Two weeks ago while at the US Open we got the news that Bloomberg had let go of many of its US-based sports business reporters. The continual change of the marketplace combined with a refocusing of the company on the media side meant that the content being created did not match the vision of senior management, and even though those reporters and editors did a standup job covering their beats, heads were going to roll as assets were refocused. On Wednesday came more disappointing news, many of the longtime sports voices of “New York’s Hometown Paper,” The New York Daily News, were being let go, including many of the key “voices” the paper has had for decades in sports like baseball (Bill Madden), tennis and the Olympics (Filip Bondy and Wayne Coffey), college basketball (Roger Rubin) and golf, and football (Hank Gola), along with their longtime news and sports columnist and Sunday fixture, Mike Lupica.
What was stunning was not really that The News was cutting such big names…veteran voices have bigger salaries than younger reporters and this has happened elsewhere…it was that another media platform, and that’s what the News should be considered, cannot find the right balance to remain relevant and find a financial formula in what is still a very fluid and uncharted landscape.
It was a bit ironic that on the same day, ESPN announced a contract extension for their President, John Skipper, someone who had negotiated the troubling waters of layoffs and retooling at arguably the biggest sports/entertainment media platform in the world. one which is continuing to strike a balance in what their head of communications, Chris LaPlaca, explains as 360 degree storytelling; making sure all members of the company with a public face have the ability and the understanding expose their product across every medium possible, video, social, audio, mobile, as efficiently as possible with the goal of reaching consumers wherever they are. It is time consuming, it takes a skill set, but it is necessary and relevant in a marketplace where consumers, especially young consumers probably know the media brand more than the person creating the content.
When you ask many younger consumers today where they get their information you often hear a platform; SB Nation, Bleacher Report, ESPN, for sports, much more than a columnist. The time a name comes up is when that person is engaged in many forms of media; video bites, Twitter, Facebook postings rather than just a static story, no matter how good it is. On rare occasions with breaking news the person becomes the story, but for most part it is the content that drives, not the name. Find an engaging YouTube personality or a podcast, all in sync with a print piece for a media platform, and it works in the cumulative. Without it, the result is piecemeal. The best platforms are the ones which have taken the time to train, explain and program across all. The others…the traditional…are going the way of the dinosaur.
Now this is not to say that The News hasn’t tried, like other platforms or that people don’t consume media from sources that they have come to trust. The News has a growing video feed, they have a nightly broadcast outlet locally on SNY TV, they have created a podcast and they are growing in the social space. However is it all tied together with each and every story like it is in other places like VICE Sports or ESPN? Not yet. Looking at the social footprints of the veteran writers who were let go is very telling, as none are large or engaged that regularly. The ones who have done well for The News? An NBA reporter like Frank Isola, who is on Sirius and on TV, hustles to break news online and is very engaged in the social space, is probably a great example of how all the pieces work together, but he is driven to hustle and learn in all those areas. How much The News, or many other “traditional” outlets, take the time to train and push their staff to do so is a big question, but it is probably a safe bet that those remaining, no matter the “name” they have in traditional media circles, will be the ones who can maybe help drive a ship that people see as sinking.
On the trusted source side, it was also interesting to see the News get rid of its local bureaus. In an era where hyper-local content is becoming even more important, any number of smaller, nimble outlets are finding ways to best serve their local communities. That too, is another area of growth, finding the niche that makes sense and delivering that niche in an orchestrated manner to a key and hungry audience. We are seeing it in sports and in news and other verticals where smart and engaging platforms are finding a voice and starting to thrive. They understand the local market and can run an efficient, albeit small to midsized business that delivers an ROI for all involved.
In the end there is no easy answer for the platform or the media member just yet. Like in other industries, experience has a price, and that price is measured in ROI. At some point, and it seems like it is happening sooner, the business hits a ceiling where it determines if the cost is meeting the benefits. Many smart companies see this as an investment in human capital, many others see it as a way to cut costs and sacrifice the experience to match the bottom line. That usually is not the best way to do business for the long term, but we are in a world today where the short term is trumping the long term and not seeing immediate results, especially in a hyper competitive space like media in a major market, exacts a toll.
We hurt not because these jobs were eliminated by a platform like The Daily News. By many accounts these reporters may be back as freelancers for the outlets which let them go. Efficient head counts are also an issue in this volatile time, and the “consulting” area, if one has the stomach for it, is expanding in leaps and bounds for those who can find ways to fill the gap. It’s not traditional and certainly not easy for many and it takes both a certain acumen and a skill set that makes you more than willing to adapt and change.
We really hurt because like in other industries these are good people who have lost their livelihood and now must scramble to find a new place to earn a living in an environment they have not been trained for, or may even like that much. There was probably a time when there were a lot of great people who were blacksmiths who were unemployed as well. It wasn’t the people that failed, it was the changing of the times and opportunity and what the job and the marketplace was asking for that they were not prepared for.
For the most point, especially for an older demo, they are also voices who came to us every day and delivered fun and interesting stories. At least for the short term, there is a gap to be filled.
This morning millions went on consuming media, especially in sports, from their platform of choice, and probably didn’t miss that much of a beat that it wasn’t the same person at the Daily News delivering them the information. Is it the same quality and depth? Hard to say. Was it quick and easy? Probably.
In the end there will be a balance and there are many media companies that are getting closer to find that balance, one where content matches platform and equals return for brands. It won’t be at the price point many working in the industry will like. It will require new training and a better understanding of the marketplace, and a willingness to adapt. Maybe it won’t be the same but it is a reality and it is one which a changing marketplace is finding interesting and intriguing.
Our hope is that there is a marketplace where quality storytellers can find their equitable place in the workforce. There is no shortage of young people wanting to be involved in media, especially in sports, but they do need trailing of the traditional kind. In the same vein, there are many vets in the industry who can stand to continue to learn from those who understand the new landscape, and that is where the balance may come. When that will come is another question, but for now many will shake their heads, pause for a second on those displaced, and then go back to their phones and devices to get the latest news.
The turbulent times are certainly not over for those in media, as we all keep adapting and hopefully learning in a world where the only constant is change.
