Attendence?

[HoustonCajun]

Seriously, some of the people that think the Advertiser should never cover LSU or acknowledge LSU better not run their own businesses. Because they'd be bankrupt in a year.

That has never been in question. I don't care if they run LSU information, in fact they need to run LSU info for their readers.

My problem is UL should be first and foremost on Lafayette's paper and have a section for UL with the lead daily and a photo to get fans interest. THEN, run anything you want on LSU.

The problem now is LSU is first, second and sometimes third. Then, a UL article, then something on the SEC or high school, THEN another UL article. Of course, I'm talking about the internet as I don't receive the paper here in Houston.

If we want the community to support its local university, the local paper needs to make that university a priority, just as the Advocate does for LSU in Baton Rouge. Still cover LSU in Lafayette, just not above UL. Most LSU people get their sports news on LSU from the Advocate anyway.

[Bunch24]

_ Seriously, some of the people that think the Advertiser should never cover LSU or acknowledge LSU better not run their own businesses. Because they'd be bankrupt in a year.

That has never been in question. I don't care if they run LSU information, in fact they need to run LSU info for their readers.

My problem is UL should be first and foremost on Lafayette's paper and have a section for UL with the lead daily and a photo to get fans interest. THEN, run anything you want on LSU.

The problem now is LSU is first, second and sometimes third. Then, a UL article, then something on the SEC or high school, THEN another UL article. Of course, I'm talking about the internet as I don't receive the paper here in Houston.

If we want the community to support its local university, the local paper needs to make that university a priority, just as the Advocate does for LSU in Baton Rouge. Still cover LSU in Lafayette, just not above UL. Most LSU people get their sports news on LSU from the Advocate anyway. _

Believe me, the local university is a priority. If it wasn't a priority, we'd still be referring to it as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, like every other media outlet does in this country. (By the way, that's a continuing struggle with the rest of the Louisiana papers in the Gannett chain) If it wasn't a priority, we wouldn't have "Wear Red" days on Fridays. If it wasn't a priority, we wouldn't cover "minor sports" such as softball. (I know it's nationally ranked, but go compare our softball coverage to LSU's softball coverage in the Advocate. Not. Even. Close.)

In reality, this LSU vs. UL argument only holds water twice or three times a year, and it happens to be on weekends when the ENTIRE nation has its eyes affixed to Baton Rouge. Ignoring the nation's No. 1 team, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback playing at the nation's No. 4 team when it's only 45 miles away would be complete and udder stupidity. The other 11 weeks of the season, UL gets the lion's share of attention in TDA. And it's not even close, and anyone who wants to challenge that is welcome to come to our building and go day-by-day and count it up. Believe me, we've done it before.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I believe our coverage of UL is second-to-none in the Sun Belt. The only paper that I feel comes close is Murfreesboro. And the funny thing is that every time a Sun Belt school comes in to play UL, I know I hear the visiting SIDs talk about how they wish their local paper covered their university as much as we cover UL. When I tell them how much the local "fans" _____ about our coverage of UL, they practically fall out of their chair. None of them, with the exception of Middle, get the amount of coverage we give UL. And that's not a knock on those papers/schools, that's a tribute to Josh.

Now, with that said, could it be better? Hell yeah. If I were King, we'd hire at least one more UL beat writer to help Josh. If I were King, we'd have a UL-specific section on our website. If I were King, we'd have a daily UL page so we could devote more coverage to volleyball, soccer, cross country, etc. But we can only do what we can do, and given our resources, I believe we do a damn good job. If you disagree, I'm really sorry. I wish we had more staff, more room, more time. But we're down to a skeleton crew with little control and shrinking news space. It sucks, but it's the hand we're dealt.

[Turbine]

I think there is a bit of a hand mouth relationship at play here.

For a stretch -in the first part of the 20th Century- the Advertiser reported scores from the Ivy League. I'm sure they developed a following.

I don't know if it still holds true or not but in the past there was wiggle room in creating your own market.

I think Josh and Brady are doing the best ever at growing the UL market. It is a crying shame it happens to be at the same time the paper is downsizing so dramatically.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Believe me, the local university is a priority. If it wasn't a priority, we'd still be referring to it as the University of Louisiana at Lafayette, like every other media outlet does in this country. (By the way, that's a continuing struggle with the rest of the Louisiana papers in the Gannett chain) If it wasn't a priority, we wouldn't have "Wear Red" days on Fridays. If it wasn't a priority, we wouldn't cover "minor sports" such as softball. (I know it's nationally ranked, but go compare our softball coverage to LSU's softball coverage in the Advocate. Not. Even. Close.)

