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Why cover the Olympics?

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by SockPuppet, Jul 29, 2012.

  1. Versatile

    Versatile Active Member

    Absolutely not true about an event as big as the Olympics. The AP writers know way more about the Olympics and Olympians than your columnist who covers those sports and athletes once every four years.
     
  2. SockPuppet

    SockPuppet Active Member

    I would submit that "old school" thinking - "Hey, we've ALWAYS covered the Olympics" - is what has gotten newspapers in trouble in the first place. Sure, for 2 weeks a paper looks "big time" by having bylines from the Olympics. But the other 50 weeks of the year you're coverage universe doesn't stretch beyond a 100 miles. With staffs and budgets already stretched the breaking point, I just think it's tough to justify covering the Olympics.

    If your argument is that readers might want the in-depth, background sort of coverage of local Olympians, I've constantly heard the argument that newspaper readers don't have time to read in-depth, background stories.
     
  3. silvercharm

    silvercharm Member

    Cost has to be the driving factor in this decision. You're probably going to send one of your stars, which is likely going to be one of the highest-paid reporters. Let's just say the median salary is $60-80K for this person. It's a month's salary, at least, to send a reporter to the Olympics, throwing in comp time. That's 6 grand. It's another $4-5 grand for travel, lodging, meals, etc. So you're looking at a bill of at least $10,000 to send a reporter/columnist to the Olympics.

    That has to be at the top of the sheet in any pro/con decision as to whether it's worth staffing the Olympics. Can that 10 grand be better spent elsewhere? If not, then perhaps it's worth the spending the dough.
     
  4. HanSenSE

    HanSenSE Well-Known Member

    I'd like to be there just to avoid news desk getting paranoid over it, since there's one local boxer in there and I don't think they know how to deal with the stuff I deal with every day in sports: "Are we gonna get pictures? Are you sure? Really really sure? With sugar on top?"

    T-minus 26 days until the first high school football game, halleujah!
     
  5. doctorquant

    doctorquant Well-Known Member

    I don't think you can throw in the salary. That money's going to be spent whether said writer is staffing the Olympics or doing something else. The travel expenses do result from the decision to staff the Olympics. Were I a publisher of a paper that was big enough to consider it, I'd be awfully skeptical that that cash flow pays for itself.
     
  6. LongTimeListener

    LongTimeListener Well-Known Member

    The Olympics, and the editors and writers who are so gung-ho about covering it, have hit on a great workaround to the cash flow problem. Much of the money is due in the form of deposits 18-24 months in advance. But as we all know, the newspaper industry goes month-to-month and by the seat of its pants. So by the time the publisher actually starts thiinking about the Olympics, there has already been so much invested that it would be dumb to let it go to waste.
     
  7. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    I think that's true with any event. If you NEED to have someone on sight, because they can provide something you can't get any other way, then do it. Otherwise, you might as well use the wire services you are already paying for.
     
  8. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    Without the Olympics, what else would newspapers put on their websites that ruin the print business model?
     
  9. dog eat dog world

    dog eat dog world New Member

    Is someone saying mid-circulation papers are sending people to the Olympics to cover athletes? I'd like to know which ones.

    Not unless they find some stringer in Liverpool.
     
  10. Frank_Ridgeway

    Frank_Ridgeway Well-Known Member

    I look at it as an advertisement for the paper -- that we still do this kind of stuff. A statement. I've kind of always seen it that way.
     
  11. dog eat dog world

    dog eat dog world New Member

    Don't most publishers today give less than a shit about getting the best possible coverage when they can get it for free (free because they'd be getting wire anyway).
     
  12. Mark2010

    Mark2010 Active Member

    True. Which surprises me anyone shells out for anything anymore.

    I seriously wonder about the future of the entire industry.
     
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