DMN Web-Only Coverage for Mavs Home Game

I do know the DMN moved its deadline up a few months ago (I heard it was a full hour). So no late games or West Coast games will make the paper. Another revolution toward the drain.

 

As a DMN desk guy until last month's layoffs, let me clarify on the deadlines. When I started working there in 2007, we had two editions -- 11:30 p.m. off the floor and 12:30. That was later changed to 11 and 12.

When we first began content sharing with the FW Star-Telegram, the big shots decided we both needed to have the same deadlines, so we adjusted to theirs -- one edition, off the floor at 11:35. After a few weeks of that, the DMN decided that wasn't going to work for us, so we shifted back to the 11 and 12 editions, which was the way it stood when I was dragged out left (and I assume it still does).

Originally, the second edition went to pretty much the entire DFW metro area, but the DMN's deal with the devil FWST included having Star-Telegram carriers deliver the DMN to Tarrant County (where FW and Arlington, home of the Rangers and Cowboys, are). In order to do that, they had to send the first edition to Tarrant.

So Arlington (where I live) and the rest of Tarrant received the early edition, without the gamer. I have no idea if the game got in the second edition or not, but usually if they know there's a late game, they'll get a little extra time and hold until they can get the result in, if nothing else. Usually until they can get a quickie gamer as well. I would assume they got something in for second, but not having seen it, I don't know that for sure.

 

My local South Florida paper is missing a lot of things they routinely wouldn't have because of deadlines 15 years ago.

But what's by far most irritating about this -- and yes, I know all about delivery patterns and it's not just me they're worried about -- is that the paper is often hitting my doorstep at 4 a.m.

All the complications aside, it seems to me that if they're getting it to me THAT early, there's too much time built into the system.

 

Ah, guys. Seriously, the suits are doing everything possible to allow us to provide a top-notch product to the public. We know this is all about informing the readers, and they got the best information available!!! Circulation will certainly grow despite not having a story from a Dallas Mavericks home playoff game in the newspaper!!! I mean, where else are people going to get the news? Newspapers have certainly cornered the market on such information, so no reason to worry. The readers will come back because they have no other options.

 

1:15 a.m.?!?! Holy crap?!?!

But, yeah, east coast papers have it really hard these days, with all the late starts of marquee events for TV. Might get more in if you're working for a PM paper.

 

I wonder which edition of the DMN Mark Cuban got?

As a guy who always has something to say and plenty of ideas -- some of them intelligent, thoughtful and good, IMO -- about the media, and what to do to foster the survival and evolution of newspapers, I'd love to hear his take on this, especially as it applies to his team!

Guess I can imagine it, though...

 

He was too busy yelling at Kenyon Martin's mom to read the paper.

 

I wonder if that's a Belo move, because the Providence Journal rarely has game stories for night games.

 

You know what is really going to stink is when newspapers decide on those really really late start games to make the beat guys write a long running story during the game and instead of doing his/her best to get a quote in the final, they make him write a full game story with quotes, sidebar and notes for the web and the guy/girl gets done, oh, about 4 a.m. That will be slavery.