Cedar Rapids Gazette

[UNIpanther99]

I don't often read the print edition like I once used to, however I check their website daily. It would be difficult to know that the 14-1 Panthers even exist if that was someone's only source of local sports news. What happened? They used to have pretty decent coverage. Is this all about budget cuts in the organization, or is something else going on?

[troyvogel]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Funny that you'd bring this up, because I've been wondering the same thing. They do cover UNI in their print edition, but they just re-print stories from the Courier. They haven't had a story on their website about UNI basketball since December 8th, which was, of course, when we played Iowa.

I sent an e-mail to the Gazette, and received a response from their "Sports Product Planner." Initially, he thought I was asking about the lack of coverage in the print edition, when I was really asking about GazetteOnline. Here is his response:

I received your e-mail about UNI basketball and am curious what newspaper you are reading.

While we do not have a staff reporter on the UNI beat (we don’t have the resources like we had in the past, i.e. we lost 3 writers), we do still cover UNI. We’ve had stories on every game (from the Waterloo Courier) and have had a couple of feature articles.

You are correct that UNI will never reach the level of Iowa in our paper, simply because of where we are located (we sell NO papers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls market) and the fact that UNI coverage is way down in our readership polls (Iowa sports always rank No. 1 – win, lose or draw).

UNI is a great school, I went there for a couple of years many moons ago and my son just graduated from there and ran track for 5 years. So I know it is important to our readers.

But to write that we’ve had “no coverage of UNI men’s basketball” simply is not true.

I replied back, clarifying that I was inquiring about the lack of coverage on their website. He replied, saying that he only has control over the print product, but would pass my concerns along to their web team. He said that he assumed that the web team doesn't post stories about UNI online due to "traffic." I don't buy this at all; I'm guessing that their reporters are expected to file their stories online, and because they don't have a reporter covering UNI basketball, the story never makes it online.

I haven't replied back, or heard anything from the web team. They did run a feature story on UNI today in their print edition, but again, it's a reprint from the Courier.

[Newsbreaker]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

There is a chance that they can't put the Courier stories on the web because of their agreement allowing them to reprint with the Courier.

[UNIpanther99]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

There is a chance that they can't put the Courier stories on the web because of their agreement allowing them to reprint with the Courier.

I thought this as well. It just seems odd that UNI hasn't even been mentioned by Hlas in a long time. He has been fairly complementary in the past, but it's almost like the Panthers have become a forbidden subject.

[jegbomb52]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Does anyone subscribe to the Gazette? Perhaps they might be upset to know that they spend their money yet one of their editors doesn't believe that they sell NO papers in the area.

[UNIpanther99]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Well, the issue to me really isn't how many papers they sell in Waterloo-Cedar Falls. The Gazette tries to bill itself as a regional newspaper, an Eastern-Iowa alternative to the Register. But when the Central-Iowa paper covers an Eastern Iowa team better than they do, then that becomes a problem in my mind. I understand their staffing shortage, but why not have the Iowa basketball beat writer split time between the two teams? Cover the home games for both and pick up wire stories for the away games. It would even save them a little money, and as low as interest is for Iowa basketball, I can't imagine anyone would even care that the Hawkeye story from Columbus was an AP story.

And it seems like their columnist is ignoring what is becoming one of the most exciting sports stories in the state.

[Newshound]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Granted, it was the night of the Orange Bowl, but the Gazette even used a wire story on the Iowa men's basketball game at Illinois that night.

In general, their coverage has really taken a step back. They just don't have enough bodies for their coverage area. Currently, they have just five writers and a columnist on their staff to cover Iowa men, Iowa women, high school-college wrestilng and more than 80 high schools. They also have several Division III schools in their back yard.

I know when Jim Ecker was on the UNI beat, he had to beg his editors to cover Panther stuff because the circulation people told them it wasn't worth the resources for the number of papers they sell in the area. We'd all love more UNI news, but it won't happen at the Gazette -- particularly under the current economic climate. That's why the Gazette and Courier reached an agreement last fall. The Courier prints a lot of the Gazette stories on Iowa and in turn the Courier provides UNI coverage to the Gazette.
It's better than nothing.

[jegbomb52]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

I bet their ad reps don't go around telling potential advertisers that they have NO papers in the Cedar Falls / Waterloo area. I bet their numbers of readers up here are phenominally presented to them.

[UNI Fight]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

We have the same issue with the Des Moines Register here. Half of Des Moines if not more have no idea UNI is even close to being ranked. The Register puts huge pictures/articles of ISU entitled "ISU and/or Iowa loses again" on the front page and put UNI headlines like "Panthers win 13th in a row!" on page 3-4. Frustrating.

[UNI MadCat]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

I received your e-mail about UNI basketball and am curious what newspaper you are reading.

While we do not have a staff reporter on the UNI beat (we don’t have the resources like we had in the past, i.e. we lost 3 writers), we do still cover UNI. We’ve had stories on every game (from the Waterloo Courier) and have had a couple of feature articles.

You are correct that UNI will never reach the level of Iowa in our paper, simply because of where we are located (we sell NO papers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls market) and the fact that UNI coverage is way down in our readership polls (Iowa sports always rank No. 1 – win, lose or draw).

UNI is a great school, I went there for a couple of years many moons ago and my son just graduated from there and ran track for 5 years. So I know it is important to our readers.

But to write that we’ve had “no coverage of UNI men’s basketball” simply is not true.

The coverage is what is but what is appalling to me here is this condescending response. Hey buddy... you work for a crappy NEWSPAPER... not exactly the right day and age to be pointing your nose upward.

[JayJ79]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

They don't want to cover UNI,
because the comparison will just be a further reminder to Iowa fans of just how bad the Hawkeyes are.
And the newspaper doesn't want it's subscriber numbers to drop even further due to Hawk fans throwing themselves into the icy Iowa River. (oops, this is the CR paper, so into the icy Cedar River)

[UNI Fight]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Wow. Very defensive, newspaper is a dying medium unfortunately, can't say I blame him for his semi-sharp tongue. I'd be upset too.

[TommyT]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

We have the same issue with the Des Moines Register here. Half of Des Moines if not more have no idea UNI is even close to being ranked. The Register puts huge pictures/articles of ISU entitled "ISU and/or Iowa loses again" on the front page and put UNI headlines like "Panthers win 13th in a row!" on page 3-4. Frustrating.

Amen. I don't even buy the DSM Reigister for that one reason. I also try and boycott their online product. Go the courier online or PN for all my UNI info.

As for coverage, it would improve if the alumni base in CR and DSM would get a little more excited about the school they attended and a little less excited about the schools they didn't.

[UNI Fight]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

Amen. I don't even buy the DSM Reigister for that one reason. I also try and boycott their online product. Go the courier online or PN for all my UNI info.

As for coverage, it would improve if the alumni base in CR and DSM would get a little more excited about the school they attended and a little less excited about the schools they didn't.

I get a free copy or I wouldn't read the print. I can get it all online. The only reason I go to their online edition is to comment on articles to hype/defend UNI in a Des Moines forum dominated by ISU/Iowa haters.

[NorthernIowaBacker]

Re: Cedar Rapids Gazette

I believe there is a front page story in todays Gazette, print edition.

I also believe there has been an article on every game, but many have been from the Courier.