Timely, who cares?

With Tressel U. in the title game again, I expected we would be doing a special section.

Here's the rub, though: It will be published on Dec. 31 -- a week before the game is played.

Me: "Why the heck are we printing it that early? That's a week before the game!"

Editor: "Advertising wants it in by the end of the month to help its 2007 numbers."

Me: "Well, what if Beanie Wells' gimpy ankle falls off on Jan. 1?"

Editor: "No one's going to read the thing, anyway."

Me: "Oh, gotcha."

Blech....

 

Just design the shit out of it. That's what those things are good for. Sell advertising and experiment with running photos as big as possible.

 

That's pretty funny/sad.

And your editor sounds like a real newsman.

 

I was told at one stop that I didn't have to do a good job on a special section added to my plate at the last minute because nobody really cared about the quality. I was reasonably happy there and making relative-to-our-shit-standards okay money, but that accelerated my job hunt.

 

And then they'll be confused when the 2008 numbers suck just that little bit more.

(Of course, Ohio State will probably just make another damn title game, but I digress.)

 

I don't like this story.

 

I was just going to comment that his editor sounds like a dick, but I reckon that works, too. A similar attitude toward the product is why I call my former career "my former career."

 

I don't think this proves the editor is a dick. Everybody in this business is assigned stuff they don't want to do, and I always prefer an editor give me an honest answer about why I'm doing it. It would have been worse had he given you some bullshit answer. My translation of what he said is, "Look, it's some bullshit section we have to do to make some money, just get it done quickly so we can concentrate on the important stuff."

But that's just me.

 

Not to mention the time element.
The editor realizes the timing is less than ideal. I'm sure he brought it up. And I'm sure he was told to do it on the 31st. Bullshit rolls downhill, Men.

 

Instead of doing a half-assed job and wondering how dumb everyone is, why not put together a section the week before the game that will be the best it can be?

A section that far out could be geared more toward folks who might be going.

So spend a couple pages on what to do in New Orleans, how to get a ticket, where to stay, list all the events for the week, can you watch the team practice, etc., etc.

Then a page recapping all of OSU's games this season and do the same for LSU.

Maybe a story on does LSU have a "home" advantage. Talk to the scribes at the Times Picayune about how they are covering it for a "media" story.

Maybe even a story on how "tourist friendly" the town is post-Katrina. What to look for, what to avoid, etc.

Then do maybe one feature on a current LSU and Ohio State player, throw in some rosters, stats, etc. and you're done.

Oh, and leave some room for ads.

 

Nah.

 

The editor and the ad folks probably just incorrectly assumed Ohio State was going to be in the Rose Bowl and they proceeded accordingly. That's why they can't cut it in sports.
We had a go-getter editor once who began planning Rose Parade and Rose Bowl coverage in August. At the initial meeting, she asked the sports editor which teams were going to be in the Rose Bowl that year.