I've ranted on this subject in years past and after perusing today's Fort Worth Star Telegram feel compelled to do so again. This year they posted a few scores mixed with 1A one week, a few 6man scores another, and, actually quite a few one other. Today they have no 6man scores, a good 40-50 + oklohomo state HS scores and this. Under 5A: Colleyville Heritage 48 Richland Springs 7. No kidding. It's in the print edition but not on line. Somebody there has at least heard of RS. Do they sell alot of papers north of the RR? I know print media is on the decline but why do they put machines in small towns where they don't even publish the score of the most important event in the week in that town? In this day and age it can't be that hard or less important to the actual purchase of their papers than the Indian territory scores.
Sixman Football Newspaper Coverage
- Thread starter 51eleven
- Start date
I agree with you. They want us to buy their papers but don't cover the sports from our towns. I have contacted the Waco trib (they do a fair job, but still miss a lot of area sixman scores) several times with no luck.
I have also contacted the local TV stations with little luck.
I have also contacted the local TV stations with little luck.
oldfat&bald
Six-man fan
phenom":2yce8ldr said:
The AJ is a joke. Heck, they still think Tech is a good football team. I do have to say nice things about Pete Christy on channel 11. He does a good job of covering the area schools. Even in sixman ball.
#51
11-man fan
The Gatesville Messenger does better than the Waco Tribune.
SavannahSixManFan
11-man fan
Wahhh, try the Savannah Newspapers... nothing... that's why I keep checking here on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings... no loss of coverage or opinions here...
freeagent
Six-man pro
Seriously, even the large metro papers aren't sending reporters to every 5A football game either. The television stations may run a crew that makes the rounds of a bunch of games every week, but even here in San Antonio, Saturday mornings' paper may only feature a few local games. Yes, there will be a page of box scores and now with the paper getting thinner and thinner, what used to be that somewhat complete list of AP scores starting 5A-4A-3A-2A-1A-Six-Man-Private Schools-Other now just has local scores once you get to 1A.
Smaller community papers will spend more time on smaller schools in their market area. It's a secret in the newspaper business, but those small community daily and weekly papers are very profitable. Goes back to the idea that you actually know the folks in the news. I read an article once about a publisher of a local daily paper. His advice to his colleagues who wanted to be successful (and profitable) was to get lots of pictures of local folk in the paper, especially kids (who have parents and grandparents who will buy extra copies of the newspaper so they can share pictures of the little darlings, especially if it's from the school play or playing on the little league team ... my guess is a picture of them being hauled off by the local sheriff for egging the principal's house might not be as well distributed by momma or grandpa).
But those folks don't have seven sportswriters so they can send one out to cover every East Bugtussle Christian game.
Having done this for about the last nine years here, I can tell you that the papers depend on SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL/TEAM to get them information. I'll give you an example. I usually do the post-game story for every Seguin Lifegate Christian game (I didn't do the one the week before last; the sports editor (who is the entire sports staff of the local paper) actually came because the local 5A and 3A schools were on bye week, the 2A school was playing in Fredericksburg, we were home AND he's got a little two week old baby girl at home). He usually does the pre-game story (which is usually calling the head coach and doing a phone interview). Plus, we've developed a pretty good relationship over the years and it gets us some coverage we might not otherwise get. Same with the local radio station, who does a 5 minute pregame show with our coach every week (usually taped on Wednesday and broadcast about 6:45-6:50 every Friday; you can hear it live at www.seguintoday.com during their pregame show, which runs from 6-7 before their 7 pm pregame for the 7:30 kickoff on what is usually the local 5A game).
If we didn't get the story to them, there would not be a game story. So, if you're in that type of a market, you need to help these folks out.
Smaller community papers will spend more time on smaller schools in their market area. It's a secret in the newspaper business, but those small community daily and weekly papers are very profitable. Goes back to the idea that you actually know the folks in the news. I read an article once about a publisher of a local daily paper. His advice to his colleagues who wanted to be successful (and profitable) was to get lots of pictures of local folk in the paper, especially kids (who have parents and grandparents who will buy extra copies of the newspaper so they can share pictures of the little darlings, especially if it's from the school play or playing on the little league team ... my guess is a picture of them being hauled off by the local sheriff for egging the principal's house might not be as well distributed by momma or grandpa).
But those folks don't have seven sportswriters so they can send one out to cover every East Bugtussle Christian game.
