Hardest post to write, which is why I've been putting it off:The past 22 years covering college sports in Virginia have been the greatest time of my life and the fulfillment of a dream.I can't say thank you enough to our readers for all the support. I will miss you all... pic.twitter.com/uwCHib2czM— Mike Barber (@StillMikeBarber) September 25, 2024
My time at RT-D is done. Involuntary. Enduring thanks to @Szvetitz, @michaelpinRVA & @StillMikeBarber for signing me as a free agent in '20, and to the subjects/readers who have shared this blessed ride. Unsure what's next, but confident the good Lord will steer #TeamTeel.— David Teel (@ByDavidTeel) September 26, 2024
Two giants in sports coverage especially college sports in Virginia laid off. I know many don't see the need for local news but without it there really isn't any in depth long form coverage of local stories.
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A symptom of dying newspaper industry and of VT and UVA struggling as football programs, IMHO. Interest and readership is declining, fan interest is steadily declining. The only places covering VT sports will eventually just be TSL/247 and fan sites, and the occasional macro-level ESPN story that lacks a lot of substance and context. Really a shame.
People don't like paying for things they used to get for free.
Whenever I see these tweets I'm always like, I wonder how many of the people saying they are sorry actually subscribed. I'd imagine not many because they wouldn't be going out of business otherwise.
I think everyone sees the need for local news... no one wants to pay for it though...
Does that make us 'entitled'?
There is a large segment of people who turn to only one or two national cable news outlets only and the rest of their "news" comes from Facebook posts, shared links to random websites or someone's blog or YouTube evidence. Many people will tell you they don't even watch the local news anymore.
🙋♂️Guilty.
I check WSJ each morning, have a few of NPR podcasts, everything else comes from Reddit/tkp/twitter/bluesky. I've never watched local news (and rarely watch news on tv).
Apropos of nothing in this thread, stay safe. Lots of trees out there.
Thanks man. We went up to the burbs to stay with my inlaw's a basement. Stay safe as well!
I still have a subscription to Roanoke Times. But the paper has gotten smaller and smaller...
Roanoke Rambler is a better source of local Roanoke news than Roanoke Times at this point. They aren't daily but they cover the big items once a week and put out a list of weekly activities in the area. It's also not a bad price for local news at 10 a month or 100 a year.
Well as I live in Blacksburg, I am not generally worried about the rambler.
Didn't know you were in Blacksburg. I'm not privy to the spreadsheet. Just putting some local news alternatives out there in the conversation about local news and Roanoke Times.
Just chiming in to say that I love that "the spreadsheet" is A Thing around here
Bet the entry on me had some serious updates after my AMA lol.
Yeah, only Skippy PB really? Smuckers Natural Chunky is my PB of choice. Only ingredients Peanuts and Salt.
As I always say, I don't proselytize; if others choose differently , that just leaves more Skippy Creamy or me! (plus get a mention in the song "Uptown Funk-"smoother than a fresh jar of Skippy!
Sucker's is my #1, Justines if I can't get smuckers
100% agree with this. Interesting articles and best source of listing of local events anywhere.
Twitter killed local media. Why pay a guy to cover the hokies for your paper when Andy Bitter tweets the result of every play during the game? If you live in Richmond and want "news" about the Hokies, you can read X just as soon as you can read barber. That's why he is off the payroll- simply no need for him.
Because long form deep dive is still a real thing. It's how you find malfeasance, incompetence and misdeeds. Along with real human Interest stories
True, but you're in a minority compared to the masses that just want their quick-hit fact (or I should say sometimes a fact) and then they switch back to their IG feeds and Tik Tok videos.
I must be in the minority with Fireman.
I want long form, first hand accounts and documentation or, it doesn't count.
there are dozens of us in the minority! Dozens!
I also appreciate long-form journalism. The quick tweets and soundbites you can get from social media don't have enough content to really sway me
Hey, I'm sure everyone on Twitter does (watches) their own (someone else's) research (shitty YouTube video).
It's why I subscribed to The Athletic, though I might not renew since they got rid of the Virginia Tech coverage.
The Athletic is shady as fuck. Make sure you cancel now if you have no intention of re-subscribing.
I never received a renewal email, which is required by law, and I saw my 2024 charge on my credit card statement. The card was charged about 2 weeks prior. I contacted them, I explained I never received the renewal email, and I asked for a refund. They told me it was past the refund window. It took about 4 months of back and forth for them to refund me. I told them I was getting a lawyer unless they showed me proof they sent me the renewal and I sent them a copy of a law. That did it.
Edit: I accidentally submitted before finishing.
I sort of like objective details, even if they sting a little.
So count me in the minority.
I'll miss David Teel's reporting.
I remember once when he was miss-reporting some information about Beamer via Twitter. I contacted him and he responded immediately with a correction. He earned my respect that day.
Grew up reading newspapers and never lost the habit. It was hard for me to endure the decline of daily delivery, and then the resultant reliance on the Post Office to deliver reasonably. Hated, but got used to, the move to the E-editions, but I kept going. Hokie news was a big deal for me for these last 45-50 years, and being an unrepentant Luddite, I don't do X, and Facebook won't let me join, so it's still the tv and newspapers I go to first for information. Like a lot of oldsters, I still love to sit down with the newspaper and a mug or two of coffee. Not yelling at the clouds here, I get what's happened, but I don't have to like it. Sorry to see those guys go, and sorry in general for the decline in newspaper readership. You might not care for what you read in a newspaper, but you can rely on the facts presented or challenge the people who printed them. Try that on line. Responsible journalists still exist and newspapers used to keep them employed. What a world, what a world.
I really appreciated Teel's work covering the Hokies. I didn't read Barber as often but feel for anyone that gets cut as a sacrifice to the bottom-line/profit margin gods.
Berman?
He's back back back back gone!
I've been an RTD subscriber for a long, long time (electronic only now, cause trees got way too expensive), and kept the subscription only because of their sportswriters. Now re-calculating.
So with these firings, who will be present for the press conferences to interview staff/players?
tkp
AI generated questions, duh
and get AI generated responses. No need for press conferences. Just issue AI-questions with AI-answers. No humans needed. It's the wave of the future.
I love the guy that hit arrested for making ai songs then used bots to listen to them so hed make money from the music services. Genius, Fraud, but genius
95% of what they say could absolutely be said by AI, with nobody noticing.
As someone who works in local policy and politics there is so much need for local news and good local reporters and the elimination of local reporting is a serious impediment to good policy in local government. I think that extends to local sports reporting as far as community goes, especially when you have a guy like Teel who is like SWVA's Boswell plus having amazing reporters like Bitter and Barber. Losing local reporting is a detriment to communities in every way.
Yeap... The Jerry Sandusky scandal was broken by Sara Ganim while she was working for The Patriot-News, a daily newspaper in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.