CT Post/Rich Elliott

[luckyhusky7]

@KerithBurke: The Connecticut Post decided it's not going to cover *any* UConn athletics anymore? Wow that's dumb. Like, Dumb. Okay, DUMB.

 

[Biff]

So what happens to Rich Elliott?

 

[EricLA]

So what happens to Rich Elliott?

He comes to work for the boneyard??!!

 

[DGHuskyFan]

I'd like to see confirmation of Kerith's info. Don't see any mention of this on the CT Post site. Since the Post shares content as a cost saving measure with their other Hearst sister publications in CT (Stamford Advocate, Danbury News Times, and Greenwich Times) it doesn't seem to make sense that only one of these papers would do that. Rich Elliott's articles are shared with all four papers.

 

[Gilligan]

If true...Very stupid since those papers are very popular in fairfield county and UConn needs to expand its coverage in fairfield county to attract more fans from that area...

 

[Sluconn Husky]

I'd like to see confirmation of Kerith's info. Don't see any mention of this on the CT Post site. Since the Post shares content as a cost saving measure with their other Hearst sister publications in CT (Stamford Advocate, Danbury News Times, and Greenwich Times) it doesn't seem to make sense that only one of these papers would do that. Rich Elliott's articles are shared with all four papers.

Several members of the Horde and others have already sent good wishes to Elliot.

https://twitter.com/JoeDSports/status/552527067246776320

 

[Vowelguy]

@KerithBurke: The Connecticut Post decided it's not going to cover *any* UConn athletics anymore? Wow that's dumb. Like, Dumb. Okay, DUMB.

Given how popular newspapers are, though, with such mammoth circulation, it won't matter if they lose a few hundred/thousand subscribers.

Oh. Wait.

 

[BigBird]

Sign of the times. Newspapers are a 400 year-old (plus) technology, still struggling for relevance in this century. My son-in-law worked as a sportswriter for a newspaper that was operating in the black - and that's a rare paper. Even so, he found management continually making screwball, short-run decisions like the one in this thread. The sports news marketplace is today shattered into more small pieces than ever. (Like my folks' picture window. My velocity was very good, but I had control issues.)

It wouldn't surprise me to be told that eventually the CTP will hire a stringer or just use news releases, so as to keep some semblence of content a out UConn.

 

[Wbbfan1]

CT Post will do what so many other newspapers do, use AP reports as their articles.

 

[Icebear]

It will be interesting to see how the decision impacts the circulation.

 

[wbbfjlf]

I will cancel my subscription.

 

[MilfordHusky]

This sucks, plain and simple.

 

[UcMiami]

My perspective on newspapers - they became very popular 'investments' for corporations because they have great cash flow even though their actual profits have never been great. During the go go days, companies were being evaluated on multiples of various metrics so adding a nice increase in cash flow to a company whose stock was being valued at 20+ time any particular metric meant that the whole corporation benefited by multiples of the true value of the newspaper. But the corporations were not 'newspapermen' and really didn't understand the product or the business model.
Enter the bean counters and the bottom line thinking of 'gee we can buy the 'news' from AP for a fraction of the cost of producing the 'news' ourselves with actual paid employees. Great from a financial point of view but a total disaster from a business point of view - if I can get the exact same story from every paper and I don't get any added local benefit in this paper why do I bother with it. Circulation dropped, cash flow dropped, and when times got tougher the corporations looked to dump the papers at fire sale prices having gutted the product. Papers folded or were merged with other papers and without the local staff of reporters there was no one to do the community services of reporting on council meetings, and local issues, and who was getting interesting contracts from the city, etc.
Sorry to see it happening with the Post.

 

[UConn98]

When I was at the Norwich Bulletin, this happened back around 2003. Executive editor at the time (who was not from this area) had no clue about UConn sports and just axed it, saying that "we could have a monopoly on AP." Not surprisingly he was fired the next year, but mostly because he sucked across all platforms. At any rate, that was a damning decision and one that continued to dog the paper for years. Probably still does, though I have not been there in a while.

