THE AKRON BEACON JOURNAL

[InTheZone]

Okay guys, I haven't recieved a response to any of my emails, so here's what I suggest.

Sunday morning, if the Zips game doesn't recieve front-page Sports coverage, we flood the mail box of Pantages. We do this by all of us simply writing a brief email message around seven on sunday night, blasting him for his utter stupidity and crap coverage of the biggest sports team in our city, and then after sending it to him, repeatedly forward it to him again.....over....and over...and over and over and over again. If we all do this, and resend it to him about 30-40 times, maybe he'll get the picture. Just my suggestion .

[Dr Z]

I wrote this article to Terry and it got printed in the BJ about 7 years ago.

I bought my last Beacon about the same time.

I got fed up. I come here for Zips News now and am very happy about it.

Good luck on your battle, keep us posted. I wrote my last note to the

PS David Lee Morgan doesn't even like the Zips, he is a YSU fan. I hear he has some penguin ink

Is this really how you want to get your Zips news ?!?

[Captain Kangaroo]

To give you some idea of where Larry Pantages is coming from, I submit my email correspondence with Larry from January 2002 for your review.

Larry Writes:

-----Original Message-----

From: Larry Pantages [mailto:lpantages@thebeaconjournal.com]

Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 10:59 AM

Subject: Beacon Journal sports reply

Sir:

I received a copy of your e-mail about the Acme-Zip coverage in the Beacon Journal.

I can speak to coverage of Akron's road game athletic events. We have never covered EVERY road game for Akron in any season that I know of in nearly 30 years.

When the team has played what even casual fans would consider extra newsworthy games (Pioneer Bowl, at LSU, at Nebraska, at Penn State, at Virginia Tech, at Ohio State), not only have we sent one reporter, but usually TWO, and a photographer also.

When the Zips made the NCAA baseball tournament a few years ago, we also sent 2 writers & a photographer to Texas for tournament coverage. We had profiles of players and captured all the excitement.

When the Zips made the NCAA basketball tournament with Bob Huggins as coach, the Beacon Journal put out an Extra Edition because the game was played in the late morning back in the days when there were quadruple headers played on the same day.

When Joe Jakubick led the nation in scoring, we did many profiles and features and columns about him.

When the soccer team reached the NCAA Final Four, we covered that.

When Christi Smith made her mark in NCAA women's track, we had centerpiece section front coverage of that.

I hope this helps round out your knowledge of the Beacon Journal's coverage of Zips sports -- both currently and in years past.

Thanks for your e-mail.

Larry Pantages

Akron Beacon Journal Sports Editor (and BJ employee since 1972)

I respond:

******************************************************************

----- Original Message -----

From: Me

To: lpantages@thebeaconjournal.com

Sent: Tuesday, January 29, 2002 5:29 PM

Subject: RE: Beacon Journal sports reply

I appreciate your response. It is refreshing to see a person of your status at the Beacon aid in proving my point.

If you need to refer to your coverage of Joe Jakubik(1983), the Pioneer Bowl(1976?), Bob Huggins(1986), the 1986 Zip soccer team and the 1997 baseball team to prove that your coverage of the University's 2002 sports programs is adequate, hey...what can I say? Good for you! I'm sure you did a great job covering John Heisman's first win at Buchtel College too.

Do you expect to be applauded for covering the Ohio State / Akron game? Give me a break. Its sad to say, but I'd be more impressed if you gave David Lee Morgan the gas money to travel to Athens or Mt. Pleasant...that doesn't seem like too much to ask, does it?

Could someone besides Terry Pluto write something insightful regarding the University's athletes and programs? Its a "bunny" to write about Dwight Smith or Christi Smith AFTER they win national awards. INSIGHT is telling everyone Dwight Smith's an All American BEFOREHAND.

You mention the Penn State game. You know Terry Pluto's article on Butchie Washington...the one that appeared during Butchie's 5th year at Akron? I saw the same full-page story in a Penn State newspaper over a year earlier!

David Lee Morgan's preview of the Zips 2001 football team touted Duane LeFall as the team's best defensive player. LeFall was announced as academically ineligible a week before the column was printed!! How did I know that, but the Zip beat writer didn't?

Your 50-words-or-less previews of upcoming games are not worth printing. Your coverage of Akron's football recruit commitments are virtually non-existent...your 2 day old Zip News cut-n-pastes taken from GoZips.com? Why bother? Your coverage of the MAC in general...is there any?

I could go on, but it’s not worth it. Check out papers in Toledo, Huntington, etc. sometime if you want to see what coverage of a "hometown" MAC school should entail.

Best regards,

Sir

Larry's reply:

************************************************************

Mr. *Me*,

If I helped in proving your point (from your point of view), so be it.

My point is that when the Zips make a big splash in sports news, we play it big and throw our best resources at it. We get excited -- because there's something to get excited about.

I'm sure there are stories we've been beaten on and I'm sure there are athletes that we could have profiled before they won national honors. But in the day to day coverage of Akron, I think our game stories, notebooks and features keep the general audience up to date on what's happening.

We think daily readers -- especially those who are Zips fans -- are thrilled when Terry Pluto writes about the college scene. I can assure you there are many metro daily sports sections where the columnist settles into a routine of covering the pro teams and the hot national stuff. Some sports editors and readers satisfy themselves with that.

With Terry, the local stories are very important -- and always will be.

Again, thanks for writing. Sorry if I didn't pick up your name from the earlier e-mail but I don't understand these e-mail address shortcuts.

Larry Pantages

Akron Beacon Journal sports editor

[InTheZone]

Alright, the coverage of one of the biggest wins in Akron's MAC history was absolutely pathetic. Guys, we really have to do something.

[Ryno aka Menace]

Are you serious "The Zips were 7 point underdogs against the conference elite, playing the first home game, with new whistle, and went into overtime and an won!!! And you mean to tell me there was no story about it?

[RatFink]

I see a lot of venting one's spleen on this thread.

And, frankly, that is all that will happen.

They, the ABJ, are not listening to you.

Nor do they grasp that their posture is detrimental to the

local community. When they periodically survey their

readership they discover that their readers do not care

about the University of Akron. Their readership cares about

the Ohio State Buckeyes.

To the ABJ if you are not a reader you no longer have a

voice in what they print. While not buying the paper sends

a vent your spleen message it also signals ABJ that your

interests are not their interests. Of course, the ABJ is

wrong. The ABJ interest should be the community they serve.

I am not aware that the ABJ has a large reader base in

Columbus.

The ABJ is part of the mentality that created the attitude

that prevails. It will take generations to turn the interest

away from the Buckeyes and focus on the Zips.

It was most pleasing to observe on the bus trip to Purdue

that the organizers refused admittance on to the bus of

three people sporting Buckeye gear until such gear was

stowed. On the 1997 trip to Nebraska no one in charge

had the kahonies to insist that six or so Husker fans

remove their ugly red. Things are slowly changing.

Repeatedly you have asked for more general coverage

of the Zips. Repeatedly the ABJ crows that it covers the

Zips on special occasions.

There is the problem. You have identified it. Interest

remains high in reading about the Buckeyes because

the Buckeyes get a lot of coverage. Interest in the Zips

remains low because the ABJ readership rarely reads about

the daily activities at their own university.

Continue to badger the ABJ. The light must come on eventually.