OT: Craig Morgan’s AZ Coyotes Insider Discussion.

[BigJCaRoach]

Wish him the very best. I know we here on the board didn’t always agree, but still, wish him the very best.

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[rt]

I've always really like Craig. I've said nasty things about him on this forum but that reflects poorly on myself, rather than on him. This sucks. Not just because it sucks for him, but he's responsible for a huge majority of any Coyotes related content outside of the official broadcasts. Like maybe 80-90% of it.

 

[Neighborhood Coyote]

Definitely sucks to hear. Hope he can find a way to land on his feet and keep doing what he has been... even if that's just me selfishly hoping for more quality Yotes content.

 

[XX]

Seems like a temporary thing until sports pick back up, no? I am sure with his resume he will find a gig.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I kept my Athletic subscription, but I imagine many people cancelled.

 

[TheLegend]

For those wondering, 46 staffers were let go.

Layoffs hit 8% of The Athletic staff, with others taking pay cuts

 

[rt]

I kept my Athletic subscription, but I imagine many people cancelled.

I’ll cancel after the draft and won’t renew until the Coyotes are eliminated from the 2020-2021 season. I will want the 2021 draft content. But I’ll wait until our off-season officially begins.

 

[Canis Latrans]

Seems like they are really eschewing the whole Arizona market as they let go of the Suns, Cardinals, and Coyotes writer(s). ASU and the Diamondbacks are still covered, as are the Wildcats, who I'd read stuff on, but my impression is that that author is way less compensated than the let-go ones were. Perhaps when things start back up again they'll be rehired on, or the team itself can hire them on. Lack of coverage aside from being touched upon by national writers here and there is not going to make it worth re-subscribing.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

I've always really like Craig. I've said nasty things about him on this forum but that reflects poorly on myself, rather than on him. This sucks. Not just because it sucks for him, but he's responsible for a huge majority of any Coyotes related content outside of the official broadcasts. Like maybe 80-90% of it.

You can get carried away - impressive what you just wrote though.

 

[Coyotedroppings]

Can he please replace Walsh on Fox?

 

[_Del_]

Man. Now I'll have to wait for reporters in Toronto and New York to go break all the important Coyotes news...

 

[RemoAZ]

I'd never wish anybody lose their job but I won't miss anything he wrote. We need a media personality in the state independent enough to dig for more than what the team gives freely. I want to know the real story when a guy gets traded or fired and I want a reporter that asks probing questions about on ice play, strategy and lineup changes. Have we ever had that for the hockey team?

 

[Jamieh]

I'd never wish anybody lose their job but I won't miss anything he wrote. We need a media personality in the state independent enough to dig for more than what the team gives freely. I want to know the real story when a guy gets traded or fired and I want a reporter that asks probing questions about on ice play, strategy and lineup changes. Have we ever had that for the hockey team?

Does any market have someone who writes those stories?

 

[Jakey53]

Man. Now I'll have to wait for reporters in Toronto and New York to go break all the important Coyotes news...

So, nothing has changed.

 

[Jakey53]

Does any market have someone who writes those stories?

Exactly. These reports are homers. I followed the Oiler's crew for about a day and got sick to my stomach.

 

[MIGs Dog]

We need Bob Woodward to start covering sports.

 

[rt]

I'd never wish anybody lose their job but I won't miss anything he wrote. We need a media personality in the state independent enough to dig for more than what the team gives freely. I want to know the real story when a guy gets traded or fired and I want a reporter that asks probing questions about on ice play, strategy and lineup changes. Have we ever had that for the hockey team?

The next one will be the first.

 

[awfulwaffle]

That ends my Athletic subscription. He might not have been the best regarding asking tough questions, but he did a great job. He gave us more info than any other writer has on the team. I actually enjoyed the stories he published about the players' backstory and more personal touches. He was great, hope he gets a gig elsewhere to be able to continue following the team.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

The Athletic basically poached away a lot of the best local sports reporting talent in the hopes of creating a super-business, only to discover, like the local newsrooms that went through huge layoffs and cutbacks over the past several years, that talent comes with a big price tag.

The Internet economy loves paying in exposure rather than dollars, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Athletic goes down the same road that Vox and SB Nation and Fansided and all the other outlets went down - paying a pittance to amateur writers more invested in attention than a salary. It's an Op-Ed World out there, folks.

I'm sure Craig will get another job, but I doubt it'll be writing about the Coyotes unless Meruelo hires him to be the next Dave Vest.

 

[hbk]

This is a massive hole in Coyote coverage. I liked Craig’s work. He will be missed. I hope his family isn’t pushed into financial distress during this period.

 

[cobra427]

The Athletic basically poached away a lot of the best local sports reporting talent in the hopes of creating a super-business, only to discover, like the local newsrooms that went through huge layoffs and cutbacks over the past several years, that talent comes with a big price tag.

The Internet economy loves paying in exposure rather than dollars, and I wouldn't be at all surprised if The Athletic goes down the same road that Vox and SB Nation and Fansided and all the other outlets went down - paying a pittance to amateur writers more invested in attention than a salary. It's an Op-Ed World out there, folks.

I'm sure Craig will get another job, but I doubt it'll be writing about the Coyotes unless Meruelo hires him to be the next Dave Vest.

I don't know how you make a living writing any more, so much free information on the internet, nobody wants to pay for anything.

 

[MIGs Dog]

I don't know how you make a living writing any more, so much free information on the internet, nobody wants to pay for anything.

Advertising. Although you might not be paying for what you read, every web page is loaded with ads. It's not as lucrative as the old model, which is why besides the Athletic obviously struggling, many news organizations, both traditional and online-only have been laying people off.

I think we will eventually get to a place where nearly every news/information website is subscription-based or have different tiers for free info and "premium" and there will be better controls in place to identify and shut down parasite websites that scrape the web for free content.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

I don't know how you make a living writing any more, so much free information on the internet, nobody wants to pay for anything.

I was fortunate enough to get a job writing for a private company. Writing copy for advertising, marketing, social media, and etc. isn't nearly as fulfilling as chasing stories as a journalist, but it certainly does pay much, much better and the insurance benefits are out of this world.

 

[YotesFan47]

Well, it's a good thing I decided to pay for a year up front to lock in a discounted cost. Ill have a paperweight app until February unless they hire someone on.

Maybe one of us should take up journalism and start covering the Coyotes.

 

[The Feckless Puck]

Maybe one of us should take up journalism and start covering the Coyotes.

I've thought about sending my resume to Meruelo - my journalism background and my Spanish fluency would be enticing, I think - but with kids in college I can't afford to go back into a line of work with zero job security.