UPDATED JULY 10: Tim Sullivan to Courier-Journal

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

OK, I'll play...

This has more to do with how much the writer is associated with the paper or city than actual talent... This is big papers only and I'm sure I'll forget someone... I think the shortest tenure at any of the papers would be Kravitz or Bianchi who I think both went to their papers in 2000. Terry Pluto has only been at the P-D for about five years, but I still think he's a "signature columnist" just because everyone in the state/Cleveland area has read him for ages...

Tier 1

Boston - Ryan, Shaughnessy
LA - Simers, Plaschke
Dallas - Cowlishaw
Miami - DLB
Minneapolis - Hartman
Tampa - Fennelly
St. Pete - Shelton
Detroit - Albom
NYC - Lupica
Chicago - Telander

Tier 2

Portland - Canzano
Fort Lauderdale - Hyde
Orlando - Bianchi
Washington - Wise, Boswell, Jenkins (I didn't really know what to do with this one...) Could the WP not have a signature columnist? I don't know...
St. Louis - Miklasz
Denver - Kiszla
NYC - Rhoden, (would Vecsey count?)
Cleveland - Pluto
Indianapolis - Kravitz
Cincy - Daugherty
Atlanta - Bradley

I can't think of anyone from Philly who qualifies anymore... Now that Ratto is gone, I don't think there's anyone at a Northern California paper who qualifies... I love reading Voisin, but I don't think she's a "signature columnist". Politi? Maybe... Climer? Maybe...


Let me know the ones I missed. I'm sure there will be a couple who I forgot who will make me pound my head against my desk...

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

No one goes out of his or her way to read Cowlishaw -- not as a columnist, anyway. Like him or not, the signature voice in these here parts is Randy Galloway. And it isn't even close.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

You have way too many. You like sportswriters too much, my friend.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

There are guys on this list who I wouldn't read if you put a gun to my head... I'm just talking about guys who have been associated (for better or worse) with the same paper/city/area for a long time... The signature columnists...

Most of the best columnists don't work for papers anymore. I hate Lupica and Albom, but they are absolutely the first people you think of when you talk about those sports sections...

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

Unless the Star-Telegram has recently been demoted, you are incorrect.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

I thought he left recently. If I'm wrong then I'm wrong...

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

I thought he was only doing the radio show. I was wrong.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

Wally Hall in Little Rock. Geoff Calkins in Memphis. David Climer in Nashville. The recently departed Rick Cleveland in Jackson. Barry Tramel at OKC.
Those guys are way more associated with their papers then most of the people on that first list and at least partially because of longevity. All have been working at their respective papers for decades.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

Out of all these guys mentioned on here, what percent of their readers do you think would follow them if they went to write for a local TV station's website? I know it will vary, but it's a risk for them to leave where people have grown to see them and expect their readership to follow?

And a secondary question, what percent would the columnist/TV station need for that move to be a success?

It's all subjective, but still an interesting discussion.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

I don't see any of them leaving for any web site other than ESPN or Yahoo! and still being read at anywhere remotely close to the level they are at their papers.

They're like ads in that way...

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

I wouldn't read three of the guys on the Tier 1 list at gunpoint. You have to read Lupica, for the (unintentional) laughs, logrolling and half-baked "opinions" . . . especially the logrolling -- which is shameless, and never-ending.

 

Re: Eric Crawford, Rick Bozich leaving the Louisville Courier-Journal

There are six people on the Tier 1 who I think are at best colossally overrated and at worst completely unreadable. But that doesn't mean they're not signature columnists.