Here is the link to the fall sports streaming schedule.

https://appstatesports.com/news/2023/8/ ... edule.aspx

App State Beat Writer

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:24 am

I was reading the Greensboro News and Record and noticed the article about the upcoming App football season had a byline by "Staff Reports." I know Ethan had the WF basketball beat once that season started but Greensboro always picked up his articles about App State football given that the papers are sorta joined at the hip now.

I did a search of the Winston-Salem Journal website and the last byline I have for him that I can find is from 23 January 2022. I am thinking he has moved on or been laid-off, and Wikipedia reports of layoffs across Lee Enterprises newspapers in 2022. Is there any word on any other daily picking up this beat? If not the WSJ I don't know who else would do it. The corporate overlords for this group of papers have newspapers from Greensboro to Marion along I-40. That is prime App territory that should be able to maintain one writer to supply to all the papers, along with their Mooresville and Concord papers.

If you have a subscription to any of the Lee Enterprises papers then put in a call and Ethan worked for the WSJ so call them as well to consider getting another beat writer to at least cover App football.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

AppSt94
Posts: 9522
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:39 pm
School: Appalachian State
Location: Huntersville, NC
Has thanked: 6319 times
Been thanked: 3915 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by AppSt94 » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:28 am

Ethan moved on. I believe that it was voluntarily. There is no beat writer for App sports that I know of. The only guys covering App Sports that I know of, other than the school are the guy from the Democrat and David Ware at 24/7.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:43 am

AppSt94 wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:28 am
Ethan moved on. I believe that it was voluntarily. There is no beat writer for App sports that I know of. The only guys covering App Sports that I know of, other than the school are the guy from the Democrat and David Ware at 24/7.
Is the Democrat even big enough to somehow get a vote in the AP Polls? I know they have expanded the voter rolls beyond classic newspapers to radio and TV to recently to a few internet sites, but not having an advocate, so to speak, is not good. Does the Democrat have the resources to send their writer to away games or even watch on TV?

If they do I might pick up a subscription.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

AppSt94
Posts: 9522
Joined: Thu Aug 09, 2012 6:39 pm
School: Appalachian State
Location: Huntersville, NC
Has thanked: 6319 times
Been thanked: 3915 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by AppSt94 » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:59 am

McLeansvilleAppFan wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:43 am
AppSt94 wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:28 am
Ethan moved on. I believe that it was voluntarily. There is no beat writer for App sports that I know of. The only guys covering App Sports that I know of, other than the school are the guy from the Democrat and David Ware at 24/7.
Is the Democrat even big enough to somehow get a vote in the AP Polls? I know they have expanded the voter rolls beyond classic newspapers to radio and TV to recently to a few internet sites, but not having an advocate, so to speak, is not good. Does the Democrat have the resources to send their writer to away games or even watch on TV?

If they do I might pick up a subscription.
My answer to your questions about the Democrat range from doubtful to unlikely.

I don’t necessarily equate a vote in the AP poll as advocacy but I get your point. You don’t necessarily need a subscription to read 24/7. AppStateMania (24/7 site) has two boards for football. One is a paywall with more in depth conversations about recruiting and coach and player interviews. It’s worth it to me, maybe not so much to others that just want the high level stuff.

The board that is free has an in game thread that Ware and Moose run. On occasion last year, David filled in for Molly on the sidelines. Jordan Fehr filled in for the online game chat. Whichever you choose, it’s still the best option for coverage with Ethan gone.

User avatar
AppGrad78
Posts: 4274
Joined: Fri Jan 20, 2006 8:33 pm
School: Appalachian State
Location: Born: Waynesville, NC; Resides: Greensboro, NC
Has thanked: 3617 times
Been thanked: 1034 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by AppGrad78 » Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:09 am

Ethan left the Journal about six months ago to head up college sports coverage for Lee Enterprises, a national chain that includes the Journal and News & Record as well as 75 other daily newspapers in 26 states.

I wouldn’t expect consistent coverage of App from the Journal/News & Record going forward.

