WAPO DROPS SPORTS SECTION, WHY? ... AND, WHY CAN'T LOCAL TV USE MORE VISUALS?

 

So, The Washington Post joined The New York Times in 

eliminating its sports section because … it couldn’t afford 

it? Get serious

More to the point, potential readers are getting younger 

and no longer take time (or have time) to digest the 

morning paper. Those that CAN read, that is.

They prefer to be informed by cable news, in simple 

terms, quickly, without being burdened by in-depth 

coverage or much thought … I mean, why bother to be 

challenged when someone else can/will do your thinking 

for you?

Sorry to say, most of the old timers the memory man 

knows no longer subscribe to the paper … turned off 

originally by liberal content that turns just about 

everything that used to be straight reporting into a bias 

that should be labeled OPINION but seldom is.

Speaking of The Times-Dispatch … the local rag 

certainly was ahead of its time, among the industry’s 

leaders in cutting back on content while firing newsroom 

personal at such a rapid rate it no longer needed 

downtown offices … now wasn’t it?

The NY Times bought The Athletic, an already-

established on-line, extra-charge bunch of able but 

mostly-opinionated writers, in an attempt to fill its sports 

void. Maybe the Post will come up with something 

similar.

Meanwhile, The Times-Dispatch stopped publishing on 

holidays then Mondays. What’s next to go ... the sports 

department? Hey, if it was necessary for heavyweights 

like the Times and Post .

Personally, I think the RT-D will drop the hard copy and 

go strictly on line … where the start-up, year-plus-old 

The Richmonder.com ... devoted to capital-R, old-time, 

straight REPORTING is off to an encouraging, 

competitive sendoff under the leadership of former RT-D 

sports editor MICHAEL PHILLIPS.

QUESTION:

Why is it so difficult for local TV to identify, with a 

graphic, who’s talking much less who they are talking 

about, huh? This is a visual media, after all.

Sunday morning, for example, Channel 6 ran a piece on 

Hopewell’s own TREVYON HENDERSON with the 

tag; “CHEERING ON A HOMETOWN PLAYER, 

Hopewell High School Graduate Playing in Super Bowl 

LX” … without once putting his name on the screen, 

much less the locals (cliché alert) singing his praises. 

How hard can it be?

That was followed by a good-feel story (from the network 

apparently) on a bunch of old guys who started something

many moons ago and haven’t stopped. While “NEVER 

MISS A SUPER BOWL CLUB, Attended Every Game 

For 60 Years” remained throughout, WTVR never 

bothered to identify them with a graphic. Come on, of the 

six remaining, there were only three on camera, and two 

say this will be their last, 60 and done. BOOO!

Oops, my bad. Henderson is a rookie running back for the 

New England Patriots out of Ohio State.

Until next time ...