Why can't newspapers clone Deadspin?
Thursday, September 27, 2007
We confess to being fascinated by the symbiotic--if not parasitic--relationship between newspapers and blogs. No longer do blogs spend hours merely deconstructing a paper's coverage; increasingly, it's the blog breaking a story that the newspapers have to react to (and in turn, blogs then react to their reaction). According to Slate media critic Jack Shafer, the process leaves newspapers with "already chewed news." Delightful stuff, if you're a newspaper man pondering your career options.
And if you're a blogger--well, duh. Skip ahead.
(What's also interesting, if not surprising, is that some of the more successful bloggers had their origins in traditional journalism. A guy like Bill Simmons or Mike Florio does a spin around a news desk, then bugs out to have it his own way on the 'Net. But that's another topic for another day.)
Thus, it's no secret that newspapers are freaking out about losing share to the Web space and throwing writers online, trying to figure out how to gain eyeballs in this new space. (We can only imagine what some of those conversations are like).
But forget the dedicated team blog, which just extends a beat writer's column and taps into an existing audience. No, we're curious about the all-purpose blogs, the ones that cover the sports scene and try to be "hip" and "clever," winning new readers even as overall circulation declines. The Washington Post and Tribune Company and others' attempts to grow Deadspin in an office building.
In many ways, newspaper sports blogs should be the best of the best--the writers have press passes, professional relationships they can cultivate, even resources around the newsroom--that the typical basement blogger can't compete with.
But while we've been spoiled by the Post, we had a hunch that many newspaper blogs leave something to be desired.
Professional journalists are still bound by convention, namely that their employers limit what they can cover. You don't see links mocking Miss South Carolina or even Mr. PHILADELPHIA. Plus, a lot of the writers are...well, old. If you've been in the business for two-plus decades, learning a new style of writing isn't easy, let alone welcome.
So, over the next few days/weeks/whatever, we're taking a look at what the papers have come up with. As a rule, we avoided team- and sport-oriented blogs to focus on all-sports blogs--ones that didn't have a built-in audience but had to cultivate their own (like a Mister Irrelevant or With Leather have done, as opposed to a TrueHoop or BulletsForever). We stuck to the major sports towns and, as an informal guide, came up with a few metrics that seemed fair.
* Post length: Hey, working against readers' limited attention span is important.
* Output: And so is keeping things fresh.
* Style: How the blog's written (like an AP article or a self-help column) goes a long way toward standing out.
* Hat-tips: How much love is given to non-newspaper blogs.
* Following: The best metric would be utilization, but since that's kind of opaque, we used the imperfect gauge of comments.
This post has been in the works for weeks, and we have some thoughts on how newspapers can best position themselves, given their advantages (access, funds) and drawbacks (funds are still fairly limited, stodgyness). But first, we'd like to give you the national scope, which offers a clear picture of the leaders versus the stragglers. Thusly, here's how the Atlantic Division of newspaper blogs shakes out:
Atlanta Journal Constitution
Various authorsA good test case for our rationale. Overall, the AJC offers a comprehensive blogging product--each local team warrants its own blog (populated by commentary from beat writers), while the paper also commissions fan blogs of various quality (The "JunkyardBlawg," tracking Georgia football and written by an AJC copy editor, is very good; less good is Braves-fan blog "ChopChick," which appears for the first time in months with a "post" called "Will the Braves do it?" Here's the entirety of ChopChick's eloquent thoughts:
We’re heading into the final stretch and the Braves are scrambling to make the playoffs. They’ve won five in a row? Will they do it?Answer: NO.)
But we're overlooking those other blogs to sniff out a general sports blog...and you know what? The AJC doesn't really have one. The paper comes closest by wiring its sports columnists into a blogging system--enabling comments from readers--but there's no dedicated "general sports" columnist, although Jeff Schultz appears to be the closest thing to a catch-all. The stories here are all from the print edition, as far as we can tell. So that's what we'll review.
Post length: Long. Typically 600+ words.
Output: Frequent. Usually, three-four columns per day between the columnists.
Style: Traditional, columnist-speak.
Hat-tips: None. Again, these are traditional columns.
Following: Very strong. Many stories have dozens if not hundreds of comments. Again, these are traditional columnists with pieces appearing in the print edition, not just online, so readers can very quickly chime in after their morning review. Who knows--it's cost-effective, with a built-in audience. And after all our searching from coast to coast, maybe this is the way to do it.
