How many employees do the have in the newsroom?
How many employees do the have in the newsroom?
Believe it or not the first time I ever saw T&FN was on a newstand in Boston from the opp coast. That's when you used to see the Coes, Ovetts, Crams, Scotts, Billy Rogers et. al on covers. Bygone days that hastened the end of things (or should have) when we weren't producing any longer exciting superior talent.
not irrelevant distractions like PED scandals
Management weren't stupid. Trying to sell ads and get subscribers by detailing how the criminal element in sport cheats is a loser for them. That said their issue on the Chinese running explosion producing startling female performances was one of the best issues they ever did. In so many words they told their readers that what was happening wasn't possible.
Just as the running boom has died I have had the sense that all aspects of the sport would have trouble hanging on including the mag' biz, which--obviously-- has its own special problems. Everything redounds: I can see schools cutting back on scholarships even dropping the sport in some cases. A lot of these you athletes are very tough to deal with and administrations may just decide end things. Taking years to develop a prospect and then have them transfer is not something that is going to be ongoing without higher ups taking serious looks (like they did in Los Altos).
What are the audited figures?
Probably won't read the rest of the thread---too depressing. Have every issue since 1971, and have been on eight tours with TAFNOT.
When I started my high school coaching career, in 1973, I had the librarian order a subscription to T&F News. It quickly became the most stolen magazine in the school's history!
I always bring the latest issue on road trips, for the boys to look at, and hopefully be motivated to "make the list!"
Depressed in Jacksonville ?
Wolfpack wrote:
Probably won't read the rest of the thread---too depressing. Have every issue since 1971, and have been on eight tours with TAFNOT.
When I started my high school coaching career, in 1973, I had the librarian order a subscription to T&F News. It quickly became the most stolen magazine in the school's history!
I always bring the latest issue on road trips, for the boys to look at, and hopefully be motivated to "make the list!"
Depressed in Jacksonville ?
As a crappy DivIII runner, to make a T&FN yearly list was my ultimate goal. Never came close.
It really is a sad, sad event.
I started reading T&F News in middle school in the mid 2000s. I went to the USA Outdoor Champs in Indianapolis in 2007 as an 8th grader who had only been running for 2 years and fallen in love with watching whatever meets were on TV and scrubbing through the results and articles in each months issues.
I brought a few copies of T&F News with me to that meet and sought out as many professionals as I could to get their autographs. It was a fantastic experience to interact with so many elites and use T&F News as a medium to remember that meet. I can distinctly remember getting pictures with Webb after his fantastic last 100m in the 1500. I talked to Michael Johnson and Jeremy Wariner since they were sitting a row away from me. I remember getting Reese Hoffa to sign a picture after he posed with the giant turkey leg. So many more come to mind from that one meet.
Like others said ever since I started reading I had a goal of getting my name on the yearly list. That never came close to happening in High School or College but I managed to sneak my name near the bottom of the US list in the marathon for this last issue. I'll be hanging onto that as a keepsake for sure.
Since TAFN is online only now they ought to hire local Chinese and Arabic language writers who live nearby their offices in San Francisco to attract international readers.
Contrary to what one person said of dropping the price to see what that would do to subscribers I think they should have raised it. $99 a year. Keep the print edition. Not raise it and get rid of print. Especially when from what I understand printing and mailing is way cheaper than you think.
Newspapers have substantially raised their prices. They realize people who like the product are willing to pay for it. The casual newsreaders are already gone to the internet.
One thing that struck me was that on the thread on their message board, they said the average age of their subscribers is 65! Kind of hard to believe, but if it's even close to that you can see why they're in trouble. In any case, saddened by it like many others. First issue I got was in '79.
steveu2 wrote:
One thing that struck me was that on the thread on their message board, they said the average age of their subscribers is 65! Kind of hard to believe, but if it's even close to that you can see why they're in trouble. In any case, saddened by it like many others. First issue I got was in '79.
I would have thought just a bit younger, but not too hard to believe. Inevitable.
rojo wrote:
Here is a really good 2,000 + world article on the end of TFN's print version from California's Ken Stone. A version of the article will also appear San Diego paper. The web story includes quotes from yours truly (and Wejo).
https://mynewsla.com/sports/2018/01/18/death-of-a-bible-track-field-news-ends-print-edition-stuns-old-fans/
All respect to the guys who have kept TFN going, but the story shows what one of their problems is, which is the age of the staff. At some point they needed to bring in some younger people and go after some of the Internet market that LRC and Flotrack have created. Instead, they kept their focus on print, and it may be too late to pivot to being a pure Internet brand when there's already well-established competition as Internet sources for track and field news. Without any print base, I trouble seeing them competing successfully.
