In a move that was certainly meant to save time and money, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader decided to straight copy a page out of the USA Today baseball section. I think this is a terrible move and a missed opportunity to change the game and provide a new, ground-breaking format of reader-generated content.
From The Blog
Argus Leader Misses an Opportunity
In a move that was certainly meant to save time and money, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader decided to straight copy a page out of the USA Today baseball...
Hi John -
Glad we got a chance to talk today over lunch. The passion you have for Twins coverage is clear. And I think you’re right that while the Argus has avenues for anyone to start a blog and produce and share content on argusleader.com, we should be doing a better job of actively seeking out those other voices and incorporating them into our sports coverage.
As for the USA Today box score page, it’s similar content that we ran last baseball season, compiled from the Associated Press wires, and packaged under the USA Today brand. Sports editor Stu Whitney had a good/brief introduction to the page on C2 of the Monday paper you had in the video. He ended it by offering up his email for any readers that had questions or concerns (or very good ideas on how to get more Twins coverage in print and online while engaging with our readers?). I’ll leave it here as well: swhitney@argusleader.com
Thanks again,
Cory
Cory Myers
Digital Media Manager
Argus Leader
Hey Corey,
Thanks very much for your prompt and thoughtful response. I know this isn’t your territory, but I definitely appreciate you responding in regards to the Argus Leader.
I understand the difference is slight in the new model and am more hopeful that the Argus would look toward other creative and unique ways to engage their readers. Offering a place to discuss this though like Stu’s email is encouraging enough. I will make sure to reach out to him.
Thanks!
John
You make a good point. But I disagree with you in that it is a poor business decision.
You have to remember though that the Argus Leader has a limited staff, with constant furloughs and budget cuts. The agate page of a newspaper is a huge thing and there is no way to really get rid of it. Yes, you can find boxscores online, but just as the nostalgia of reading the day’s headlines in print still exists, so does the recap of last night’s games in the morning’s paper. People would riot if you took that section out.
To reiterate what Terry V. said on Twitter, agate pages take a considerable amount of time, even when the information is force fed to you and you have a template. Many times, you are working against end of game and deadline, which sometimes is no more than 20 minutes in between.
When you have a short staff, national beats go to the wayside for local stuff, and frankly, they should. So, if you can get your parent company to give you that so you can focus on the local stuff, you take it.
That’s good business. I go to the Argus for SDSU sport scores, not Twins. I go the Argus for recap of the SD Legislature, not the US Congress. That’s the way it should be.
User generated information is a good idea, but remember, that also takes a staffer to edit and fact check it. I think media in general is trying to figure out the best way to do this and still keep credibility.
Sure you could give them free content, but someone has to check every stat and name you write. You don’t have to do that with USA Today content because someone on the other side of the country already did it. And when you have three or four people rushing to put together an 8-page section, you’ll take the no-hassle stuff.
If the Argus was constantly running front page AP stories about national sports teams, then there would be a problem. If it’s USA Today agate page with font page stories on local colleges and high school, then you know the Argus has its priorities straight.
I’d like to see the agate page be more locally focused, actually. I’d like to see it full with college, high school, middle school, little league, community league and whatever else league scores and keep the national stuff out of the pages. Readers would probably fuss at first, but it gives the Argus an edge because they are providing info you can’t get at espn.com.
Again, though, that requires the man power the Argus just doesn’t have.
Hey Heather. Thanks for your nice comment. We discussed this together offline so I won’t go on a rant here, but I appreciate your thoughts.
It’s certainly an interesting topic that people feel strongly about either one way or the other. Good discussion.