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The National Sports Daily

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by enigami, Feb 4, 2007.

  1. Moderator1

    Moderator1 Moderator Staff Member

    Didn't they use some "local" columnists? Because as much as I enjoyed the paper, I seem to remember my local guy not being all that good.
     
  2. Hoop Time

    Hoop Time Member

    It was a great idea and a great read, but it takes more than that to make a great business.
     
  3. The Commish

    The Commish Guest

    The Visual Editors are talking abou the National this week as well. This blog promises a week of entries on it.
     
  4. Jesus, Karl this wasn't Project Mercury.
    Lighten up.
     
  5. jcrutchmer

    jcrutchmer Guest

    Here's an old industry article on the original market research and business plan for The National:

    http://www.inc.com/magazine/19900401/5118.html
     
  6. SF_Express

    SF_Express Active Member

    Interesting of them to go back and archive stories from before we were really getting a lot of content off the 'Net.
     
  7. writing irish

    writing irish Active Member

    I loved it. Had no problem picking it up at the corner convenience store in Austin, Texas. I still remember the cover with Rickey Henderson and Nolan Ryan on the front...both hit statistical milestones the previous day. Used to eat my breakfast tacos with the National and the Times-Herald. Those were the days. ;D
     
  8. ned racine

    ned racine Member

    i loved it,but it was too much....between my 2 locals,usa today,and the national it was alot of reading....plus if you finish the dump before the sports section is half over,the paper is way too large
     
  9. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    I never read everything in The National. But I loved knowing that if I wanted something...
     
  10. clutchcargo

    clutchcargo Active Member

    I was a reporter for The National, and it was a terrific job. All of our editors were a group of all-stars---some of them themselves writers---from successful sports sections and they were terrific to work with. Not a big ego in the bunch--just very helpful.

    The one tough part about working with The National was listening to writers at the other papers in our area badmouth and make fun of The National in proximity to me, with their backs turned to me or whatever, yet knowing full well I heard everything they were saying. It was the kind of thing that I would not do in return.

    I'm not going to say where I worked because I have no desire to give away my ID on this Web site. Our presentation and packaging of sports, color and agate was terrific, a great mix of hard-core reporting, enterprise and opinion. I don't regret one iota of working for The National, even though it left me unemployed for a while. All things considered, it helped my career. I survived.

    Yes, we had big-time problems in terms of distribution and ad sales. I can remember going on sports talk radio as a guest and having listeners call in to gripe about boxes with two-day-old editions in them. Zing! One time I called up the local guy who was supposed to be coordinating our local printing and distribution, and he basically told me to get lost. Not good.

    The worst moment was in finding out we were printing our last edition. I was out at the ballpark gathering notes pre-game, shooting the breeze with the visiting team's manager, when a buddy of mine from another paper walks into the manager's office, taps me on the shoulder, and tells me I need to call NY asap. The manager---again, no ID's---looked at me and said, sincerely and with a hint of sympathy, "Uh, maybe you better go take care of that." I felt like crap.

    Still, no regrets.
     
  11. gospringboks

    gospringboks Member

    I've seen the list of reporters/editors and what they've gone on to do, but can someone post the list and tell me what their beats were at the National?
     
  12. shotglass

    shotglass Guest

    I wish I could help you with that, but a Google search comes up empty.
     
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