New Orleans Advocate purchases Times-Picayune, nola.com

I know nothing of the Advocate. In sports, for example, what beats do they staff? Do they use full staff or use free lancers?

 

I know nothing of the Advocate. In sports, for example, what beats do they staff?

 

So is there a full-time beat writer at any outlet covering the Pelicans?

 

The Advocate was mostly LSU for many years but when the Times-Picayune went digital-first in 2012 (they wanted to go digital only and print three times a week but people in New Orleans threw a fit), The Advocate created a New Orleans version of their paper to compete. They staffed at least one Saints writer, if I recall.

I don't think they had a full-time Pelicans person but could be wrong. I once covered a Pelicans road game for them. I also was possibly going to help them with Tulane men's basketball coverage in the AAC tourney but Tulane bounced too fast to be noteworthy.

So basically, it was LSU dominant for many years and then became a decent split between Saints and LSU, with some light Pels and Tulane mixed in.

 

For years the Advocate pretty much half-assed coverage on everything in New Orleans, except the Saints. It's true the Advocate hired many of the journalists laid off by the T/P were picked up by the Advocate but what went unsaid is that many of those hires were glorified freelance writers covering everything from city hall to features. They got away with that because most of those writers walked away from the T/P with substantial severance packages which essentially kept them on the payroll for a full year while collecting a second check. Life was good. Fast forward seven years from now, that may not be the case as much. I know that the Pelicans writers were all part-time or freelance along with the GAs who pitched in on the Saints and Pelicans but the two main Saints guys were full-time and traveled everywhere. The other interesting thing is probably for the last five years at least, the Advocate dominated the Saints and LSU beats, which are the bread and butter for either company

 

I think we have a topic on T-P coverage of the Pelicans somewhere. IIRC, it's a part-timer for home games and stringers or wire on the road.

 

Entire New Orleans’ Times-Picayune staff axed after sale to competitor

Advocate Publisher Dan Shea says he will hire some of the laid-off staffers, but could not say how many. “Virtually everyone at the Advocate worked at the Times-Picayune at one time,” he said. “We want to make sure we do the right thing.”

https://nypost.com/2019/05/03/entir...OK-h9tBY0Bbg2_Her1OxG82q8LTTHOcS02BwtnkmX58Tw

 

Answers to some questions:

A general idea of the Advocate's sports beats (There's been some shifting/job changes lately so could be a little off):

* Three LSU reporters
* One Baton Rouge-based preps reporter
* One Baton Rouge-based columnist
* One New Orleans-based Saints reporter
* One New Orleans-based Saints/Pelicans columnist
* One part-time New Orleans-based Pelicans reporter (His set up is enviable.)
* One New Orleans-based GA reporter
* One New Orleans-based preps reporter
* Uses plenty of stringers outside of that

T-P's beats/jobs sports-wise:

* Two Saints reporters
* Two LSU reporters (both based in Baton Rouge)
* One columnist who reports on things too
* One full-time Pelicans reporter
* One GA reporter, covers Tulane, big events in New Orleans and other things
* One recruiting reporter
* One full-time preps reporter, uses stringers for other preps coverage
* Three video/social producers

As for what happens to T-P staff: The 65 editorial personnel were all given the axe after 60 days, meaning to July 1 or July 2. The Advocate staffers were told they'll hire few, if any, T-P people. T-P staffers were told there will be a few jobs at the Advocate available, and then there will also be some opportunities available within Advance Local. However, T-P folks have been directed to start looking for jobs now, since not much is clear with what the Advocate or Advance Local are going to do with them, if anything.

 

Sounds like what happened to my friends at the Tampa Tribune
They weren't even given a chance to put out a farewell edition
The Times hired a handful, but most got only two months severance
Bastards

 

How long have the couple buying the T-P owned the Advocate? I wonder if they realize what they are getting into.

 

A monopoly?

 

The fact that virtually everybody at the T-P was fired gives us the 50th example of how suits don't care about the product AT ALL. Now some of those TP employees have to be very very special writers/editors/journalists. Odds are there are some HALL OF FAMERS among those lumped together with everybody else and fired. From what I've read there was no mention of keeping some of these said superstars just that everybody is fired. Again ... again, again, one of the reasons newspapers have died is because of this attitude. The suits have always thought ANYBODY can write a story; anybody can edit a story. it's simply not true. Readers enjoyed high quality work and had their favorite reporters/writers. Shame on them for simply firing everybody. Sickens Fredrick.