In a big blow to The Courier-Journal in a state where college basketball is a blood sport, the paper's two leading sports columnists are both leaving the paper for a local television station.
Rick Bozich has been with the paper since 1978, well before the Bingham family sold the daily to Gannett in 1986. Eric Crawford came in 1992. (His father, Byron, was one of Kentucky's best-known columnists when he worked for the C-J for 29 years.)
The paper disclosed their departure in a story early this morning, without explaining why they're leaving -- and why both at the same time. WDRB-TV, a Fox affiliate owned by Block Communications of Toledo, Ohio, provided few details in its own story.
Kentucky is home to one of the nation's most intense in-state college basketball rivalries, making sports coverage hugely important to the C-J. Indeed, the University of Kentucky in Lexington and the University of Louisville met in the Final Four in this spring's NCAA championship -- a match that divided the state into nearly warring camps. (Kentucky won, 69-61, and went on to defeat the University of Kansas for its eighth national title.)
In one particular respect, the timing is terrible: The C-J just erected its paywall, becoming the latest in Gannett to start charging for digital access. Bozich and Crawford would have been huge draws for online sales.
USAT Sports Media hit, too
The C-J's loss is also a blow to the USA Today Sports Media Group, a network launched just last year of sports journalists from USAT and Gannett's more than 100 other U.S. papers and TV stations. The C-J is one of the few papers that cover sports of national interest, including the legendary Kentucky Derby, run every May at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The Sports Media Group is crucial to Gannett's recovery: Corporate has forecast it will produce $300 million in new revenue by 2015.
The C-J's top editor since 1997, Bennie Ivory, pledged to fill both the newly vacant positions. But given budget constraints and the likelihood Bozich especially was very well-paid, Ivory will be challenged.
"In real businesses," wrote reader Michael Gee on the widely read Sports Journalists industry forum, "they spend zillions to build brand recognition. Newspapers believe they can do without it."
This isn't the first time the C-J has lost a high-profile sports columnist. Pat Forde left for ESPN in 2004, and then joined Yahoo Sports last November. He arrived just as Dave Morgan was leaving to become editor in chief of USAT Sports Media Group.
Bozich is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame and has won 11 coveted Red Smith Awards for Kentucky Derby coverage, the C-J's story says.
Loss follows buyouts
The columnist departures comes after the paper gave up 26 employees, including 18 in the newsroom, during GCI's company-wide round of spring buyouts. The newsroom buyouts were among the single-largest for any of the 80 community newspapers.
The C-J is one of GCI's largest-circulation dailies: weekdays, 154,033; Sundays, 254,685.
 |
| Bozich |
The paper disclosed their departure in a story early this morning, without explaining why they're leaving -- and why both at the same time. WDRB-TV, a Fox affiliate owned by Block Communications of Toledo, Ohio, provided few details in its own story.
 |
| Crawford |
In one particular respect, the timing is terrible: The C-J just erected its paywall, becoming the latest in Gannett to start charging for digital access. Bozich and Crawford would have been huge draws for online sales.
USAT Sports Media hit, too
The C-J's loss is also a blow to the USA Today Sports Media Group, a network launched just last year of sports journalists from USAT and Gannett's more than 100 other U.S. papers and TV stations. The C-J is one of the few papers that cover sports of national interest, including the legendary Kentucky Derby, run every May at Churchill Downs in Louisville.
The Sports Media Group is crucial to Gannett's recovery: Corporate has forecast it will produce $300 million in new revenue by 2015.
The C-J's top editor since 1997, Bennie Ivory, pledged to fill both the newly vacant positions. But given budget constraints and the likelihood Bozich especially was very well-paid, Ivory will be challenged.
"In real businesses," wrote reader Michael Gee on the widely read Sports Journalists industry forum, "they spend zillions to build brand recognition. Newspapers believe they can do without it."
 |
| Forde |
Bozich is a member of the U.S. Basketball Writers Hall of Fame and has won 11 coveted Red Smith Awards for Kentucky Derby coverage, the C-J's story says.
Loss follows buyouts
The columnist departures comes after the paper gave up 26 employees, including 18 in the newsroom, during GCI's company-wide round of spring buyouts. The newsroom buyouts were among the single-largest for any of the 80 community newspapers.
The C-J is one of GCI's largest-circulation dailies: weekdays, 154,033; Sundays, 254,685.
I can't see I feel bad. Gannett is relying on free (or cheap) labor for photography for USAT Sports Media through the plan to replace staff photographers with US Presswire. I hope more reporters and columnists realize that they are just as replaceable as experienced photographers and bolt, leaving USAT Sports Media with no good content.
ReplyDeletePeople won't pay for crap and it's time Gannett realized that.
Well those health and consumer finance tips ought to carry the CJ through... Who needs columnists with huge followings. Everyone is replaceable.
ReplyDeleteWow. USAT's Larry Kramer reiterates the new company line about 'personality journalism' - that is, having writers who are well known and respected - and the C-J loses two of the biggest personalities in Kentucky sports to a local TV station - a FOX station, no less! What a hoot!
