REALITY CHECK ON NHL PRESS COVERAGE
More Grim News on the Lack of News
William Houston of the Toronto Globe & Mail has this eulogy on the slow, but painful death of hockey beat coverage in “the States.” Thank you to Lisa of Islandermania for finding the story.
The story of Tim Panaccio and the Philadelphia Inquirer is particularly depressing. I was a PR intern for the Flyers in the 86-87 season, when they went to the Stanley Cup Final and Jay Greenberg (Philadelphia Daily News) and Al Morganti (Inquirer) wrote thousands of words on the Fers daily. It’s one thing to say the Eagles own the town; it’s another to act like the Flyers don’t own a big chunk of the city’s brotherly love.
Brian Biggane was an excellent writer of all things Panthers for the Palm Beach Post. The paper has not just taken their coverage off the road. They eliminated the beat.
If anyone around the game still wants to put their head in the sand and believe the media desertion at the All-Star Game, Cup Final and now on the daily beats is not a crisis, go ahead.
And can you believe the New York Daily News still runs that radio spot where they say the sports editor makes sure every team in New York gets the same passionate coverage?
I hope you’re enjoying Islanders Point Blank. Any suggestions, please place in the Comments box.
10 Responses to “REALITY CHECK ON NHL PRESS COVERAGE
More Grim News on the Lack of News”
Please Wait
I agree with your post, Chris, that hockey is not covered locally as it once was in the past, but I also agree with the comment above that blogs and the web have filled in the gaps, sort of. I’m not saying that I’m happy about that. I still read three papers daily and I buy Newsday solely for the Islander coverage and USA Today because K. Allen does a nice job. But I’m not of the belief that newspapers will go away so there is validity to what you say.
I’m a Hockey News subscriber and as far as hockey publications go, although they slant toward the Canandian point of view, I love their periodical.
Keep up the good work Chris. This is my first stop when I jump online.
I
I can tell you for a fact Panaccio is lying.
You need both sides of the story, look who he blogs for, a fraud!
The Globe & Mail article is deceptive. If you drop a sports dept from 21 to 13, it’s obvious that they are dropping more than just hockey. Things are bad all over, and especially in the newspaper business. Hockey coverage in the US indeed has shifted, as there is a hockey blogger born every minute. It’s not the type of “print” you can line your birdcage with, but certainly… some of it should.
Greg’s point that there are two sides to the Inquirer story is a fair one. Tim’s relationship with The Site That Cannot Be Named always did seem awkward considering he was also with Inquirer. Let me see if I can track down Tim.
The growth of the hockey blogosphere notwithstanding, there is still no denying mainstream hockey coverage is going downhill. And that still counts for something. I don’t think we want hockey to just be our little secret…CB
Some would say we’re staring down gloom and doom in South Florida but it’s not yet the case.
I covered this a bit in The Litter Box this morning after learning of the Post’s cutback. On a Canadian website. Needless to say, I’m not pleased. The Post couldn’t even be up front about it.
Brian Biggane is a tremendous writer who will definitely be missed on the Panthers beat.
I’ve attempted to contact several folks for comment within the Cats organization as well as the Post, if only to positively confirm the story, with no luck so far.
The Herald’s George Richards and Sun-Sentinel’s Steve Gorten are top-notch, so it’s not as if we’re left with no local coverage of the club.
This is obviously a disturbing trend among the print media, who are having a difficult time transitioning to the - no charge - web.
It’s never been a mystery why hockey fans are consistently the most tech-savvy in all of sports. We call it “survival mode”.
Great blog, Chris. Please keep it rolling!
I think, as others have said, it’s just the reality of a shrinking medium.
The web is just taking it’s toll on print. Our household still has a weekend subscription to the Hartford Courant, and I honestly think it’s just because of the flyers and coupons.
I don’t think the lack of a newspaper coverage will hurt the NHL in the long run… as long as internet sources replace and expand upon the print losses. For instance, one of the fastest going sports is MMA. MMA which has had very little coverage in the mainstream media, but a lot internet coverage. I’m sure hockeybuzz could only dream of getting the traffic that a site like sherdog.com does. It’s part of the reason that I know who Steve Bosse as the MMA fighter of the TKO promotion in Montreal rather than the hockey player who played with Sugden on the St. Jean Chiefs.
Teams need to keep looking to the web, which thankfully, the Islanders are doing.
In Re: to RAVES FRO STREIT.
Yes, that is how it works, You pay moneuy and you get good players. wake the f**% up!
Chris, if you do track down Timmy P., ask him why he was transferred to the Eagles beat, but was first suspended from the paper for a month.
Get the real story from him, and it all stems from the site that can’t be mentioned.
Coverage for hockey in the States is horrible! that’s certainly no secret, it takes a backseat to football, basketball, you name it? it gets media attention before hockey does. Go to Canada and it’s the big Cheif, it’s everywhere!
They claim here in the states the sport has no fan base or lack of, I don’t know I’ve been to MSG to a Ranger VS Islanders game as I’m sure many of you have as well and I see plenty of fans..so where they come up with that I’ll never know. I’m a big fan of Mike and Mike on ESPN Radio and TV and all you’ll get there is scores running along the bottom of the screen, but no mention of the games. yet turn on ESPN and Scrabble and Ping Pong get airtime..ok, guess there’s a big fans base for that? maybe it’s a question of who’s doing the marketing for the NHL here in the states? To sell a product it needs to be out there for people to see, read about, know it’s there.
I follow your blog for quite a long time and should tell that your articles always prove to be of a high value and quality for readers.