The Journal is down to one writer (John Dell) who mostly will be covering golf, Bowman Gray racing, Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State. The News & Record has one writer (Joe Sirera) who has his hands full covering high school sports, predominantly in Guilford and Forsyth counties. That leaves the sports editor of the two papers (Eddie Wooten) to cover what he can of N.C. A&T, UNCG, App State, and minor league baseball’s Grasshoppers and Dash, as well as any random story that comes up. Coverage of the Panthers, Hornets, Hurricanes and NASCAR will continue to come from the Associated Press and offerings from the Raleigh and Charlotte newspapers.

User avatar
AppWyo
Posts: 540
Joined: Thu Feb 23, 2017 11:25 am
School: Appalachian State
Has thanked: 9 times
Been thanked: 313 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by AppWyo » Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:55 am


User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:15 am

AppSt94 wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:59 am
McLeansvilleAppFan wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:43 am
AppSt94 wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:28 am
Ethan moved on. I believe that it was voluntarily. There is no beat writer for App sports that I know of. The only guys covering App Sports that I know of, other than the school are the guy from the Democrat and David Ware at 24/7.
Is the Democrat even big enough to somehow get a vote in the AP Polls? I know they have expanded the voter rolls beyond classic newspapers to radio and TV to recently to a few internet sites, but not having an advocate, so to speak, is not good. Does the Democrat have the resources to send their writer to away games or even watch on TV?

If they do I might pick up a subscription.
My answer to your questions about the Democrat range from doubtful to unlikely.

I don’t necessarily equate a vote in the AP poll as advocacy but I get your point. You don’t necessarily need a subscription to read 24/7. AppStateMania (24/7 site) has two boards for football. One is a paywall with more in depth conversations about recruiting and coach and player interviews. It’s worth it to me, maybe not so much to others that just want the high level stuff.

The board that is free has an in game thread that Ware and Moose run. On occasion last year, David filled in for Molly on the sidelines. Jordan Fehr filled in for the online game chat. Whichever you choose, it’s still the best option for coverage with Ethan gone.
Good to know about all of this. I want the coverage for OTHERS to read about how great App is, as few as that may be with the papers.
Last edited by McLeansvilleAppFan on Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:23 am, edited 1 time in total.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:15 am

AppGrad78 wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:09 am
Ethan left the Journal about six months ago to head up college sports coverage for Lee Enterprises, a national chain that includes the Journal and News & Record as well as 75 other daily newspapers in 26 states.

I wouldn’t expect consistent coverage of App from the Journal/News & Record going forward.

The Journal is down to one writer (John Dell) who mostly will be covering golf, Bowman Gray racing, Wake Forest and Winston-Salem State. The News & Record has one writer (Joe Sirera) who has his hands full covering high school sports, predominantly in Guilford and Forsyth counties. That leaves the sports editor of the two papers (Eddie Wooten) to cover what he can of N.C. A&T, UNCG, App State, and minor league baseball’s Grasshoppers and Dash, as well as any random story that comes up. Coverage of the Panthers, Hornets, Hurricanes and NASCAR will continue to come from the Associated Press and offerings from the Raleigh and Charlotte newspapers.
At least Ethan landed on his feet, which is more than many can say right now in some parts of journalism.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 11:22 am

AppWyo wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 9:55 am
https://www.cbsnews.com/video/local-new ... 2-02-27/#x
This 60 Minutes article explains.
I have said it a few times on here that we are going to regret losing local papers. Someone needs to keep an eye on local powers that be, be that government or business.

We need to pass some legislation that sets up some non-profits status and run papers much like local public radio is often done with a community board in place and includes a broad band of the community to keep an eye on the paper itself so it is no just the mouthpiece of the local power structure.

Whether the paper is printed on paper or e-edition and maybe not more than a list of articles with a daily snapshot for an edition and not worrying about layout and such we need that local journalism.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
T-Dog
Posts: 6527
Joined: Mon Oct 23, 2006 11:35 pm
Location: Boone, NC
Has thanked: 204 times
Been thanked: 2533 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by T-Dog » Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:22 pm

The WD isn't going to have an AP vote. Those are typically only for full-time beat reporters of a team, which the WD doesn't have the resources to do. Plus, the postmaster just raised the postage cost for newspapers and periodicals by 7.5%, which is a huge jump. Add on increased costs when it comes to getting newspaper rolls (many imported from Canada), decreased advertising in print and dwindling subscriber bases, it gets harder each year.