Baltimore Sun
O, by the WayBill Ordine
As Baltimore sports fans, we want to like this blog. Really, we do. But, like watching "The View," O, by the Way leaves us confused, angry, and depressed. Perhaps it's because Ordine isn't writing to us but seemingly targets a completely different audience: The AARP set. The blog features a mid-day "musical interlude"--a YouTube video that occasionally reaches back to 1940s song-and-dance movies--and morning recaps are titled "About last night, dear." In Ordine's words, "Heavens to Betsy"!
Post length: Short to average. 200 words.
Output: Very frequent. Five-six posts on the average day; however, the majority of stories might as well be ESPN news alerts. Take a Monday in early September--the order of posts went Travis Henry's fatherdom, Randy Couture's UFC win, Vick's plea deal, Vick's apology, Lance Briggs' car crash, Falcons' post-Vick plans. Basically, nothing you didn't first read somewhere else.
Style: Conventional. We feel like jerks, but we can't stand Ordine's writing. There's no trace of humor, wit, or insight in his stiff prose. Although...he's getting better!
Hat-tips: None. YouTube is generally as close as it gets. There were a few links in a post about Brady Quinn's hairstyle a few weeks ago, but only to the images--not to the actual blog posts or mass of existing, funnier coverage of Quinn.
Following: None. Most stories receive no comments. We have strong suspicious about regular reader "Captain Jack," especially after a ginned-up argument between the good captain (who apparently comments only on O, By the Way) and "RavenBullet"--a poster never seen before or since on the Sun's blog pages.
Boston Globe
Eric WilburWhen we started this project a few weeks ago, we were immediately intrigued by the posts on the front page; Wilbur picked up a New York Times story on Ratatosk, the mythical squirrel from Norse mythology, and a YouTube clip of aged BoSox and Yanks competing in a Captain Morgan carnival. But despite the name, this hasn't been a Boston blog so much as another Red Sox blog, although the return of the Pats appears to signal a shift in focus.
Post length: Average. 400 words.
Output: Frequent. Wilbur's longer features are mixed in with shorter blog posts, contributing to about one-two posts per day.
Style: Traditional/conversational. Wilbur reads like a columnist, but he's not too self-important to self-deprecate.
Hat-tips: Limited but improving. In early September, the only non-YouTube link we could find was a link to the Seventh Inning Stretch's Boston version of ESPN's "Who's Now"--although the address was mislinked. Now, Wilbur links to relatively well-read blogs like UniWatch and Fire Joe Morgan. It's not adventurous, but Wilbur's positively kingly compared to most of the other newspaper blogs.
Following: Unclear. For better or worse, the Globe doesn't enable readers to comment on any of its blogs. But with our limited exposure to Wilbur, we liked this guy.
Miami Herald
Random Evidence of a Cluttered BlogGreg Cote
Cote's a Herald columnist, so his blog mixes stories he's written for the print edition with a few shorter online blurbs. This was decently written and suited to the online world, although we weren't especially attached to anything Cote covered.
Post length: Short. 150 words.
Output: Ok. A post a day, on average.
Style: Confrontational and inquisitive. Cote asks questions of the reader, but primarily just builds off issues raised in his existing columns.
Hat-tips: None
Following: Strong to very strong. Many posts receive a few dozen comments, reflecting the avid Florida sports scene. Of course, being a columnist who stirs the pot, not all the responses are positive. Writes one commenter, "Why do you even write a blog? The Herald must hold a gun to your head every time you publish this joke of a section. A five year old could replicate your effort." Despite getting so much feedback, Cote never seems to respond to the criticism nor engage his readers at all.
New York Daily News
Daily BlahgFlip Bondy
We were a bit stuck with the options in New York. Yes, the city has a ton of papers, but we weren't all that taken with most of what passed for all-sports blogs. The Daily Blahg pleasantly surprised us, though.
Post length: Average. 350 words.
Output: Frequent. About once a day.
Style: Conventional, if a bit confessional. Bondy's been in the game for 24 years, but we're impressed that he made a solid transition to a different format; he's got the blogger's sense of self-deprecation down pat. A typical post has Bondy picking a news hook (let's say, the Mariners playing late on the West Coast), and jumping off from there with observations and commentary. The posts have an insider's feel to them, too, which we liked.
Hat-tips: None.
Following: Very low. While the occasional Blahg got a handful of responses, a great number of posts were comment-less, which has to be disappointing--the News has wide circulation and this is well-written stuff.
The New York Post doesn't really have a general blog--just a "backpage" where all the generic news is lumped, with links to actual articles. The tagline ("Whether in the press box or locker room, the Post's bloggers can't be beat") is humorously delusional, though.
New York Times
Various authorsWe made an exception here to represent the gray lady; yes, it's a baseball blog, but at least it encompasses the Mets, Yanks, and the rest of the league. What made our decision easier is that this is pretty good stuff. Original reporting, some inside info...and the Times writers aren't exactly shabby.
