News Article: Colorado Avalanche Media Coverage Part VI

[LOFIN]

I enjoyed the deep dive stories in persons Baugh did. But as far as an everyday beatwriter reporting about stuff going on with the team, Evan has surpassed him.

All the best to him in his new endeavours.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Yeah, I'll be honest the Athletic has gone down hill tremendously since it's first few years. They've never once hired a hockey reporter for the Avs beat. They've all been good sports journalists but there was definitely a learning curve and as soon as they've gotten good and maybe made a connection or two around the league they leave and get replaced by another outsider who has to learn the ropes.

I'm leaning towards not renewing next year.

 

[Balthazar]

I’ll discuss my next position at The Athletic in a few weeks, but for now, I wanted to take a moment to express my appreciation to everyone who read and engaged with my work the past three years.

Sounds like it was his choice to do something else, he didn't get fired.

Sucks, I was getting used to him now. He pretty much learned about the sport while covering the team.

Can we get a new person who already likes hockey and knows the game to cover the Avs now? Please? Not just someone who uses it as a stepping stone like Peter Baugh and Ryan Clark.

Evan has surpassed him.

I hope he gets the Athletic job because the pay is probably better.

 

[Avs_19]

That sucks. I thought Baugh was really good and enjoyed reading his stories outside of the day to day news stuff. There's like 7 people who can instantly tweet out anything Bednar announces at a presser or the team sends out to the media. Baugh added something different to the mix and you know he did something right when a guy like MacKinnon, who despises everything about doing media, seemed to like him. I wonder if they'll even replace Avs coverage at The Athletic. I can't imagine they're doing big numbers on that front.

 

[Balthazar]

I wonder if they'll even replace Avs coverage at The Athletic.

If not I won't renew for sure...but I bet we're not that many who subbed for the Avs.

 

[Stories]

If not I won't renew for sure...but I bet we're not that many who subbed for the Avs.

Yeah, they're turning into such a national coverage that the initial subscription model of replacing local beats just seems to be dying... I'm sad about that as really loved both Ryan and Peter on the beat.

As much as I like the national MLB coverage, the local Avs coverage had kept me on. I will probably also not renew if they just get rid of the Avs beat.

 

[Foppa2118]

Terry Frei has been at the presser's recently, but I think he just works for his own website. Maybe he's been trying out for the gig?

Out of all the reporters left covering the Avs, he's probably the best "writer." He likes to do deep dives and back stories on players too. I'd read him if he got the job.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

If not I won't renew for sure...but I bet we're not that many who subbed for the Avs.

I joined the day they announced Denver as a location for the Athletic to cover. But man, they've treated the Avs coverage like absolute shit. The two Avs beat writers they've hired have not been hockey people. They come in with good writing skills but have to learn the game. As soon as they make a couple of connections and actually become useful they leave for greener pastures.

The only benefits I've gotten from the subscription this year are Dom's player cards (awesome as always) and DGB's articles.

 

[Balthazar]

The two Avs beat writers they've hired have not been hockey people

Yes it's an absolute joke. Avs treated like some high school sport team.

 

[Foppa2118]

I joined the day they announced Denver as a location for the Athletic to cover. But man, they've treated the Avs coverage like absolute shit. The two Avs beat writers they've hired have not been hockey people. They come in with good writing skills but have to learn the game. As soon as they make a couple of connections and actually become useful they leave for greener pastures.

The only benefits I've gotten from the subscription this year are Dom's player cards (awesome as always) and DGB's articles.

I don't follow the other team's writers much. I'd be curious how many of them have stayed longer than a few years?

Seems like a vehicle for people to use as a resume boost and stepping stone to something else. Similar to the Avs rink reporters. Might not pay that much either, given the business model.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I don't follow the other team's writers much. I'd be curious how many of them have stayed longer than a few years?

Seems like a vehicle for people to use as a resume boost and stepping stone to something else. Similar to the Avs rink reporters. Might not pay that much either, given the business model.