Being part of a corporate-owned newspaper, like the W-S Journal, WD, Charlotte Observer, etc., means that despite how well you do, if other newspapers in other parts of the corporate network don't do well or even well enough to meet projections, then no one is going to grow. So the WD has to spend resources carefully and at the end of the day, App State puts out press releases all the time and the local high schools don't. Plus the kids playing in those high school games are kids of subscribers and/or online readers, so it makes sense to cover high school and rely on the press release and nice game photos from App. Football is different due to how much readership it brings, plus it doesn't conflict with high school games or practices.

It sucks that corporate entities have whittled acquired newspapers down to the bare bones, all in the name of "efficiency." Good and talented writers get burned out by increased demands, all while making less than $30k a year. I'm at a locally-owned newspaper down east now and it's night and day compared to a corporate-owned outlet in terms of mental health and being relaxed.

I know Ethan was stretched too thin covering App and Wake Forest football last fall after the Journal cut O'Neill, who was the Wake beat reporter for years. Clark even would quip at Ethan something like "nice to see you" when Ethan could attend the Monday pressers. I hope his new role is more fulfilling for him.

Covering App State Football should be one of the best journalism jobs. I wish an outlet or someone with capital to spend would see that. And I know David Ware covers App, but I want someone who can ask the tough questions when needed without fear of having their access cut off. By being an ASN sideline reporter when asked, Ware is more of an access reporter than a sports reporter. I hope The Appalachian student newspaper steps into that void more this season.

EastHallApp
Posts: 6635
Joined: Wed Nov 06, 2013 4:34 pm
School: Appalachian State
Location: Raleigh
Has thanked: 3203 times
Been thanked: 2794 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by EastHallApp » Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:11 pm

I haven't spoken to Ethan since he left the Journal, but he was put in a position of being the beat writer for two teams, one in Winston and one in Boone, which obviously means he couldn't really do either justice. And this because the Journal is, as noted, owned by a company that has relentlessly slashed jobs while relying more and more on shared resources and reporting. All this while he has a new baby at home.

Not hard to imagine how someone would look at that setup and determine that it's neither healthy for their present nor sustainable for their future.

Stonewall
Posts: 5249
Joined: Fri Sep 02, 2016 12:26 pm
School: Appalachian State
Has thanked: 2664 times
Been thanked: 2563 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by Stonewall » Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:15 pm

Government newspapers? No .

bigdaddyg
Posts: 5832
Joined: Wed Sep 24, 2014 1:08 pm
School: Appalachian State
Has thanked: 15 times
Been thanked: 2474 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by bigdaddyg » Tue Jul 26, 2022 4:34 pm

My dream job out of high school 100 years ago was to be a sports writer. I was pretty good at it and absolutely loved the idea of getting paid (albeit not much) to watch and write about sports. I envisioned a gig with Sports Illustrated or some other lofty place. Sadly I didn't pursue it but it would be brutal to possibly go the way of printed newspapers and magazines in my 50's. It was nice to at least see something written about App football in the WS paper even on line.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:37 pm

T-Dog wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 12:22 pm
The WD isn't going to have an AP vote. Those are typically only for full-time beat reporters of a team, which the WD doesn't have the resources to do. Plus, the postmaster just raised the postage cost for newspapers and periodicals by 7.5%, which is a huge jump. Add on increased costs when it comes to getting newspaper rolls (many imported from Canada), decreased advertising in print and dwindling subscriber bases, it gets harder each year.

Being part of a corporate-owned newspaper, like the W-S Journal, WD, Charlotte Observer, etc., means that despite how well you do, if other newspapers in other parts of the corporate network don't do well or even well enough to meet projections, then no one is going to grow. So the WD has to spend resources carefully and at the end of the day, App State puts out press releases all the time and the local high schools don't. Plus the kids playing in those high school games are kids of subscribers and/or online readers, so it makes sense to cover high school and rely on the press release and nice game photos from App. Football is different due to how much readership it brings, plus it doesn't conflict with high school games or practices.

