats. When Jeff Patterson was on the desk there he did some cool stuff with graphics and multimedia presentations. The apps for different teams are useful.

Not to go all Frederick here, but the Star has always been known for its sports coverage and the suits sqaundered the brand name and a monopoly in its market before making a move that has made sense for at least a decade.

 

[daemon]

It's true that newspaper editors are still slaves to the print product. I never refuted that. And maybe that daily grind and deadline does interfere with a beat writer's ability to explore certain kinds of stories.

My argument wasn't really about that, though. It was the notion that newspapers aren't making an effort to bring those visual elements to a digital audience. They are, and there are endless examples. It is fair to wonder, though, whether newspapers can continue to serve a print readership and an online audience with dwindling resources.

I think most are making as honest an effort as they are capable of. At the least, what most departments really need is a bifurcated staff: an Athletic-type premium web content team whose sole mandate is to drive digital subscriptions, and then a hard news team that more or less operates in the tradional mode. Any paper that has more than one person contributing to a major beat has the staffing numbers to do it. The problem is having hiring managers who understand the content that Athletic-types want and have an eye for the talent capable of producing that content and who are willing to let them produce that content. Most longtime newspaper editors do not understand the Internet. They love print, and simply relay digital mandates from further up the chain of command. Few of them are rolling into work each day thinking first and foremost about how to operate their website in a way that will maximize digital subscriptions

 

[Sir Sid]

I agree Jesse Newell is a great writer... but in Kansas City, Rustin is the best Royals guy, Terez was the best NFL guy and now he's national, Gabe DeArmond has MU on lockdown. The staff there compared to 10 years or so ago isn't worth paying for.
Between being able to read any article Jesse or Sam Mellinger writes already with incognito mode I'm not sure why I would pay for it.