Aaron Portzline has been with the Blue Jackets since Day 1. They nabbed him from the Columbus Dispatch. Russo's been covering Minny since Day 1. I don't really follow a lot of individual teams but I do follow individual authors and I try to read all of Portzline's stuff (went to high school with him for a year) and will read anything Russo does that coves the league but not so much his Wild stuff. Just don't care for the team, at all.

 

[Foppa2118]

Aaron Portzline has been with the Blue Jackets since Day 1. They nabbed him from the Columbus Dispatch. Russo's been covering Minny since Day 1. I don't really follow a lot of individual teams but I do follow individual authors and I try to read all of Portzline's stuff (went to high school with him for a year) and will read anything Russo does that coves the league but not so much his Wild stuff. Just don't care for the team, at all.

Yeah, I have a feeling they may be in a different pay bracket though. They're OG's.

 

[ThatGuy22]

Outsider to the Avs board here, saw Baugh was leaving. That's to bad. Liked his work.

I'm pretty convinced the regional coverage/salaries are tied to subscription base and profitability.

Like 1/3rd of NHL teams have no beat reporter at this point, including some contenders. But the Wild have two, granted Russo is doing lots of National work now as well.

Their was a leak early on in the Athletic and there were only like 4 profitable markets, Minnesota being one of them because they sniped the right well established people for the right sports (Russo, Krazynski mainly, Gleeman a bit later on).

I wonder if the competition with DNVR is keeping salaries lower in the Denver market.

 

[willy702]

Seriously guys, how many of you were really paying for Athletic and are in position to say you won't renew? I get it only because it's part of NY Times and I only get that because it's a credit card benefit. There ain't a writer in the world I'd pay for over there even if it's a token amount of money. And this is why we can't be taken seriously when we swear we won't renew because of some coverage change.

 

[Pokecheque]

I’ll admit my reliance on The Athletic has waned considerably the last couple years. Their massive downsizing has taken a huge toll. When Baugh started, it was basically him, DNVR, and Dater. Now we have CHN, DNVR, Masisak over at the Denver Post, and Guerilla. It’s nice to have options.

 

[Balthazar]

I’ll admit my reliance on The Athletic has waned considerably the last couple years. Their massive downsizing has taken a huge toll. When Baugh started, it was basically him, DNVR, and Dater. Now we have CHN, DNVR, Masisak over at the Denver Post, and Guerilla. It’s nice to have options.

I don't know how long it's going to last but Guerilla's willingness to travel with the team and the high quality of their production is unmatched and possibly a game changer.

Personally I'm going to miss Baugh's live tweets during games, those are very useful for when I can't watch. @The Mars Volchenkov will be the last one doing it since the DNVR guys aren't tweeting anymore during games.

We strictly rely on you for Tweets now Evan!

 

[expatriatedtexan]

Seriously guys, how many of you were really paying for Athletic and are in position to say you won't renew? I get it only because it's part of NY Times and I only get that because it's a credit card benefit. There ain't a writer in the world I'd pay for over there even if it's a token amount of money. And this is why we can't be taken seriously when we swear we won't renew because of some coverage change.

Yeah, I don't have a Times subscription or a credit card benefit. I did subscribe on a discount for about $35 bucks the first year. The gave me the same rate the second year. Last year they tried to up it to something like $80 and I cancelled. During the online cancellation process it offered me another year for $2. I took it. It's not like I've spent a ton of money on them.

To be honest, the overall quality when I first subscribed was probably worth $35 a year to me. What I am saying now is that I'm waffling on whether the service is actually worth the $2 to me that I spent on it this year. Considering the Avs beat writer left with no warning and they have not made any announcements on a replacement...I'd say the quality of the product took another hit. And I'm not even a Baugh fan.