In reality, this LSU vs. UL argument only holds water twice or three times a year, and it happens to be on weekends when the ENTIRE nation has its eyes affixed to Baton Rouge. Ignoring the nation's No. 1 team, Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback playing at the nation's No. 4 team when it's only 45 miles away would be complete and udder stupidity. The other 11 weeks of the season, UL gets the lion's share of attention in TDA. And it's not even close, and anyone who wants to challenge that is welcome to come to our building and go day-by-day and count it up. Believe me, we've done it before.

I've said it before and I'll say it again. I believe our coverage of UL is second-to-none in the Sun Belt. The only paper that I feel comes close is Murfreesboro. And the funny thing is that every time a Sun Belt school comes in to play UL, I know I hear the visiting SIDs talk about how they wish their local paper covered their university as much as we cover UL. When I tell them how much the local "fans" _____ about our coverage of UL, they practically fall out of their chair. None of them, with the exception of Middle, get the amount of coverage we give UL. And that's not a knock on those papers/schools, that's a tribute to Josh.

Now, with that said, could it be better? Hell yeah. If I were King, we'd hire at least one more UL beat writer to help Josh. If I were King, we'd have a UL-specific section on our website. If I were King, we'd have a daily UL page so we could devote more coverage to volleyball, soccer, cross country, etc. But we can only do what we can do, and given our resources, I believe we do a damn good job. If you disagree, I'm really sorry. I wish we had more staff, more room, more time. But we're down to a skeleton crew with little control and shrinking news space. It sucks, but it's the hand we're dealt. _

You still are not getting my point. The Advertiser coverage of the Cajuns is excellent. I have NO COMPLAINTS at all. I agree with you about our coverage.

That said, what my complaint is, on the internet, the PRIORITY given to UL sports. Not the articles and coverage, just where it is placed in the paper. Please explain WHY you can't have a UL SECTION with the lead article each day on UL with a picture promoting UL sports, be it football, basketball, softball, whatever is in season? Have the UL articles that you run in that lead section. After that, have all the LSU articles you want to run. The problem is who gets the daily priority in the paper, not the quality and amount of UL articles that are done. You don't have to devote more coverage to UL. What you are doing is great. Why can't UL simply be highlighted first? It is THE university of Lafayette and Acadiana. In BR, LSU gets that priority. In Austin, Texas gets that priority. They certainly cover Texas A&M, Baylor, Texas Tech and the Big 12, plus other Texas universities. But, Texas is always #1. Why can't the Advertiser do the same thing for UL? The Advertiser can help change the perception of UL to the casual fan and that can make a huge difference in attendance and support. So you say the Advertiser is not in the business of promoting UL, that is UL's job. I say, the Advertiser is in the business of supporting Lafayette business where its advertisers and subscribers come from and UL is the biggest employer and contributor to the economy of Lafayette. If not UL, then who? A university located in another city that gets the very priority we are seeking from its local Baton Rouge paper?

Again, to be clear on this, the coverage you provide on UL is excellent. There is no request for increased coverage. I also understand the relevance of LSU. This is NOT about promoting UL and UL only and leaving LSU off the paper. You have a lot of readers and subscribers that want to read information about LSU. By all means, print all the articles you want on LSU. Just lead off with UL articles and photos then follow that up with LSU and whatever else you are covering. Please explain WHY such a simple thing cannot be done. You are the only Gannett paper calling us UL and Louisiana. Surely, the Sports Editor has some leeway in the format of the Sports section. Let's start treating UL like a BCS program, like other BCS college city papers treat their universities. UL may not be a BCS program, but it has aspirations and all the efforts currently underway to move UL to a higher level will be enhanced with priority Advertiser coverage of UL.

[Parrott]

The problem now is LSU is first, second and sometimes third. Then, a UL article, then something on the SEC or high school, THEN another UL article. Of course, I'm talking about the internet as I don't receive the paper here in Houston.

If you don't get the newspaper, all you see if which stories run online. The print edition isn't like the online format. You don't see the weeky game day page that we do on Saturdays, complete with rosters, depth charts, stats, key matchups, etc.

In the print edition, you would have seen that LSU did not even get a full game day page this past week. We instead had a full one for the Cajuns.

[Bunch24]

_ You still are not getting my point. The Advertiser coverage of the Cajuns is excellent. I have NO COMPLAINTS at all. I agree with you about our coverage.

