Bill Conlin on the business

Moddy, this is a thread worth keeping. Thank you for posting it. Young sportswriters need to know more about their history and Conlin does an excellent job of showing all of us what good sportswriting is all about. It's a shame that Conlin, one of the country's best baseball writers in my opinion, may soon find himself extinct because of cutbacks in Philly.
No one abused TV types better than Dick Young. He'd curse to ruin a sound bite.
Jimmy Cannon has long been my favorite. His approach to the craft was about as subtle as a kick in the groin. You knew where he stood.
I think bean cutters believe that people can formulate their own opinions and they're right. However, give me a guy who is in the trenches every day over a talking head who is around for 10 minutes just for the free grub and a sound bite.

 

Blackie's in the high 80s now, but still up and around.....

As for the column, yeah, newsprint will go away but storytelling won't....just find the story, make it sing....

 

The problem is finding somewhere to get paid to do so. I'm not sure if people are lamenting the death of the print medium so much as they are the revenue it brings in.

 

Blackie's in the high 80s now, but still up and around.....

As for the column, yeah, newsprint will go away but storytelling won't....just find the story, make it sing....
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The problem is finding somewhere to get paid to do so. I'm not sure if people are lamenting the death of the print medium so much as they are the revenue it brings in.
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Maybe I hang with the wrong people in the wrong places, but I've never met a newspaper person who got into the business for the money. Fewer opportunities now, for sure, than 20 yrs ago, but those who want it the most will find a way.

 

The problem is finding somewhere to get paid to do so. I'm not sure if people are lamenting the death of the print medium so much as they are the revenue it brings in.
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Maybe I hang with the wrong people in the wrong places, but I've never met a newspaper person who got into the business for the money. Fewer opportunities now, for sure, than 20 yrs ago, but those who want it the most will find a way.
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Amen.

 

The problem is finding somewhere to get paid to do so. I'm not sure if people are lamenting the death of the print medium so much as they are the revenue it brings in.
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Maybe I hang with the wrong people in the wrong places, but I've never met a newspaper person who got into the business for the money. Fewer opportunities now, for sure, than 20 yrs ago, but those who want it the most will find a way.
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With all due respect, a couple of things:

1. I'm referring to the newspapers and media companies themselves not bringing in revenue. I'm sorry, but at some point, less resources devoted to reporting means the reporting isn't going to be as good or plentiful. Yes, a story reads the same on paper or the Internet. I'm not arguing that. But the Internet doesn't bring in revenue, therefore the paper can't hire reporters or finance reporting and ... well, we've all seen where this leads.

2. People may not get into it "for the money," but people have to find a way to support themselves at some point. Saying that "those who want it the most will find a way," to me, is an irresponsible way to frame the discussion, in my opinion, considering how many impressionable young reporters there are on this site. These kids are self-loathing enough as it is, beating themselves up because they can't find a job. And a giant of the business is going to come on here and tell them to "find a way"? When no one will even give them an interview?

I know kids who "want it" bad. Bad, bad, bad. And no one will give them a second look. To say they should simply "find a way," to turn the need to pay the bills into some sort of character flaw ... that doesn't seem fair to me.

 

Maybe I hang with the wrong people in the wrong places, but I've never met a newspaper person who got into the business for the money. Fewer opportunities now, for sure, than 20 yrs ago, but those who want it the most will find a way.
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With all due respect, a couple of things:

1. I'm referring to the newspapers and media companies themselves not bringing in revenue. I'm sorry, but at some point, less resources devoted to reporting means the reporting isn't going to be as good or plentiful. Yes, a story reads the same on paper or the Internet. I'm not arguing that. But the Internet doesn't bring in revenue, therefore the paper can't hire reporters or finance reporting and ... well, we've all seen where this leads.

2. People may not get into it "for the money," but people have to find a way to support themselves at some point. Saying that "those who want it the most will find a way," to me, is an irresponsible way to frame the discussion, in my opinion, considering how many impressionable young reporters there are on this site. These kids are self-loathing enough as it is, beating themselves up because they can't find a job. And a giant of the business is going to come on here and tell them to "find a way"? When no one will even give them an interview?

I know kids who "want it" bad. Bad, bad, bad. And no one will give them a second look. To say they should simply "find a way," to turn the need to pay the bills into some sort of character flaw ... that doesn't seem fair to me.
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Life isn't fair.

 

Waylon--The quotes above are too hopelessly messed up to capture, but I understand Dave's point. Newspapers might be in the dumps, but media isn't going away; it's more diverse than ever. Those who want to write and tell stories will find other ways.

 

And I understand his point, too, but I think it lets the bean-counters off way too easily. Sounds too much to me like, "Do more with less!" that we are all so tired of hearing.

 

Sure, people will find ways to get their points across. But that flattening of the information means that mortgage-paying outlets to do so are going away at light speed. Many of the layoffs announced in Philadelphia this week are on the desk. I know that there aren't nearly as many comparable, career-lasting places to edit copy on the Internet.

 

great job, bill.

 

my father's appreciation for quality sportswriting in the ny times, ny daily news and ny post in the '60s is what got me hooked. i grew up on red smith and dave anderson, dick young and phil pepe, larry merchant and milton gross, etc.

dad adored the writing of jimmy cannon, too, and took me to the library to read the collection of cannon columns. when i landed a job in n.y. and got to meet young, paul zimmerman, vic ziegel and many, many others i aspired to follow, i was in heaven.

i have no answers to save newspapers. i'm just hangin' on for the dear life i've led in the biz. and it makes me very, very sad that my three sons are missing out on all the magic. :'( :'( :'(

at least they seem to appreciate the life newspapers have given to their dad.