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Is the DNJ still in Murfreesboro?

MT Glenn

True Blue
Sep 19, 2005
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This morning's DNJ has one small article about our game and about three pages devoted to the team in prison-jumpsuit orange. Are they TRYING to go out of business?
 
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I understand that it was a big win for them but to almost completely ignore the hometown team is pathetic.
 
Just to see what the deal was, I picked up the hard copy this morning. The amount of text devoted MT was beyond pathetic. Did have a large photo and a smaller photo with five paragraphs (six total sentences) on the front sports page. On page three, there was another small photo and three paragraphs. I am going to assume it was be cause the MT game ended about 9:30 or so and probably pushed deadline. Does anyone know if the paper is printed in the boro, now or printed in Nashville or somewhere else
 
I drove to The Boro after the game on West End just to get a hard copy of the articles which were listed on line in the DNJ. Weren't there - a complete waste of time. IIRC only one article on the game from a MT perspective (in The Tennessean there were none). First time I've been disappointed in the coverage after making the effort to get a copy of the DNJ. It does seem as if Gannett is hampering the DNJs ability to fully cover the local U after a game.

And this morning in The Tennessean - Not one article on MT's game last night unless you count Amato's "5 things we learned on Saturday (sub-title) Homegrown stars win it" Casual fan has no idea about the entry being on MT or the Blue Raiders - certainly nothing to call attention to our really exciting victory.

It's hard to discern if the Nashville area media just doesn't care about MT or if they are making an effort to keep MT "Little Middle".

So frustrating being a MT fan.
 
I hate this new wave of journalism with this 5 things we learned and three thumbs up crap. It's so lazy to me. What happened to writing an actual article summarizing the game
 
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I hate this new wave of journalism with this 5 things we learned and three thumbs up crap. It's so lazy to me. What happened to writing an actual article summarizing the game


I've noticed this "5 things.." movement in the last 4-5 years with other sections, and not exclusively to sports. Business magazines have turned to this as well and various other web outlets in blog reporting. It might be okay to put in a text box somewhere with factoids, but if that is "meat and potatoes" of article writing it's lazy, poor, and certainly not worth the subscription price. I want in depth and facts, not all opinion (unless its the editorial section, of course).
 
Just to see what the deal was, I picked up the hard copy this morning. The amount of text devoted MT was beyond pathetic. Did have a large photo and a smaller photo with five paragraphs (six total sentences) on the front sports page. On page three, there was another small photo and three paragraphs. I am going to assume it was be cause the MT game ended about 9:30 or so and probably pushed deadline. Does anyone know if the paper is printed in the boro, now or printed in Nashville or somewhere else
It's printed at Gannett in Nashville.
 
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I am thinking that in the day and age of virtualization, couldn't those of use hobby a MT news site?
 
I have been a long time reader of this board but I don't ever post. Before I logged on today, I knew this would be my first post. I have had enough of this DNJ crap and I wanted to vent. Looks like I was not the only one.
I have been a subscriber for over 40 years and I am at the point of cancelation. Seems like my opinions have been expressed so I won't waste your time with all of them, but I do highly encourage you to use the method of your choice to contact the DNJ and express your disappointment.
I understand that the game time was part of the problem because of deadlines. But I'm so tired of these 5 Things We Know over and over with little to no game story or information.
It isn't just MTSU. It's high school stuff too. I see no CUSA stuff and tons of UT and Vandy stuff. It's like no one at the DNJ wants to write a story. It's getting old. It's lazy. You get paid to write something, not present notes.
I have always enjoyed learning about our team before the season,then re-living the games through the articles. But this year there was very little camp coverage. Now there is minimal game coverage and little more than tidbits. Hope they listen and improve soon. The print media is disappearing because of internet access. But with this coverage, it's not even worth reading the web page.
 
I'm at the point of cancellation too. I was going to send a complaint directly to the DNJ sports editor but apparently they don't even have one, so I sent it to the "contact us" link that blueboro007 suggested. I don't really expect response that will change my mind though.
I don't really get the deadline excuse either. As a child and teenager in the late 70's and early 80's I delivered the morning paper. I had to be finished by 5:00 am and the west coast scores were always in the paper. Now the papers have until 6 am to be delivered, but even midwest scores are too late for them. With today's technology, why do they need to push the deadline up 3 hours to deliver a smaller paper, an hour later.
 
One thing to consider is the DNJ now only has one person covering the game. Even as recently as maybe 2-3 years ago when Sparks was the main beat guy, if it was a night game you also would have Monte and Pogue helping out with the coverage. So three people doing one article each meant three stories the next morning (or usually two stories and an opinion column from the game). Plus they could all combine on a quick notes section and suddenly there is a lot of coverage in the DNJ. They could also share player/coaches quotes so less time spent chasing interviews after the game.

Now Aldo has to try and write all the stories, plus interview players (with video) while working on a tight deadline. That is the reason there is more online, b/c he can post those at anytime.

