what's in your sports section?

Open up your sports section today and look through it. What do you see?

Was today's page particularly strong? Do you think readers got what they wanted?

If so, what are you doing to ensure they'll want to read tomorrow? What do you have planned? ... or, are you planning? Is there a story you have coming up that's worth a preview or a teaser, to generate some interest? Is there anything to get excited about?

Details.

EDIT: Original post changed to help generate thoughts rather than nit-pick (and yes, I went on sort of a mini-rant that really wouldn't make for a productive thread).

 

Here's the thing about your post: the "useless randomness" on page two could be well-liked and the outdoors column could be well read, just not by you.

It's not like they centerpieced the rock, paper, scisssors championship or anything.

 

1 lb lean ground beef
1/2 cup minced onions
1/3 cup minced green peppers
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 (16 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 (14 1/2 oz) can peeled whole tomatoes, chopped
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
2 tablespoons A-1 Steak Sauce
2 teaspoons chili powder

Oh, my section... ;D

 

You're right — they might be.

It's just that it seems like there could be more in those pages. Yes, useless randomness might be well-liked, but perhaps a feature story on a local athlete might be of greater interest to readers.

 

Perhaps, but are you aware of the inner workings of the department? I am on a staff of four and we had two staff bylines in yesterday's five-page section. On the surface, it does not look like much. But, I had worked the previous 12 days and had the day off. Another reporter wrote a state track & field preview, but spent the majority of the day working on his 40-inch Sunday centerpiece. Another reporter covered a high school baseball game and designed two pages. The SE ran the section, took three pages and took prep calls.
Everyday is not going to be outstanding. Some days are going to be a tad weaker because two days from now is going to be amazing and that takes time to put together.

 

Not a large enough sample size to form an opinion. If there are no local features for three or four days, then yes, it is a problem.

 

Usually, we have very little wire in the paper, especially on the front, unless it's a big NASCAR, Reds or Bengals story.

Looking at Thursday's paper, 5 pages. Four local stories on thr front, two baseball games, a column and story on a coach going to a new school.
B2 is the agate page
B3 was a full-age NASCAR page, basically a paid ad page.
B4 had local roundups and NBA, Reds.
B5 had jumps.

Three person staff, usually at least four local stories per day in the paper, if not more.

 

Leave that random useless stuff out and see how many phone calls you get. Hell it's in our paper everyday and there's still a bunch of idiots calling everyday to ask what channel a game is on, what time it starts, if team x is ot tv, what's the spread in that game, etc, etc.

 

Today's paper, eight pages.

Front: Two local (including CP), Braves (AP) and NASCAR (AP). People here like the Braves, and we host two NASCAR races per year.

2: Agate and local briefs

3: MLB

4: Auto Racing (More NASCAR and an Indy 500 story)

5: National briefs and jumps (it was a tight page)

6: Golf and Stanley Cup Playoffs

7: An entirely open local page (Preps)

8: A pre-made NASCAR page done by the parent company

 

We're an all-local paper.

B1: Mayfly's column, hard news story along the top, 2-photo lax teaser beneath that but above the fold; below the fold, a dual softball roundup; below that, baseball gamer
B2: Mayfly's golf report (feature on a local course); HS softball call-in about local team striking out 31 times in a 15-inning game; jump to hard news story.
B3: dual softball jumps; HS baseball gamer and roundup
B4: my tennis "gamer" leading off a 40-inch roundup with standings (tennis is popular here); crew brief with results; deadline-day track "gamer"
B5: jump from B1 baseball gamer with MLB-like boxscore; Little League roundup; short HS baseball call-in with standings.
B6: assortment of lax jumps
B7: Local auto-racing roundup; Mayfly's "marathon" baseball story
B8-9: my double-truck girls lax gamers, sidebars, photos, standings.
B10: Mayfly's boys lax gamer -- local team upset No. 1 undefeated team.

 

20-page tabloid Saturday AM last week.

1. Cover.
2. Call-ins from readers; TV log.
3. Derby preview; local column on Derby with SE's pick.
4. Baseball agate.
5. More baseball agate; MLB notes.
6. NL, AL roundups.
7. Local AA baseball team road rewrite. Briefs.
8. Jumps from 3.
9. NBA gamer. Preview on local pro soccer team. Small DLH-Mayweather preview.
10. Sidebar on AHL team's playoff victory. Small NHL gamer.
11. Main on AHL team's playoff victory. Big art. 10-11 are double-truck package.
12. District HS team tennis. Locally produced story on Big Ten Network.
13. HS softball roundup. HS baseball coverage. Local live art.
14. Ad.
15. Local dirt-track, staffed. NASCAR pole.
16-17-18-19. Agate.
20. Locally produced NBA column.

 

Saturday, four pages.
B1 - All-Area high school baseball team and column on state playoff showdown set for this afternoon.
B2 - Briefs, Local high school leaders in both baseball and softball for our area, community sports photo with cutline about local youth who won five medals at local elementray school field day (contributed)
B3 - previews of state playoff matchups involving all three of our area high schools, including at a glance info box with records, rankings, key player stats, ect. Two short staff reports on different hole in ones at our local golf course.
B4 - spring football updates on two local high schools (this is the second week of spring practice in our state), including story, at a glance info box on returning starters, key losses, key player returning, schedules, ect.
We're a 8,200 circulation biweekly.