Post length: Short to average. 250 words.
Output: Frequent. About two posts a day between the Times baseball staff.
Style: Conversational. We found the writers to be surprisingly laid-back and engaging, ranging from tales inside the locker room to personal anecdotes.
Hat-tips: None.
Following: Mediocre but improving. In early September, a few posts drew a dozen or so responses, but most were comment-less; as the playoff push has heated up, however, the commenters are starting to emerge in droves (210 comments on whether the Mets will make the postseason). Still, there were plenty of posts with not a single comment to be found. We found this amazing: The country's greatest paper should be able to draw a decent audience for one of its premier sports blogs. On our end, while we can't stand the Yankees, we enjoyed this one enough to come back.
Orlando Sentinel
Various authors
Although it's a different part of Florida, visiting the Sports Buzz must be like attending a Marlins game. It's depressing, clearly no one else goes, and you're not sure why anyone bothered in the first place.
Length: Short. Most posts are under 200 words.
Output: Minimal. A handful of posts pop up every few weeks or months.
Style: Conversational, although it ranges from author to author.
Hat-tips: None
Following: None. The blog suffers from being a weird catch-all, with a number of writers weighing in on completely disparate topics. But they're not -uninteresting- topics. Case in point--a post from April wondering whether Florida basketball coach Billy Donovan would stay or go. You'd think some reader would weigh in on a champion and icon's next steps. You'd think.
PhillyBurbs.com
Sports blogVarious authors
Neither the Philadelphia Inquirer nor Daily News seemed to have a general sports blog, and we looked all over their sites. For shame! Instead, we found an all-purpose blog on PhillyBurbs.com, which is a consortium of smaller papers, like the Bucks County Courier Times and the Intelligencer. It's almost unfair to compare it to efforts at much larger papers like the Boston Globe and the Chicago Tribune...but hey, we're doing it anyway.
And from live-blogging a football game at Coatesville High--Rip Hamilton's alma mater--to writing about WWE, this blog *does* cover the spectrum. But how good or innovative is it? Eh. Draw your own conclusions when, Mike Patrick-style, the editor starts a post pulpit-izing "I've just about had enough with Britney Spears"...and he isn't trying to be funny.
Post length: Short to average.
Output: Very frequent.
Style: Varies. Seems like the entire staff pitches in.
Hat-tips: None.
Following: Limited. Several posts got about a dozen comments; others were completely ignored. Some bloggers were strongly disliked. Wrote one commenter to "Thanks Hank"--which, Jack Nicholson in "The Shining"-style, listed out the ex-HR king's name 755 times--"You're officially the most annoying person on the planet. Never blog again."
Washington Post
While the DC Sports Bog is our hometown hero, we must confess our bias--Steinberg has linked to this blog on one occasion before and admitted, on television, to actually enjoying us. The Bog has somehow risen above these gaffes, however.
Post-length: Average to long. Most posts are several hundred words, although Steinberg has been known to run features of 1,000+ words. And, reading these posts--like this run-in with Bill Walton--you're glad that he puts in the time.
Output: Exceptional. Steinberg usually posts 5-7 times per day. And not the brief posts like the Sun-Times' Full Court Press or the rehashed coverage of the Sun's O, by the Way, but original and creative reporting that often involves leaving the newsroom.
Hat-tips: Exceptional. The Bog runs a regular "Top 5" of other area blogs, in addition to linking to numerous sites in various posts. [Full disclosure: The Bog has linked to our humble blog before.]
Following: Strong/unclear. This was a subject of internal WRG debate. When Steinberg writes about DC-area newsmakers--Gilbert Arenas, SportsTalk 980, Eastern Motors commercials--he'll draw dozens of comments. But so many posts are too esoteric to connect with the average reader; last month, for example, a series of posts on the Rugby World Cup each drew just a handful of comments. What distinguishes Steinberg's following is how universally he's loved--"Dan Steinberg Does God's Work" wrote in one commenter--plus his scope (as a co-host of the televised Blog Show and frequent name-check on other blog sites). Steinberg's situation reminds us of the Arrested Development phenomenon--a TV show so smart, not everyone got the joke; it was bound to be a niche. But for our money, of any of the newspaper blogs we looked at in the Atlantic, the Bog was head and shoulders the best; Steinberg is the only guy who fully understands, not to mention supports, the blogging community.
Labels: atlanta journal-constitution, baltimore sun, boston globe, boston sports blog, newspaper blogs, o by the way
posted by Crucifictorious @ 07:17,
,
