Why the observer sports section is doomed....

[pstall]

The newspaper thing is similar to the dot com bubble bursting and real estate.

When once select few had access to info they could somewhat control it but the value of WHERE and when that info came out made it more valuable.

But when avg Joe could go online and buy/sell stocks etc it "cheapened" the input of a broker.

Same for real estate. When the real estate agent was being side stepped via the net or people doing thier own, thus the knowledge of a pro was diminished.

But those two examples serve a great lesson for the need for an expert in a field.

The news will go the same route. The marginal players/writers will go away and get gobbled up by big boys.

Leveling the playing field is good on one hand, but it dilutes and causes a downward trend.

[Matt Foley]

Fiz had a Panthers scrapbook. LOL. What a fruit.

[mush]

At the end of the day, a big part of what is reported from practices, the team, etc. comes from newspapers. Every morning the news you hear on the radio and TV is mostly the front page of the paper. It's because they have little news gathering staff compared to that of a newspaper.

Radio is there sporadically, TV stations only show up at the last 15 minutes of practice to get an interview which only 10 seconds of will make the news, so even though they're under fire newspaper staff still is the most knowledgable because those are the only guys who usually show up and watch the whole practice from start to finish. Now granted they aren't really watching the whole time often getting bored and talking about their new car or new shoes amongst each other, but they spend the most time around the team compared to anybody else.

[Brooklyn Bully]

You've got to be kidding me.

All the flaws in you mentioned in online distribution are because of random no name sites and people who are stupid. There are plenty of credible sources for every topic out there online. While there may be stereotypical "let me get online and voice my stupid uneducated opinion" people out there, there are also plenty of great sources.

It's all about how smart the user is and how he finds his information online. If you aren't smart enough to find credible sources instead using Twitter, then that's your fault.

Paper companies are a dying media.

Charlotte.com is the Observer for the most part, just with the additional hype you n00bs crave in digital land. Fowler's opinions, Sorensen's smugness, et al are found online then in print the following morning. The smart paper companies will just switch online as their print edition dies. All of the talking heads we see on ESPN started out with a print edition. Just look at Kornheiser and Michael Wilbon.

I guess I just don't see the gripe with the Observer. At least Fowler WATCHES THE GAME and then rants, as opposed to other "NFL experts" who do not (and proceed to do their Power Rankings), then try and talk about our team. No matter how idiotic you find Gannt's and Fowler's writing, I'd much rather hear their views than some jackass who lives in NYC who covers 15+ teams a week.

[KatsAzz]

I thought Scott Fowler posted here as GMan Is Right. You mean he doesn't?

:yikes: I admit there are better writers than Scott Fowler but i wouldn't compare him to a major douche bag like G Man Is Right.:sifone:

[rippadonn]

This is Zods reverse psychology. The Ob just got 1000 more web hits. One hand washes the other.

[PhillyB]

Zod, have you thought about pitching the Huddle, organizationally, to the Observer as a way to report on the Panthers? If the organization grows as a cohesive unit, you may be able to use its sway (from what I gather you have a few former Panthers and/or insiders posting on here, as potential contacts) to somehow get involved.

I'm not sure if sports writing is your forte, but with the direction the newspaper industry is going and the direction this site is going (down and up, respectively) you may be in line to pull a pretty sweet coup sometime in the future.

[Gman was right]

:yikes: I admit there are better writers than Scott Fowler but i wouldn't compare him to a major douche bag like G Man Is Right.:sifone:

Speaking of douche....what color panties are you wearing today baby?

I love using smiley faces too. Dont you? :smash:

[mush]

As a rule the Panthers do not allow any 'internet only' website to have media access. If they let one, even the largest one, they have a ton of other bits and pieces websites asking "why not me too?".

They cannot let every internet website have access. And if they did that you have to have a degree of professionalism as well, and internet websites, with no budget, basically get people that, since they are not getting paid, are newbies and would eventually embarrass themselves and end up wasting the player's time that they interviewed.

[rippadonn]

Zod, have you thought about pitching the Huddle, organizationally, to the Observer as a way to report on the Panthers? If the organization grows as a cohesive unit, you may be able to use its sway (from what I gather you have a few former Panthers and/or insiders posting on here, as potential contacts) to somehow get involved.

I'm not sure if sports writing is your forte, but with the direction the newspaper industry is going and the direction this site is going (down and up, respectively) you may be in line to pull a pretty sweet coup sometime in the future.

WCNC 36 jumped on that already didn't they?

[mush]

Remember, the Panthers want to limit the # of outlets with media access, not expand it. Less is best generally when you want to control the image of the team like they so much want to protect. It's their perogative

[Scrumtrilescent]

They can't stop the signal, Mal! They can't stop the signal!