Running Football Tab Thread

Our tab last year was 28 pages. The ad gurus sold a total of nine ads and the only full-page ad was the back cover. The other eight were one-fourth page (remember, this is a tab, not broadsheet) at the largest.

We're not so sure we'll get a football tab this year. Something about the word "hemorrhage." I think they were talking about money.

 

Rosters, yes. Team schedule, yes. Team photos? Lord, no.

 

If you can afford to, space-wise, don't limit yourself in your coverage area. Give the fans an idea of the statewide picture, especially in relation to how your best teams rate. Is your top dog really a state contender? Let them know the stumbling blocks.

 

What a bunch of lazy, worthless assholes. Nine ads in a football tab? Hell, any business that buys ad space in the high school yearbook or the football programs should buy an ad in the football tab. No offense, but your ad manager ought to get canned for not being able to fire 'em up.

 

You're certainly not offending me. We know the ad director needs to get canned. They're about half-a-million in the hole this year, which is why I'm worried about layoffs and looking for other jobs. That little fiasco from last fall was just the tip of the iceberg it seems.

 

Well, I didn't know if the ad director was your dad or something like that...I used to work at a paper that started giving ad reps a lot of paperwork to do...so much paperwork, it started cutting into their ability to sell ads. Of course, the asshole who came up with that idea was sitting in an office somewhere, probably making 10 times my salary, so I shouldn't complain. :
Another joint paid the ad reps a flat salary, till they finally realized they would do a lot better paying people on commission. After that, all the old farts who were dead on their feet were replaced by ex-sorority girls. Not only did the scenery improve, but business perked up too, since these lovely young ladies wanted to make the payments on their new SUVs.

 

Not a bad idea, Tyler. Most of the sorority girls I knew were either in broadcasting or advertising.

But a bunch of 20-year veteran ad people are what's killing us. Lifers who know they only have to do the minimum to keep their jobs. They won't get cut because they generate revenue. Editorial always get the cut because we only spend money. It's disgusting.

 

Sounds like Blake is needed in ad departments around the country:

Blake: We're adding a little something to this month's sales contest. As you all know, first prize is a Cadillac Eldorado. Anybody want to see second prize? Second prize is a set of steak knives. Third prize is you're fired.


A-B-C. A-Always, B-Be, C-Closing. Always be closing, always be closing.


That watch costs more than your car. I made $970,000 last year. How much you make? You see pal, that's who I am, and you're nothing. Nice guy? I don't give a shit. Good father? Fuck you! Go home and play with your kids. You wanna work here - close! You think this is abuse? You think this is abuse, you cocksucker? You can't take this, how can you take the abuse you get on a sit? You don't like it, leave.

 

I've always said that I could walk down Main Street of Any Town, USA, spend 2-3 hours, then go to the next town, etc, etc. And come back with money coming out of pockets.

But instead you have ad reps trying to sell ads from the comfort of their air conditioned desk area. It's a lot easier to tell someone no over the phone than in person.


$10 1x2 ads, 20 businesses in each town, thats $200 per town. If you have 30 schools/towns, that's $6000 in 1x2 ads alone. Plus whatever the back cover or larger ads bring in.
And maybe I'm undercharging for the 1x2 ads at $10.

 

I've been running a 16-page tab for four high schools and one college for about five seasons now. It's been somewhat cramped so this year I was thinking about turning it into a broadsheet. Does anyone forsee some fatal drawbacks to a change like this, being I don't have 50someodd teams to preview? My concern is making it look good around the ads. I'm thinking though that if I could still get 16 pages (more likely 12) it should get me a "section front" for each team that I might be able to have ad-free.

 

Team photos...oh yes. We take them ourselves. It's an incredible waste of man power. If we cut the photos out, there would be blood in the streets. Some jerk in the ad department suggested we do a separate fall sports tab a few years ago. Now we take all the pictures of all the athletic teams.

Rosters, oh yes. Incredible waste of time to type these things up. That time could be used for writing solid features.

 

That's why the execs at my last stop terminated the annual prep basketball preview tab three years ago.

Bullshit. Do both.