 

[UncleRisto]

Seriously guys, how many of you were really paying for Athletic and are in position to say you won't renew? I get it only because it's part of NY Times and I only get that because it's a credit card benefit. There ain't a writer in the world I'd pay for over there even if it's a token amount of money. And this is why we can't be taken seriously when we swear we won't renew because of some coverage change.

Yeah, for a dollar a month. I barely read anything. Definitely not renewing.

 

[Avs91]

Yeah, I don't have a Times subscription or a credit card benefit. I did subscribe on a discount for about $35 bucks the first year. The gave me the same rate the second year. Last year they tried to up it to something like $80 and I cancelled. During the online cancellation process it offered me another year for $2. I took it. It's not like I've spent a ton of money on them.

To be honest, the overall quality when I first subscribed was probably worth $35 a year to me. What I am saying now is that I'm waffling on whether the service is actually worth the $2 to me that I spent on it this year. Considering the Avs beat writer left with no warning and they have not made any announcements on a replacement...I'd say the quality of the product took another hit. And I'm not even a Baugh fan.

Exact same experience for me.

 

[dahrougem2]

I respect Baugh's stories, and the players genuinely seemed to like him. He tried hard to learn the sport over 3 years but I won't be shocked if he leaves hockey entirely in his new gig. To this day you can still tell he doesn't grasp the game all that well.

 

[Balthazar]

I respect Baugh's stories, and the players genuinely seemed to like him. He tried hard to learn the sport over 3 years but I won't be shocked if he leaves hockey entirely in his new gig. To this day you can still tell he doesn't grasp the game all that well.

He's a football guy

 

[S E P H]

Baugh was quite professional and that is quite something considering who we've dealt with in the past lol.

He and Clarke were always fodder for me, maybe I am getting old, but I honestly don't care about stories showing that Cogs is a great husband and father and that Rantanen does KGB workouts over the summer with his dog. Not saying that's what they wrote about specifically, but those secondary articles do nothing for me anymore. I much prefer national articles about where the NHL is heading, Avs drawing up plans for a new practice facility, how refs determine what should be called over the summer, and technological aspects we might see in hockey five years down the line. Those are the articles I am much more interested in nowadays.

However, based on what I've seen and read, Baugh was a huge upgrade on Clarke. Not that Clarke was entirely bad himself, but you can tell he was just showing up because it was his job whereas Baugh put in that extra effort to make relationships and whatnot. I don't recall, but did Clarke ever get a trade or signing rumour right? I feel Baugh posted a lot more rumours and ones that felt much more genuine than anybody else. I respect him for that, but I quite like @The Mars Volchenkov daily Avs stuff. I know that Mars will eventually get sick/burned out writing daily articles, but I definitely view them once to twice a week (also like the Around the NHL articles too). I never visit DNVR and I bet I am not missing much of anything even if they got Lacroix. E: You lot already post the best Meghan tweets on here anyway.

He's a football guy

Oversaturated market for the sport, especially in regards to writers.

 

[Balthazar]

I honestly don't care about stories showing that Cogs is a great husband and father and that Rantanen does KGB workouts over the summer with his dog.

Neither do I and I never read that kind of story on the Athletic TBH.

I just want a guy that covers the on-ice activities and provides insider informations. I don't give 2 shits about what the players do with their families.

On the other hand, if something exceptional happens like the Nuke story last year I'd like to learn more than what the official story says. I didn't learn anything because despite knowing the truth none of them spoke. That was a failure on all of them.

 

[expatriatedtexan]

I will say one other thing about the Athletic.

They have ventured farther into social activism than I ever expected a journalism outfit to go. That may also be a reason for their declining subscriptions. They've gone beyond reporting to picking sides and that's a dangerous slope, even when picking the "right" side.

 

[Pokecheque]

I will say one other thing about the Athletic.

They have ventured farther into active social activism than I ever expected a journalism outfit to go. That may also be a reason for their declining subscriptions. They've gone beyond reporting to picking sides and that's a dangerous slope, even when picking the "right" side.

That had absolutely nothing to do with it.