And my opinion on the 5 things complaints. I read some Gannet writer posted on Twitter it is a company directive based upon analytics and what draws the most clicks. It seemed the writer wasn't a fan of it either. But it is done all across Gannet, and they control so many papers it appears like something that will stay around as most writers don't have a lot of other options.
 
And I didn't mean my prior post to come off a a defense of the DNJ/Gannet as a whole. It is more a defense of the local people who work there who have seen budgets, salary and staff get cut to the point where - I believe - most of them would admit it is a sub-par product.

I don't think the DNJ staff is allowed to do as it would like, evidenced by them not even having a sports editor.
 
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No doubt Gannett will run the DNJ, along with any smaller papers the acquire, into the ground in the pursuit of ever increasing profits. Once upon a time the owners of newspapers tried to make a living by providing a public service. Now, not so much.
 
And I didn't mean my prior post to come off a a defense of the DNJ/Gannet as a whole. It is more a defense of the local people who work there who have seen budgets, salary and staff get cut to the point where - I believe - most of them would admit it is a sub-par product.

I don't think the DNJ staff is allowed to do as it would like, evidenced by them not even having a sports editor.

I don't think we'll see it get any better for the newspapers. I'm betting we'll see a time in the near future where there really isn't a beat writer and they'll use the sports information articles. Hopefully then, they won't insert MTxx in place of MT and Middle Tennessee.
 
IIRC, The DNJ was a game sponsor the other night! Kreager got presented a football or something as their rep. Pitiful!
 
This is the response I received today from the DNJ.

"We received your note about Sunday’s print edition and MTSU coverage and I think I can help you out here.

The UT-Florida game started and ended before MTSU and Louisiana Tech kicked off at 6 p.m. at Floyd.

The MTSU game was a back-and-forth game and ended literally with 10 minutes until we went to press.

So I was able to get my analysis in by deadline but everything else, as noted, made our website which is jam-packed with MTSU coverage.

I encourage you to visit dnj.com/blue-raiders as it is packed with analysis, videos and more coverage about MTSU.

Nobody covers MTSU more than The Daily News Journal and our website reflects that. With your current subscription, you have unlimited access to our site.
I hope you visit our site and look forward to your readership!"
 
This wasn't encouraging to me. It sounds like they've turned their backs on us old folks that still like an actual newspaper. I'm not buying the deadline excuse. The lights at Johnny Red Floyd were installed a long time ago, and this hasn't been an issue.
 
I got the exact same response. And there has been much more extensive coverage of UT when they have had night games IIRC. I know Aldo works hard and does a good job but when the local paper has a 4-page Sunday sports section and 6 inch write up something is wrong. They may just need to go the way of the Post and do weekly or bi-weekly issues because it gets smaller every month.
 
These days, DNJ is in the Sun Trust building--fourth floor is their offices. Think all printing is Nashville based, as with the Tennessean. I get the feeling its operated like a regional news bureau versus an independent newspaper covering Murfreesboro, Rutherford, and Cannon county. It also borrows some of USA Today for the national stories. I'm a Sunday only customer with online, these days. In my opinion, the quality is markedly inferior from just five years ago. I miss the good Ole days of it being operated by the Mid-South Publishing Co.

dredging up this old thread because I saw this article on line, I'm sure things will improve now...

Gannett to Close Nashville Design Studio
Production hub responsible for Gannett papers in Southeast, including Tennessean

...Gannett will shut its Nashville design studio and move the production work of its Southeast newspapers to other hubs around the country. It’s the second studio closed by the company in recent months after an Asbury Park facility was shuttered in April. The move will affect 88 people.

Managers at the studio, located in the same building at The Tennessean at 1100 Broadway, were told today that Gannett expects to transition all of the work from Nashville by Oct. 1. Studio staffers were told at 4 p.m. today. The design and page editing work for The Tennessean and other Tennessee papers — Commercial Appeal, Knoxville News-Sentinel, Jackson Sun, Daily News Journal, Leaf Chronicle and other, smaller titles — will now move out of state.

Studio staff were said to be shocked by the move.

Shuttering the hub leaves the nation’s largest newspaper publisher with three studios — Louisville, Des Moines and Phoenix — to produce more than 100 newspapers.....


 
Very sad, but they could not compete with online, small town weekleys will rule the day. Small businesses have been pushing advertising dollars that way for awhile. Also you always you have sidelines.
 
Hate to hear of so many losing their jobs. I was wondering if Gannett was going to consolidate the region in Nashville through the Tennessean. Then when you new developments such as this happen, it makes one wonder if the Tennessean is sinking also.

I don't know all the ends and outs, but were these artists and graphics people for hard copy? Is this a part of the attrition that comes with most media moving to digital as in this case digital graphics?
 
Every once in awhile, I head over to the DNJ page. It is looking really sad. It seems, in my opinion, to keep getting worse and worse. MTSU has traditionally been a big draw which they are hardly covering these days. The local news seems to get scant coverage now. It seems like maybe one headline article. The other stories are days old with little new content being added. My perception could be off, but it looks like the DNJ is on life support.
 
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