Frank DeFord

CBI TOURNAMENT: FEEL THE EXCITMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

You are correct. But the people I know who worked there said they probably could have lasted longer if they weren't spending so much money. That's just their opinion and they were there...

 

As I recall (our conversation was more than 20 years ago), he thought the clackety-clack of his manual typewriter might keep people awake, so he went into the bathroom and closed the door. Maybe he turned on the shower to drown out the noise? I have a clip of the story in a box at home somewhere.

 

The time zones didn't seem to stop USA Today. But had USA Today been paying their entire staff $90,000+ from day one, it likely would have died before it could turn a profit.

 

Most of the guys I know who worked at The National had their salaries tripled from what they were getting at major papers to go there.

USA Today also had all of the Gannett printing plants to help with distribution.

Double Down is 100 percent right about the distribution, but it wasn't the only reason the place folded.

 

You're missing one big factor. Infrastructure. USA Today had the facilities for printing and distribution. The National had handshakes, hopes and prayers.

 

Milmo wanted to see if he could do it. He did.
In the end, he and his investors made a bundle.

 

We've discussed much of this before, and Mizzou's point about Deford blowing the budget is fair. FW's example of Feinstein flying home from France to take care of his cat, if true -- and coming from him, I'll assume it is -- is madness. If people who worked there felt he was lighting money on fire to warm the offices, I have no reason to doubt their opinion that it played a role in its demise.

But fish nails it. Infrastructure. How do you print a daily paper in one part of the country, and distribute it in downtown L.A., Dallas, Miami and New York? And who wants to buy it in LA if it never has any of the Dodgers, Angels, Lakers and Kings scores because it closed too early?

The National was a beautiful thing, and one we should all remember fondly. But essentially ESPN.com, especially since they've started doing E-Ticket takeout stuff, is essentially the modern equivalent of The National. Does it have Peter Richmond and Charlie Pierce writing takeouts? No. But it's probably about as close as you can get in a daily format.

 

When you meet Frank, just say five words: "Feinstein" "cat" "Concord" "French Open."
Let me know his reaction.

 

Considering the stories I've heard about Feinstein, I completely believe it.

 

USA Today also pillaged the other Gannett properties -- USAT employee salaries were still covered by the staffer's original Gannett paper for a long time, so that USAT's losses wouldn't look so catastrophic -- so thoroughly that a lot of them never recovered. This was a device not available to the National.

 

Fenian,

How dare you imply that Gannett might do something unethical...