I agree with the idea that they should have kept the print going even if they increased rates, and in the meantime build more of an Internet presence in some way that's not dependent on PDFs of the print version or cannibalizing print by posting it for free.
Anyway, I wish them all the best. It has been a great publication.
Memories of learning to read the agate-type results, with all the codes & annotations... man I got good at that.
I was by no means very good but got my name in the bottom of those results a couple of times. I felt like I had made it.
In high school a neighbor gave me his archive of issues from the 50's & 60's... including the one announcing Bannister's four-minute mile. I poured over them. So cool.
RIP T&FN
Always used 'verified circulation' data.
popeye doyle wrote:
Memories of learning to read the agate-type results, with all the codes & annotations... man I got good at that.
I was by no means very good but got my name in the bottom of those results a couple of times. I felt like I had made it.
In high school a neighbor gave me his archive of issues from the 50's & 60's... including the one announcing Bannister's four-minute mile. I poured over them. So cool.
RIP T&FN
I think TFN may be responsible for LRC. I think that's how they listed me. Someone pull up a 2000 issue with Mt. Sac results and see. At the time I was like "What?"
popeye doyle wrote:
Memories of learning to read the agate-type results, with all the codes & annotations... man I got good at that.
I was by no means very good but got my name in the bottom of those results a couple of times. I felt like I had made it.
In high school a neighbor gave me his archive of issues from the 50's & 60's... including the one announcing Bannister's four-minute mile. I poured over them. So cool.
RIP T&FN
Same here, started reading in the late 60s and learned all the codes. When it arrived, it definitely got read cover to cover before homework. Never made a list, but a porcine college teammate did in the hammer. I told him about it, after which he stole it from my locker and refused to return it. (subsequently his jock got mysteriously Atomic Balm-ed) on a meet day.)
Maybe I'm not remembering this exactly, as it was before the first running boom when distance races were few and far between post college, but I recall a feature that was called "postal races," where people would run a 10k (yes, down at their local track) roughly on the same date, and submit their time to T&FN, and they would list them.
LI-Runner-% wrote:
Yes, there are some tough AGs here. Especially in the 45 and up groups. Those of us that started in the first running boom are still hanging on, along with a few that caught the running bug later in life. Probably similar to other places too. I am in Nassau county.
In the last issue of T&FN, other than their own tours, etc., the only ad was for Millrose. Not one shoe company would advertise with them?
Yeah, I meant Masters/Sr. Masters. Bought my first pair of 'real' running shoe in Wantagh. 2nd floor of some walk-up. Tiny place.
Obviously, most of the reminisces on here coming from 60 plus year olds is telling. Kids don't sit around reading magazines. Their audience, though not quite yet dying off (literally) in great #'s, yet, are all wearing trifocals, moving around a lot which doesn't lend itself to mailed subscriptions, realizing they have enough old issues of T&F News in their garage to keep them busy for the next 10 years, and most certainly are not a targeted demographic for any potential advertisers. Time moves on, bleachers get razed, fav running shoes are discontinued, money trumps tradition most everytime.
popeye doyle wrote:
Good to see your post brings back memories o NY cop Eddie Egan -- did you know he always contended he was faster to first than Mickey Mantle?
kmaclam wrote:
Obviously, most of the reminisces on here coming from 60 plus year olds is telling. Kids don't sit around reading magazines. Their audience, though not quite yet dying off (literally) in great #'s, yet, are all wearing trifocals, moving around a lot which doesn't lend itself to mailed subscriptions, realizing they have enough old issues of T&F News in their garage to keep them busy for the next 10 years, and most certainly are not a targeted demographic for any potential advertisers. Time moves on, bleachers get razed, fav running shoes are discontinued, money trumps tradition most everytime.
Mostly, young people don't pay for anything. If it's not free or they can't pirate/steal it, they aren't interested.
kmaclam wrote:
LI-Runner-% wrote:
Yes, there are some tough AGs here. Especially in the 45 and up groups. Those of us that started in the first running boom are still hanging on, along with a few that caught the running bug later in life. Probably similar to other places too. I am in Nassau county.
In the last issue of T&FN, other than their own tours, etc., the only ad was for Millrose. Not one shoe company would advertise with them?
Yeah, I meant Masters/Sr. Masters. Bought my first pair of 'real' running shoe in Wantagh. 2nd floor of some walk-up. Tiny place.
I will have to ask some real old-timers about that Wantagh walk-up.