what if espn.com had beat writers ...

[stickybumps]

so that National thread got me thinking ... what if espn.com took the next step and went team-by-team and hired beat writers for major sports?
with its entry into nascar espn is creeping into every avenue in the sports world, but still doesn't have cred on a local, team-by-team basis.
as a huge corporate entity, espn - unlike The National - is in a position to take risks and lose a bit of money (like it did with the espn cell phone thing). also, there's a blueprint already in place with mlb.com - which is infinitely more appealing, and readable for longer stretches, than nba.com and nfl.com.
kindred and the others, basically across the board, said they'd do it again if they had the chance. so ...
- why wouldn't this work?
- would espn do it?
- am i hoping this would work so espn would flood the marketplace with hundreds of job openings in a line of work that could desperately use such a thing?

 

[fishwrapper]

Forget it. It's not their paradigm. And, it's too expensive. It's easier and less expensive to mooch the news, then react to it with 14 hours of analysis.
(And, really...ESPN breaks every news story, anyhow. At the very least, "ESPN has learned..." Yeah, no ****. By reading the SF Chronicle, WashPost, LA Times, Miami Herald and Chicago Sun Times websites.)

 

[leo1]

my idea if i ran ESPN is to replace AP and start something like an ESPNewsService. it'd be a massive undertaking requiring years to get to full strength. it would hurt the AP but might also spur AP to improve the product.

 

[Left_Coast]

I think for what AP tries to do, it does a pretty good job at it. Could it be quicker? Of course. But overall, I think it does a fairly decent job.

 

[cranberry]

ESPN already tried this with SportsTicker.

 

[fishwrapper]

my idea if i ran ESPN is to replace AP and start something like an ESPNewsService. it'd be a massive undertaking requiring years to get to full strength. it would hurt the AP but might also spur AP to improve the product.

I know you guys love to knock AP. But, one must realize there is a world out there other than Sports. The Associated Press covers every corner of it. Might spread any business thin -- organizational, managerial and personnel.

 

[cranberry]

my idea if i ran ESPN is to replace AP and start something like an ESPNewsService. it'd be a massive undertaking requiring years to get to full strength. it would hurt the AP but might also spur AP to improve the product.

I know you guys love to knock AP. But, one must realize there is a world out there other than Sports. The Associated Press covers every corner of it. Might spread any business thin -- organizational, managerial and personnel.

Yeah, I don't see any entity replicating the AP model (a cooperative operated by member newspapers) anytime soon. Even the ideas of staffing all major sporting events or even just staffing all major-league baseball, football and basketball games aren't financially feasible. Hey, but great thread, otherwise.

 

[Rick Shanley]

In my opinion, this is the last thing we, as sports lovers and journalists, should want. ESPN represents everything that is wrong with sports and sports journalism these days. Too sensationalized, too biased and more concerned with looking at itself in the mirror, so to speak, than just giving us the news -- like the AP so wonderfully does. I like the AP because it's just the facts; with ESPN, you have to dig to find the facts. Plus, there are already too many no-name schmuck columnists and reporters out there on the web (and especially on ESPN.com). We don't need more. But, yes, good thread for discussion.