Sports Writer, Springfield, Mo.

As for the relatively low circulation number ... the 2007 census estimate put Provo, Utah's metro area at 493,306 but the paper's circulation was something around 33K. That said, its market saturation figure was in line with most newspapers.

I don't know what the market sat numbers are for Springfield, but I'd just like to point out circ numbers aren't the be all and end all. As we all know, it's which paper is dominant in which zip that determines advertising. Springfield can have a low circ number but be plenty healthy ad-wise.

EDIT: BTW, I agree with TP ... let's lay off on spup. She's earnest in sharing what she knows about the area.

 

My recollection is, the greater Springfield "metro area" might better be described as "the hills" or "the boondocks."

"Metro areas" typically stop, geographically, at the point where indoor plumbing becomes optional. Or unattainable.

 

I didn't imagine she pulled it out of a hat, either. It was clear the 700,000 number had been, but that she had used a source to get the 420,000. I never doubted that.

I perhaps should also have said that in my view these "metro areas" or metropolitan statistical areas (MSAs) or whatever we want to call them, as defined variously by different groups, are often not reflective of the true population.

In this case, I don't believe the 420,000 number -- also referenced in a post subsequent to yours -- accurately reflects the size of Springfield's metro area. Not only are the surrounding towns mostly small, and separated in many cases by miles of woodland and/or farmland, the feel is of separate locales, not of one big metro area.

However, it's not as backwoods as Joe Williams has suggested, also in a subsequent post.

Regardless, this is a side-topic to the thread.

 

I'll just say this: I've seen the boonies turn to the burbs pretty quick in some places. I remember when New Braunfels, Texas was a little country town with a water slide. Now it's part of the giant burb where San Antonio and Austin meet. Conroe, Texas used to be the "playground of Houston" where people from Houston would get country vacation homes by the lake. Now, it's part of Houston metro, part of the unending sprawl that pretty much stretches all the way to Willis.

Same thing with Walker, Louisiana. Used to be a redneck town outside of Baton Rouge. Now it's a redneck burb outside BR, ha.

So what was once country can urbanize in a hurry. All the cities mentioned above I would have considered freestanding country towns 10-15 years ago and now I simply consider them burbs, part of the bigger city.

So it is quite possible the the Springfield metro area has absorbed a lot of formerly country areas.

 

To the topic at hand, Springfield isn't a bad place at all. Of all of the MVC cities, it (along with Des Moines) probably surprised me the most as far as expectation vs. reality in a positive way. It's isolated, but there's plenty to do there, especially if you're into outdoorsy shit.

I don't get the swipe at no downtown. Actually, I think Springfield has two areas that might be considered "downtown". It's not a central business district with lots of stores or anything, that stuff is on the main drag on the east side, but there's a good-sized bar district in the downtown area right next to Missouri State.

I also don't get why anyone would seek or not seek a job based on how good the teams are. People, the paycheck is the same no matter what the team does or doesn't do.

The women's basketball beat is much more important there than it is elsewhere, especially in the MVC where very few papers travel, or in some cases, even cover home games. Coverage probably isn't as visible as it once was, though, since MSU's fortunes have fallen in recent years. I think they're going on three straight losing seasons.

They aren't afraid to pull writers off the road at times, which is odd, because at that time of year, MSU is really the only game in town. I don't think they staff Mizzou, but I'm not sure about that.

On the light side, you will get to deal with the most irrational fans in the MVC as far as historical accomplishment vs. expectation is concerned (see Barry Hinson getting fired after averaging nearly 20 wins a season), but that's more for the men's basketball team, and it's good for entertainment purposes if nothing else.

 

Word on the street is that there are finalists for this gig.


(Originally posted on Springfield's baseball gig thread by accident. Sorry for the confusion.)

 

Now that the essays are all in, will the top three have to face off in a spelling bee to see who gets the job?

 

That's only at Scripps newspapers.

 

I agree with this sentiment entirely.

 

Joke shop

 

You might be able to get away with throwing rolls at people you hate on staff if you have group lunches at Lambert's, where they throw rolls at you out of the oven.

I thought most Gannett papers were laughed at for their far-fetched reinventing of the product, believing that people want a game story with comments from diverse fans in the stands and if someone is hurt during the game, getting a quick comment about the injury from a mainstreamed doctor or surgeon. That would draw a lot of punch-lines.