ReplyDeleteWhat makes this even richer is that they are leaving for a TV station that, at this time, is not even on the local cable system due to a dispute with the system's new owners. How bad can things be at the C-J when you jump ship for - at least in the interim - something akin to anonimity.
ReplyDeleteGannett could not possibly do a better job of committing suicide. Instead of getting it over with quickly and painlessly, Gannett prefers the steady self-pounding of head against wall and slowly bleeding to death. Of course, this method is preferred so that Gannett's aristocratic executives can pay themselves as long as possible with subscriber dollars and the salaries of fired workers.
ReplyDeleteShall we assume that the CJ will follow the lead of Jackson and start advertising for replacement sports columnists who will work just as "a labor of love" - that is, for free?
ReplyDeletejim, in your posting, you repeat "why" twice. Why and where?
ReplyDeleteThis is right on target.
ReplyDelete"I can't see I feel bad. Gannett is relying on free (or cheap) labor for photography for USAT Sports Media through the plan to replace staff photographers with US Presswire. I hope more reporters and columnists realize that they are just as replaceable as experienced photographers and bolt, leaving USAT Sports Media with no good content.
People won't pay for crap and it's time Gannett realized that."
11:41 Thank you; every blogger needs an editor. I've tweaked that to read:
ReplyDeleteThe paper disclosed their departure in a story early this morning, without explaining why they're leaving -- and why both at the same time.
http://insiderlouisville.com/news/2012/06/05/wdrbs-bill-lamb-everyone-sees-the-courier-journal-as-vulnerable/
ReplyDeleteDid you see Pat Forde's tweet?
ReplyDeletehttps://twitter.com/YahooForde/status/209964862355406848
Note his mention that "the CJ like most newspapers has lost/run off so much talent". What is interesting that he would say they RAN OFF talent.
Good for them! Gannett management has to realize the free market works both ways and that good writers and reporters can sell their talents to the highest bidder, just like less productive, do nothing, under performing Gannett executives.
ReplyDeleteThe difference is the TV station knows they're getting - proven performers. Gannett shareholders got a bunch of pigs in a poke who shockingly keep getting raises for a mediocre job.
Choose not to pay proven performing workers well at your own peril managers! They will bolt when that opportunity comes along. Personally, I can't wait for the job market to rebound so hard working employees laboring under the yoke of less pay, more responsibility can get the job they really deserve - a better one!
Why are two star columnists leaving? It sounds like a three-word answer: Gannett corporate interference.
ReplyDeleteFrom Eric Crawford's blog: "This new enterprise will be one that is crafted and designed by the people in the room with me ... not people far away. Yes, the [TV station is] owned by an out-of-town group, but their local leadership has a level of autonomy that impressed me."
http://ericcrawford.tumblr.com/post/24452231759/faq-my-own-personal-realignment-story
For those unfamiliar with the Louisville market this is HUGE. There is no way to paint this as anything other than the CJ becoming less relevant yet again.
ReplyDeleteWithout any pro sports teams, college sports is a major deal and the CJ owned them. These guys will have daily columns on the station's FREE website. They will blog and do TV sports. This will drive huge traffic away from the CJ and to the TV station's digital sites.
This is like the old days when competing newspapers would hire-away top talent from the competition to make their products better to gain readers. The CJ may not have lost the war yet, but this was a big battle lost.
I remember the c-J from my college years as one of the best papers in the country. Staffers would work on long-term projects, travel the world, and bring home awards all the way up to the Pulitzer.
ReplyDeleteThat all ended with the sale to Gannett.
No self-respecting fish would allow itself to be wrapped in that paper.
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ReplyDeleteMorgan and Beusse have been spending some mega bucks on certain hires. Maybe they should think about trying to keep some of the writers that Gannett has left.
ReplyDeleteBeusse doesnt have a clue. in that regard, he is as qualified as the rest of management.
DeleteThis definitely has to do with paywall and the home delivery/Sunday price increase. Nice move Gannett.
ReplyDeleteIt's always cliché to say that, "If it weren't for those 'suits' at corporate ..." In this case, that's simply BS. Print as a delivery method for daily news has become obsolete and no management heroics could have changed this. The key revenue stream that supported the high costs of print delivery and big newsrooms (classifieds!) is long gone to stand alone, online platforms. Whether or not WDRB can cover the costs of its beefed up newsroom and sports desk, just from TV and online advertising, remains to be seen – and is why the station is battling Insight for more money. Good luck to Eric and Rick, but they best leave the business writing to others.
ReplyDelete10:15. Warren Buffett has placed big investments in Media General and now Lee Ent. because of their print properties. This is not a dumb guy. I don't disagree that print has challenges, but it is not dead.
ReplyDeleteI'd put my money with Buffett any day.
LOL. No, Buffett has not "placed big investments" in print. It's not an iota of a sliver of a percent of his or Berkshire's portfolio, and it's pennies on the dollar compared to what those same assets supposedly were worth 60 months ago.
ReplyDeleteHe may not be dumb, but in this instance he's just a octogenarian Luddite with too much cash on his hands. Once he's out of the picture, if not sooner, his new employees will find themselves in the same boat as everybody else.
For Pete's sake, wake up and smell the coffee.