Weekly newspaper story ideas

I'm seeking story ideas for a weekly newspaper. In addition to my regular full-time job, I'm filling in for the lone sports reporter at a nearby weekly who is out indefinitely and not around.

I'm thinking column, feature, game coverage for starters. Obviously, I'll do a sports news story if one arises, but what else does everyone suggest? I'm allowed 24 hours per week, but will usually work fewer because I'm already so busy with my regular gig. Thanks in advance.

 

In the weekly biz, think of it more like Sports Illustrated than the area daily - a Friday night game story is pretty damn stale by the time Wednesday rolls around. You need to always be thinking ahead - game previews, season previews, etc. And anything - everything - that lets you get a lot of names in the paper.

 

Hard to do columns if you're new on the beat, and like Henry says, game coverage is not timely.

The SI comparison is apt. You go to the game but use it as a jumping off point for a broader story about the season as a whole, or the story of one player, or a group of players.

Some of the low-hanging fruit for the weekly sportswriter: stories about the seniors, stories about brothers/sisters playing together, who's coming back from injury/illness, who is about to hit a big stat milestone, new coaches, new fields/facilities.

 

For a weekly, keep looking forward, not looking back. Think features, trend stories and advances — prepare your readers for the week ahead.

If you absolutely must have game coverage because there's no other media outlet in town, think tight recaps — capsules, photos and statistics rather than game stories and columns.