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"Please see TENNIS on Page 3A:"

October 10, 2007

Before I write this, I want to apologize to my loyal readers for not being loyal to you.
I have not been consistent writing these blogs mainly because football season is a busy time for me. But if you are still out there, I will try to write at least four of these a week.

My numbers were understandably down considerably last month, so I may have lost all of you.
I am asking you to comment at the end of this just to let me know there are people still reading.
Thanks.

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Ever since Gutenberg invented his press, newspapers have been trying to figure out what to do with "jumps."
"Jumps" are stories that start on page and are continued on another one.

Somewhere I once read that only 10 percent of readers go to the "jump page" and finish a story.
Knowing that, newspapers have tried to either reduce or completely eliminate "jumps."

The problem is most of the time we writers act like we are getting paid by the word.
Our stories are long and drawn out and create a nightmare for newspaper designers.
Although sometimes I admit it is hard to tell it, our paper still tries to look decent.
If something is pretty to look at, it will attract more readers.
And nobody wants to look at globs and globs of type.

So we have to jump stories.
But what we don't have to do is what this paper did this morning.

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The only story on the front page that I thought was worth investing my time to read was the one about naming two tennis courts at Wichita Falls High School.
The big problem was only one paragraph and one half of a sentence was on the front page.
Midway through the second paragraph, it says "Please see Tennis on Page 3A."

Now either somebody is really smart and is tricking the 90 percent "non-jump readers" into reading a jump or somebody is just stupid and did not run enough of the story to get important part on the front page.

All I wanted to know was which two people had courts named after them.
The paper made me go to Page 3A to find out it was Linda Merrill and Robbie Sargent. The names were at the end of the sentence that jumped.

I worked for 2 1/2 years as news editor for the Times and if I had done something like that, Charles Ward or Don James would have met me at the door, screaming in my face.
But that was then and now is now.
Nobody screams anymore.
Nobody grabs a telephone and wakes up a person who didn't get off work until 1 a.m. just to bitch him out about doing something stupid.

Don't want to hurt someone's feelings now, do we?
So it will happen again and again and again and again and again.
And 90 percent of the readers won't give a damn.

Posted by at 8:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (5)

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Comments

Not only still reading, but passing your blog onto others here in Plano. Thanks

Posted by: Tony Garrett | October 10, 2007 8:46 AM

Im still reading Nick! I was worried that maybe you were about to give up the blog. Glad to see your writing more!
Keep up the good work. I read your blog more than i read the paper!

Posted by: Gwen | October 10, 2007 8:57 AM

Still reading and enjoying, although I've only been consistently reading the last 2 days. I wanted your take on the Cowboys game, so I read yesterday and today.
In all, I've read about 10 total, but plan on becoming a regular. I've aready got a two-day headstart on the "regular" goal.

Posted by: Ben Coker | October 10, 2007 10:57 AM

Only 10% read on?? Where do they get this info? Is that why they do not post the jump on the page that they say it's on?

Posted by: Shawn | October 10, 2007 11:07 AM

Nick, I'm still reading..... more on page A4.

jerry

Posted by: jerry self | October 11, 2007 4:32 AM

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