AJ-C puts out 4-page sports section; no more box scores

The people who read the paper (the actual print edition) are older and they want their box scores.

 

The Dallas collapse was a few years ago and the DMN is 1,000 times better than the AJC right now.

Not to be a dick, but the Seattle P-I was never that good.

 

Fair enough. I haven't read the DMN or P-I enough to know how good they are/were, so I don't have any problem taking your word for it. I do know the AJC was once a great section all the way around. Now I don't know what it is.

 

Two comments to make:

1. I wish I were surprised about a four-page section at a major metro like the AJC, but having seen the Chicago Trib lately (especially on Saturdays), I've seen how a good sports section can go into the toilet quickly.

2. Priorities, in order, for the scoreboard/agate page, IMHO: Local calendar/schedule; TV/Radio listings; Local prep/college standings and box scores; local minor league pro standings/stats; Major pro sports stuff.

When you're a 40K paper in a prep-sports crazy market, things like cutting out NBA and NHL box scores happened long ago (although, as of last season, we still ran a baseball and football page each day with boxes for the fantasy leaguers. We'll see if it still happens this year). Still surprised to see it in Atlanta, though. And our sports section was eight pages last night!

As others have noted, the piss-ante "community" newspapers will probably hold out a bit longer than the major metros. At least that's my hope since I work at one!

 

The Chicago Tribune hasn't been a great paper in a long, long time. The fall of the DMN was more gradual. I've heard bad things about both Seattle papers since I was in college.

The AJC was a top five section up until very very recently.

 

Fixed?

 

When the baby boomers are gone, print editions of newspapers will be as well...

 

When the horse buggies are gone, the horse whip manufacturers will be gone.

OK, but that wasn't exactly the end of the industrial revolution.

"Newspapers are going to die." OK, there I said it.

But the information business, that's only going to get bigger. And bigger

Ask Michael Bloomberg if it's possible to make a few bucks in that field.

 

Agree completely. In about 10-15 years, those still in the business will work for websites, not newspapers.

 

In 10-15 years, I want to be living ... and living off my wife's book money.

 

I don't think papers will completely die.
The model will change to a few high high-priced dailies, while most will convert to a free format.
Those who go the free route, will probably have a prestige weekly publication that they charge for. In essence, most people will end working for a weekly, that does daily internet dispatches. And that's basically the model for the better weekly newspapers in the country now.
The idea of free content on the Internet will die before papers do.
Even AP is thinking about going behind a pay wall.

 

As someone who reads the P-I every day, it's a fine product - albeit not as solid as it once was, for obvious reasons - that generally has a lot more spunk than the Times, which can be quite stodgy.