Considering that we had a long line of great people who covered UConn for years (Pete Abraham (now with the Globe covering the Red Sox) and Tim Tolokan, among others) and are probably closer to Storrs than any other paper but Willimantic and Manchester, it was a poor decision then and it remains as such. My best to Bill and Rich, who deserve far, far better. I would be interested to find the Connecticut Post reader who will applaud this decision.

And once again, it shows the minds who are running newspapers today: Take away something that the reader wants.

 

[DishNSwish]

Great blog by Jim Fuller on last night's game without Rich being there.

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2015/01/tough-night-at-office.html

 

[JS]

Great blog by Jim Fuller on last night's game without Rich being there.

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2015/01/tough-night-at-office.html

Nice heartfelt work by Jim. I was an occasional email correspondent with Rich and feel bad about this. Nothing like Jim's friendship of course but it still feels like an awful loss.

I'm also rather appalled as a CT Post subscriber. Might've cancelled, but Mrs. JS won't let me. She grew up in Fairfield, likes the local news, always reads the Obits because it's so often someone who, or whose family, she knows.

{Shudder.} I wouldn't get caught dead reading . . . Well, cancel that thought.

This morning's Tulsa game story in the Post was from wire services. And to top off my funereal mood, I look across the page and see the headline "Shea Resigns."

Oh no!!! What the hell?!!

Tom Shea, football coach at Fairfield Prep. Don't know whether to feel sorry about Mr. Shea or not, but it brings home that my morning could've been worse.

 

[pnow15]

Dumb move. I stopped reading and buying NY Post when Pete Vecsey retired. Sports journalist have followings.

 

[RockyMTblue2]

GOOD FORTUNE Rich Elliot, we'll miss you

I refused to believe the idiocy of the CT Post until reading Jim Fuller's report of the debacle there.
http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2015/01/tough-night-at-office.html

This is a big loss for UConn fans and I would hope that Rich lands on his feet and then some.

 

[MilfordHusky]

Great blog by Jim Fuller on last night's game without Rich being there.

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2015/01/tough-night-at-office.html

Jim is one of the good guys too.

I haven't lived in Connecticut in 40 years, but I read both the (then) Bridgeport Post and New Haven Register religiously while growing up in Milford.

Thanks to Jim for the article, and best wishes to Rich and the others formerly at the Post.

 

[punchjur]

Very sad - and a huge loss. Thanks for all the insights over the years, Rich - and good luck in the future.

 

[OldAlum]

It seems that some newspapers lose sight over what makes a reader subscribe to one paper or another. Nowadays, everyone can get all the basic news in an instant. Local sportswriters who add color, insight, opinion, and even controversy can make a paper stand out from the others. Sad that they couldn't have tried some other restructuring before pulling the plug on their UConn coverage.

 

[ChicagoGG]

So sad for Rich...hope he lands on his feet, as he is a very good journalist. As the Horde shrinks, it becomes more apparent how lucky we are that UCWBB gets the coverage that it does. Not many teams can say the same.

 

[maddoggy]

He comes to work for the boneyard??!!

Not sure he'd want to deal with THAT much crazy, but there ARE some writers who have tried going off on their own with websites supported by subscriptions, ads or some combination. I'm not sure he'd have a big enough base to support himself, especially when you consider the travel and lodging costs. Even if he were to travel only for the big games and sleep on a couch in cities where he has friends, the costs could be pretty high.
I hope he has some idea of the hits his stories get and how many of them are unique visits to read just that story. I know some folks who can look at that and come up with a good guess as to how much money it translates into.

 

[winlots]

Great blog by Jim Fuller on last night's game without Rich being there.

http://elmcitytoeaglevillenhr.blogspot.com/2015/01/tough-night-at-office.html

JIM: what a wonderful, moving tribute to your friend. I've admired your work and Rich's for many years. Sending all good wishes to Rich on his next steps....and to both, stay well.

 

[mr006]

Odd for them to call themselves the "Connecticut" Post - perhaps they should go back to their old, more localized name...