Lobbying for front-page coverage

[Smallpotatoes]

When somebody asks that a story about their team go on the front page, not just of sports, but of the whole paper, how seriously do you take such requests?

 

[tonysoprano]

I ignore them.

 

[DyePack]

I laugh heartily within seconds while in their presence.

 

[The Q Man]

I've actually been on both of the newspaper sides of this argument. In both cases, you'd better be doing something pretty special
First the small newspaper side. When working my way through college, I worked for the local daily (10,000 circ.) instead of the college paper. As it turned out, my second year at the local paper, the town's high school team ended a 36-game, four-year long losing streak by winning its first game of the year. That went on the front page of the paper.
The team kept winning and for three more weeks was on the front page of sports. By Week 5, the decision was made by the SE and the Publisher to put the gamers on A1. And there they stayed as team went from being 0-36 to 9-0 in one year. I didn't agree with it, but I understand why it was done.
At my current paper, a 70 k daily, the only way a sports story is going out front is if it's something ridiculously special. Like Bradley advancing to Sweet 16 or the local baseball team that won a state title with a 40-2 record thanks to its ace pitcher, who ended up being the Yankees third-round draft pick.

 

[lono]

When somebody asks that a story about their team go on the front page, not just of sports, but of the whole paper, how seriously do you take such requests?

Thank them politely but give them no encouragement whatsoever that it'll actually happen.

 

[Appgrad05]

Quite simple:

'I don't make those decisions."

Because you don't, if sports goes on A1 it's coming from the editor and/or publisher.

 

[Football_Bat]

Front page? ****.

Getting our night news guy to even tease sports on A1 is like asking Genghis Khan to kindly allow that chariot of virgin brides safe passage through Khyber Pass. Ain't happening.

 

[spaceman]

a lot of places you wouldn't want your copy within 10 miles of A1, because it means another level of dumb-ass questions and some news dweeb who doesn't know **** about sports trying to adapt it to the mainstream reader.

pul-eeeze, the LAST place you want to be is A1.

 

[SF_Express]

I always had a love/hate relationship with big sports stories appearing on 1A.

Being in the mix as part of the big news of the day validated what sports was doing, and the fact they wanted our stuff sometimes could be gratifying.

Sometimes -- as with a franchise threatening to move or lobbying for a stadium or whatever -- it simply belonged there.

But while I also learned something from it, the editing process for a sports 1A story could be a pain in the ass.

 

[leo1]

When somebody asks that a story about their team go on the front page, not just of sports, but of the whole paper, how seriously do you take such requests?

small potatoes, i'd think you'd take all request seriously in the sense of politely listening and then considering them. but i know you're a veteran reporter/editor, small potatoes, so it should take you about two seconds to decide whether the request is worth dismissing immediately or really thinking about it.

 

[awriter]

When somebody asks that a story about their team go on the front page, not just of sports, but of the whole paper, how seriously do you take such requests?

It depends. What are they pitching for the cover?

 

[DyePack]

a lot of places you wouldn't want your copy within 10 miles of A1, because it means another level of dumb-ass questions and some news dweeb who doesn't know **** about sports trying to adapt it to the mainstream reader.

pul-eeeze, the LAST place you want to be is A1.

I always enjoyed the A1 people who didn't follow Sports and wore it as a badge of honor.

I headed off any number of mistakes when they were in the house. Finally missed one, though, and of course there was a lot of hand-wringing and finger-pointing.

One time when I didn't work, they managed to reverse the winner and loser of an important in-state game.

 

[huntsie]

We have what's called an "Up Front" feature which runs on Page 1 daily. Every so often, they'll try to steal a strong sports item and treat it like they're doing us a favour. They aren't. They feel when they take it to One that it must need work, since it came from sports. Invariably, they ruin one of the best written pieces in the paper. Not to mention, the art and the story don't get the display they deserve, since the photo is smaller and the turn longer than it would be on our sportsfront.
I'd sooner keep the story and give it the play it deserves rather than get it "promoted" to Page 1.

 

[SF_Express]

We have what's called an "Up Front" feature which runs on Page 1 daily. Every so often, they'll try to steal a strong sports item and treat it like they're doing us a favour. They aren't. They feel when they take it to One that it must need work, since it came from sports. Invariably, they ruin one of the best written pieces in the paper. Not to mention, the art and the story don't get the display they deserve, since the photo is smaller and the turn longer than it would be on our sportsfront.
I'd sooner keep the story and give it the play it deserves rather than get it "promoted" to Page 1.

That was always a fight I had....When a centerpiece sports front story ends up in a corner of 1A...sometimes they bought the argument and let us keep it and display it correctly; but sometimes not....

 

[Batman]

I have to write for the news section maybe three or four times a year, and it's always a pain in the ass. If it's some big game, it's another story we have to write on deadline. If it's not a deadline story, our news editor tends to skewer it. I remember writing one story for her, and every third paragraph of a 12-inch story was one I actually wrote. Not saying I'm perfect, but good God that felt like a waste of time.
In either case, you usually have to dumb down the story a bit for the morons who want the score but are too lazy to pull out the next section of the paper.