A time-out from sports to assess the fall of newspapers

Each morning as I trek across the city into work, the noises around me are muffled out by the many conversations between ESPN’s Bill Simmons and guest. The B.S. Report is a highly successful podcast, created from the success of Simmons' eccentric sports columns on ESPN.com and in ESPN the Magazine. Despite the podcast being nothing more than a glorified conversation between Simmons and a colleague/expert/prominent sports media figure/or even a friend, it has developed quite the following among the all important 18-34 male demographic.

Over the past few weeks, however, the conversation has shifted away from sports commentary, to a genuinely worried Simmons bringing in a handful of venerable men and women in the biz to get their input on where newspapers went wrong, and how it can be fixed (if at all).

The suggestions and input has ranged from former New York Times sports editor, and current ESPN ombudsman, Le Anne Schreiber who says that newspapers should have been more forthright in charging for their online content back in the late ‘90s. Author and Esquire columnist Chuck Klosterman said newspapers were too stubborn to get younger and, unfortunately, most markets are stuck with older writers who have trouble connecting with…once again the 18-34 male demographic.

John A. Walsh, Senior VP of the worldwide leader, boldly noted that newspapers may have failed way back in the 1950s, as they didn’t do enough to adapt and work with radio and television when they came around. Neither of those mediums were powerful enough to take down newspapers, but the Internet clearly is and the print people haven’t evolved by providing more unconventional and offbeat commentary. Point being, just how many people are look forward to a game recap from an AP guy? I would guess it’s very few.

---Nick Fasulo is an account coordinator at Solomon McCown & Company. He can be reached by email at nfasulo@solomonmccown.com.