Having done this for about the last nine years here, I can tell you that the papers depend on SOMEONE FROM YOUR SCHOOL/TEAM to get them information. I'll give you an example. I usually do the post-game story for every Seguin Lifegate Christian game (I didn't do the one the week before last; the sports editor (who is the entire sports staff of the local paper) actually came because the local 5A and 3A schools were on bye week, the 2A school was playing in Fredericksburg, we were home AND he's got a little two week old baby girl at home). He usually does the pre-game story (which is usually calling the head coach and doing a phone interview). Plus, we've developed a pretty good relationship over the years and it gets us some coverage we might not otherwise get. Same with the local radio station, who does a 5 minute pregame show with our coach every week (usually taped on Wednesday and broadcast about 6:45-6:50 every Friday; you can hear it live at www.seguintoday.com during their pregame show, which runs from 6-7 before their 7 pm pregame for the 7:30 kickoff on what is usually the local 5A game).
If we didn't get the story to them, there would not be a game story. So, if you're in that type of a market, you need to help these folks out.
rainjacktx
Six-man fan
The Amarillo paper does a pretty good job of getting the regional scores in the paper. If the coach, or the stats guy, will take the time to call in the stats - they will usually put a write up in the Saturday paper.
Dogface
Six-man fan
I wonder if the same wouldn't be true for other papers too???????????rainjacktx":t28dxxi1 said:
I said wonder.
rainjacktx
Six-man fan
Dogface":3lvu9w4p said:
I did the stats for 11 years, and called them in to both the Lubbock and the Amarillo paper. Lubbock rarely ran an article, but they at least printed the scores. Amarillo usually had an article on the game every week.
My opinion is that, in Lubbock it's all about the Red Raiders. Something has to miss the cut and it was usually 6-man. I think it's multiplied in Dallas. Two universities in the area, plus huge contingent of alumni from the other Texas Universities. Sixman isn't even on the map unless they are doing some hokie human interest story.
freeagent
Six-man pro
rainjacktx":2hodog2w said:
My guess is that most of the 11 man programs don't get much ink besides a possible brief paragraph on a good day, maybe a limited box score. Of course, the folks at the big city papers will talk about how they have such a great internet site which allows them to publish the stuff they don't/wan't/can't fit in the papers ...
Sadly, looking at a little local high school controversy we had in San Antonio last week (a scout from Central Catholic was caught in the bench area at Antonian, who they were to play the next week) ... you can get lots of bad press (at least three or four stories PLUS lots of TV coverage); but less coverage for the actual game which was the real reason for all of this.
rainjacktx
Six-man fan
And another issue facing pretty much all of print media is manpower. Margins are so thin they just can't staff a sports department like they used to. Plus the size of the papers themselves are shrinking - at least in Lubbock Amarillo and Abilene.
Mr. Hardin is an infinitely more qualified authority on the subject than my anecdotal theories, though.
Mr. Hardin is an infinitely more qualified authority on the subject than my anecdotal theories, though.
From first hand experience I can tell you The San Antonio Express News has no interest in 6-man football. My wife is chief statician for our team ( I spot ) and has attempted on numerous occasions to call in results and stats. Always got an excuse why they did not make it into Saturday paper. Finally, a sports editor finally admitted that at best if called in the info would be placed online but not in the paper. They did not have The time or the space in the print paper. I swear that is exactly what she was told after getting the runaround from various talking heads when she would not stop calling. It is going to take a concerted effort by several schools and possibly some pastors or school headmasters to even get them to listen.
I guess we all can see that the editions of the paper on many days is a little thin to say the least. My prognosis, is that ultimately San Antonio loses the only print paper it has.
I guess we all can see that the editions of the paper on many days is a little thin to say the least. My prognosis, is that ultimately San Antonio loses the only print paper it has.
SavannahSixManFan
11-man fan
Well said Lifegatesports. I played at Rochelle my Freshman year. After that, due to an injury, I traveled with the team for three years and kept stats, a brief overview of the game and called it in to the Brady Standard-Herald (bi-weekly) for posting in the Tuesday paper. If your not getting the coverage you want, get a contact in the sports section, and get the information to them by phone or via email.
oldfat&bald
Six-man fan
If you want scores from across the state, get on Cowboy Tinkles text list. He gets scores from everywhere and sends them out Friday nights.
There are still several More teams that I'd like to receive scores on. I'll take any game updates I can get, but here are some I'm really interested inoldfat&bald":1wm9l4h0 said:
Jonesboro
Abbott
Bynum
Water valley
Ira
Milford
Garden city
Sterling city
Motley county
Send me updates on 1 game, & I'll send you updates on several.
Thanks,
Cowboy
(254)-659-7340
rainjacktx
Six-man fan
oldfat&bald":3egn87qs said:
In a conversation about 6-man coverage in print news media, you decide that P's text list needs to be part of the conversation?
Really? Are you giving SimpleTon lessons, or is it the other way around?
rainjacktx
Six-man fan
CowboyP":13u8z3uv said:
In a conversation about newspaper coverage? Think about it. Not that your score texting is a bad idea, it's in the completely wrong context. Maybe you should start a thread dedicated to your free service.
A place for everything and everything in it's place.