NYT confirms it: Print reporters being lured away by ESPN

Some of ESPN's hires haven't been for television purposes.

 

I agree. But look at their coverage of the Mitchell Report. Their new investigative hires were immediately on Sportscenter, discussing what the report meant and what the next steps were to be.

 

and you think they hired quinn and fainaru-wada for their looks? now, they had them writing and appearing on tv

 

I don't think they hired Quinn and Fainaru-Wade for their photogenicness. I'm saying they hired those two--and others--because of how connected they are and can have them on TV, the website, the magazine, etc...etc...

 

That was rather humorous, seeing the Kansas City Star being referred to as a "stepping stone" newspaper as opposed to a destination rag. I guess maybe the NYT is right ... it's just that I wouldn't have considered a paper as good as KC a stepping stone.

 

I think yahoo/rivals and espn are about to the point you can call it an online version of an old-fashioned newspaper war.
ESPN is going the star power route, the big-name destination columnists, while yahoo/rivals is going after the fan with well-known local beat writers to get the fanatics who will pay for message board access and premium content.
Interesting to note that the Times's article only talked about how all the other papers were losing writers, but only mentioned in passing -- Roberts -- that the Times itself has taken huge hits in the last few months.
The reference to the middling KC Star was amusing as well. Not only because one of the best sports sections in the country was treated as an aside, but also because arguably the best columnist and the highest-profile sports columnist both still work there.
I guess that didn't fit in the narrative -- sportswriters are like the rats fleeing the sinking ship -- the Times was trying to construct.

 

I get the impression that the WSJ and NYT pieces were sitting around for a couple of weeks, waiting for a hole on a slow day. Then WSJ got in first and Times had to get in its story.

 

I love the pic of Don Skwar but I didn't see him mentioned in the story.

 

You know, making 150,000 a year would be pretty nice. Then again I'm used to living in the midwest(grew up in Oklahoma and live in Kansas now) so everything's fairly cheap here.
I wonder how far 150,000 a year goes in Bristol?

 

none of the writers have to live in bristol.

 

that may be the best part about the gig. live wherever you want.

 

I don't care where you are, $150k is good coin.

Surely it goes farther in Tulsa than Manhattan, but you still can live a decent lifestyle on $150k in NYC, if you know how to spend your money wisely.