Why I drink ... phone calls.

What if it's a curious parent who happened to be serving overseas?

I got a call like that once. Guy called asking for the score of a football game I had just covered. I knew who he was and jokingly said 'I figured you'd be at the game.' His response: 'I would have been, but I'm in Afghanistan.'

I saw him earlier that school year, but hadn't seen him in a while and had no clue he had been deployed. He was a high-ranking official in the military and was on a 12-month deployment, IIRC. That's one reason I don't mind those calls.

 

But....

 

Ummm... he told you he was overseas right? If someone's going to that much trouble to call, am sure he'll identify that fact...

 

Advertising on the website and page clicks account for something. Calling on the phone means no money in my paycheck.

 

I used to subscribe to the theory that people calling in for scores were jerks. But I've since come to see those people as very valuable because the first place they think to call for information is the newspaper. I think being helpful, within reason, pays for itself in other ways.

On the other hand, those assholes who call in just say, "Podunk score," without any salutation or thank you can go to hell.

 

I see your point, and it's justified, but I am under the assumption that most of those phone calls aren't subscribers or people that will buy off the rack in the morning (maybe I am wrong).
Then again, I am an asshole in my thinking for most things.

 

Ask them: "Would your anchor take a call just before he goes on air? No? Well you're calling on my deadline."

 

You're getting money is your paycheck, because you are at work.

There's nothing wrong with taking a minute to give a score and build goodwill.

Some of the comments in this thread really show why people think newspapers are arrogant.

Yes, sometimes you're on deadline, but not always.

 

What BillyT said.