It sucks that corporate entities have whittled acquired newspapers down to the bare bones, all in the name of "efficiency." Good and talented writers get burned out by increased demands, all while making less than $30k a year. I'm at a locally-owned newspaper down east now and it's night and day compared to a corporate-owned outlet in terms of mental health and being relaxed.

I know Ethan was stretched too thin covering App and Wake Forest football last fall after the Journal cut O'Neill, who was the Wake beat reporter for years. Clark even would quip at Ethan something like "nice to see you" when Ethan could attend the Monday pressers. I hope his new role is more fulfilling for him.

Covering App State Football should be one of the best journalism jobs. I wish an outlet or someone with capital to spend would see that. And I know David Ware covers App, but I want someone who can ask the tough questions when needed without fear of having their access cut off. By being an ASN sideline reporter when asked, Ware is more of an access reporter than a sports reporter. I hope The Appalachian student newspaper steps into that void more this season.
You say a lot of important stuff in these paragraphs, especially that last paragraph, about tough questions and such, when needed. Glad to hear you are doing OK down east.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:39 pm

Stonewall wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 1:15 pm
Government newspapers? No .
Who was suggesting that?
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 6:44 pm

On the way to the credit union and vote WFDD had a nice program on about people's trust in the media. I did not catch more than a few minutes of it but it was interesting.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
Rekdiver
Posts: 7519
Joined: Mon Aug 13, 2012 1:14 pm
School: Appalachian State
Has thanked: 1427 times
Been thanked: 3707 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by Rekdiver » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:12 pm

I canceled my WSJ subscription at the beginning of the year. They called asked why. I told them I can get crap coverage of App free…

User avatar
appdaze
Posts: 4284
Joined: Thu Jun 21, 2007 7:08 pm
Has thanked: 89 times
Been thanked: 1418 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by appdaze » Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:40 pm

Since Hickory is getting a piece of App that will do its part to help the local economy with jobs, it would be awesome if the Hickory Daily Record could take a little more time to cover App. They are another Lee paper so I don't if they could buy into that.

Edit:

Just dropping circulation stats I could find.
https://www.officialusa.com/stateguides ... olina.html

User avatar
McLeansvilleAppFan
Posts: 9208
Joined: Sun Dec 03, 2006 7:37 am
School: Appalachian State
Location: Greensboro (McLeansville) NC
Has thanked: 4148 times
Been thanked: 2093 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by McLeansvilleAppFan » Tue Jul 26, 2022 10:49 pm

appdaze wrote:
Tue Jul 26, 2022 8:40 pm
Since Hickory is getting a piece of App that will do its part to help the local economy with jobs, it would be awesome if the Hickory Daily Record could take a little more time to cover App. They are another Lee paper so I don't if they could buy into that.

Edit:

Just dropping circulation stats I could find.
https://www.officialusa.com/stateguides ... olina.html
I am sure Ethan and the person before him was being covered by all the Lee Papers in NC and certainly the one newspapers along the I-40 corridor. Some may be to small to even run his article but I bet most of them ran al his App articles in the fall. And I imagine Lee calculated the expense of having him on staff for the WSJ and spread that around to all the papers running his articles. No reason HDR could not pick up the slack but they have to be even smaller by a good bit and have even less staff.

My mom gets their e-edition now as of a few months ago. I am visiting her tomorrow and I will check out the page count compared to the Triad papers.
This is my very generic signature added to each post.

User avatar
hapapp
Posts: 16523
Joined: Tue Jun 27, 2000 12:48 pm
School: Appalachian State
Location: Rocky Mount, VA
Has thanked: 2411 times
Been thanked: 2714 times

Re: App State Beat Writer

Unread post by hapapp » Wed Jul 27, 2022 5:25 am

I think it puts the App program and fans at a huge disadvantage. The beat writer for JMU at the Harrisonburg paper is doing a great job providing Sun Belt coverage. I worry that we may be ignorant of much what is going within the Belt without a beat reporter. Dave at 247 does a great job but that's limited circulation compared to the broader circulation of a newspaper like the W-SJ.

Post Reply Previous topicNext topic

Return to “Appalachian Football”