Gone, Wisconsin: McGinn, Gardner leave Journal-Sentinel

[lantaur]

Tremendous piece. This line grabbed me:

I did read and benefited significantly from the work of my colleagues; otherwise, I stayed away from other print and electronic coverage, state and national, to avoid groupthink at all costs.

Probably not too many people in the biz (or any other biz) who could get away with saying they don't read other coverage. But that's supreme confidence in your work and your Rolodex, which he rightfully had. (And since he said he hated cell phones, maybe he really did have a Rolodex.)

McGinn also never asked a question at a press conference. He once told me he wasn't there to do ESPN's work for them (or words to that effect).

 

[Fredrick]

Excellent McGinn story but I feel like it was too personal. He obviously had newspapering in his blood and probably should have kept some of his memories to himself. As he said at the end he had his own standards that were the ones that drove him. He said many times in the piece that readers loved him. I feel like that story would have been good to write but should have not been printed. Little too personal.
Also, newspapers must be still pretty popular in Wisconsin. If he looked forward to reading newspapers so much that he bought three. Newspapers I've seen are crap now and definitely not worth purchasing. Now reading some stories online from newspapers is a different story. But the ones in the newspaper are short and crap because the sports sections are only 2-4 pages.

 

[HanSenSE]

Bump ... Peter King and McGinn. Very good read.

The Exit Interview: Bob McGinn, Packers Journalist | The MMQB with Peter King

 

[LanceyHoward]

McGinn is back to work. I just received this solicitation.

"Now I'd like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with my new website, bobmcginnfootball.com. My son, Charlie, and I began this subscription-based business venture last week.


Bob McGinn Football or BMF for short, will feature my coverage of the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. "

Good luck to him.

 

[Fredrick]

McGinn is back to work. I just received this solicitation.

"Now I'd like to take this opportunity to acquaint you with my new website, bobmcginnfootball.com. My son, Charlie, and I began this subscription-based business venture last week.


Bob McGinn Football or BMF for short, will feature my coverage of the Green Bay Packers and the NFL. "

Good luck to him.

Sounds great, but is the only reason he's credentialed cause he's Bob McGinn? Why would a team credential you if you are your own entity? I guarantee you the Packers don't credential all websites out there. Could those websites sue for access if McGinn gets in the stadium and the pressers and they can't? It's a fair question. I obviously am for the McGinns of the world, but how can they credential him??

 

[LanceyHoward]

Sounds great, but is the only reason he's credentialed cause he's Bob McGinn? Why would a team credential you if you are your own entity? I guarantee you the Packers don't credential all websites out there. Could those websites sue for access if McGinn gets in the stadium and the pressers and they can't? It's a fair question. I obviously am for the McGinns of the world, but how can they credential him??

Because he is Bob McGinn. Their are no laws protecting teams from discriminating against media outlets. I wonder if he continues to live in Green Bay. His retirement piece said he planned to move to Ann Arbor.

 

[playthrough]

Sounds great, but is the only reason he's credentialed cause he's Bob McGinn? Why would a team credential you if you are your own entity? I guarantee you the Packers don't credential all websites out there. Could those websites sue for access if McGinn gets in the stadium and the pressers and they can't? It's a fair question. I obviously am for the McGinns of the world, but how can they credential him??

Sue for access? On what grounds? A Packers press conference isn't a school board meeting.

 

[Fredrick]

Sue for access? On what grounds? A Packers press conference isn't a school board meeting.

Restraint of trade. If Bob McGinn is allowed in with a personal website what about William Crowder or Henry Wilson that has Packerbacker.com or Packerstoday.com? They are vying for McGinn's business.

 

[Screwball]

LOL. Teams and leagues make decisions about whether to credential reporters (bloggers and otherwise) all the time. The Packers wouldn't be interfering with anyone's ability to run a blog.

 

[UPChip]

In case you were wondering, the Packers won't credential him:

Packers refuse to credential longtime reporter Bob McGinn

 

[Mr. X]

I wish Pro Football Talk had sought a comment from the Packers PR department, which appears it did not do.

 

[Fredrick]

You got to admit. Many of you despise Fredrick but I was prescient on this one. How bout some kudos for Fredrick here for predicting this.