Surely, the Sports Editor has some leeway in the format of the Sports section. Let's start treating UL like a BCS program, like other BCS college city papers treat their universities. UL may not be a BCS program, but it has aspirations and all the efforts currently underway to move UL to a higher level will be enhanced with priority Advertiser coverage of UL. _

Like Josh said, we have little to no control over our website. That is produced in another city in another state. Do I like that? Nope, but that's the way it is. All we can do is submit the stories we've written and hope they get on the website. We also don't control how the website is designed, so we have no control over a UL, LSU or preps "section." We've discussed this at length with the people at our place and nothing has changed. As for the paper, that's the only thing we still control, and we're losing that control by the day. And with that said, the amount of room we dedicate to UL over LSU is not even close, with the exception of one week, when No. 4 LSU is playing No. 1 Florida in the NATIONAL game of the week.

As for the BCS thing, the fact is UL is not a BCS program. BCS programs don't draw 12,000 for the conference home opener. Like I said, the way we cover UL trumps any coverage in any other Sun Belt market. That's the standard right now. It's not fair to judge how UL is covered compared to LSU or Texas. How is UL covered compared to Rice? How is UL covered compared to Arkansas State?

I know you want to think UL is bigger than that, but right now that's just not even remotely possible. You see, the way it works is every time there's a reason to get excited about UL (IE going 1-2 against three BCS teams to open the season), you get the harsh reality that only 12,000 people give a ____. A newspaper is only a reflection of what the community cares about.

I'll let this thread get back to the heart of the matter, attendance. Any further questions about the Advertiser and UL coverage, please do it through private message.

[HoustonCajun]

_ Like Josh said, we have little to no control over our website. That is produced in another city in another state. Do I like that? Nope, but that's the way it is. All we can do is submit the stories we've written and hope they get on the website. We also don't control how the website is designed, so we have no control over a UL, LSU or preps "section." We've discussed this at length with the people at our place and nothing has changed. As for the paper, that's the only thing we still control, and we're losing that control by the day. And with that said, the amount of room we dedicate to UL over LSU is not even close, with the exception of one week, when No. 4 LSU is playing No. 1 Florida in the NATIONAL game of the week.

As for the BCS thing, the fact is UL is not a BCS program. BCS programs don't draw 12,000 for the conference home opener. Like I said, the way we cover UL trumps any coverage in any other Sun Belt market. That's the standard right now. It's not fair to judge how UL is covered compared to LSU or Texas. How is UL covered compared to Rice? How is UL covered compared to Arkansas State?

I know you want to think UL is bigger than that, but right now that's just not even remotely possible. You see, the way it works is every time there's a reason to get excited about UL (IE going 1-2 against three BCS teams to open the season), you get the harsh reality that only 12,000 people give a ____. A newspaper is only a reflection of what the community cares about.

I'll let this thread get back to the heart of the matter, attendance. Any further questions about the Advertiser and UL coverage, please do it through private message. _

I'll drop it with these last comments. I don't get to see the daily paper, only the internet which posts the Saturday Game Day full spread, etc. Apparently, all that is in the paper is on the internet, just not very well packaged. And, more and more people view the internet daily which is why a lot of papers are closing. This appears to have more impact than you give it credit.

I know UL is not a BCS program. We get 42,000 one week and 12,000 the next. That is from total neglect of athletics by our former President and failure to develop a winning tradition and national exposure. Now, under new leadership, things are changing for UL. Why compare UL to other schools that are at a level we want to surpass. If you want to improve things, why settle for the status quo? Why not look at how more successful programs do things and strive to excel to that level? By your thinking, and this continues to promote a somewhat negative perception of UL, nothing will likely improve, the community could care less, we are no better than any other mid-level program, so let's be content that we do as much as we do. We are not and never will be at LSU's level, so what's the point? God forbid we have any ambitions to rise to a higher level. Maybe we should tell the Beau Soleil team to come home now because we don't belong with the other top tiered universities they are competing against. I think a newspaper is more than "only a reflection of what the community cares about". A newspaper is the heart of a community, it has an impact on how the community views itself and it has a role in shaping that view. I think I better understand now why the Advertiser is what it is.

[CajunFreak]

_ I lived in Austin for 4 years and my wife is a Texas Ex. We went to a lot of UT games and while she wore UT gear, I always wore my UL red and white. I saw a lot of other schools represented at UT games as well and no one was ever hastle or questioned about it. And, we always went to the Texas Ex Alumni House across from the stadium. No one batted an eye.

We want people to come to our games and convert them to Cajun fans. If someone went to another school, so what if they wear their school colors as long as they are at the game. We will never build a following if we chase off anyone who does not bleed red and white. They might decide to come back for another game, then another, then start to feel out of place on their own and wear red and white to our games. In any event, they are a ticket purchaser and should walk away with a great game day experience. Let's convert them, why run them off? _

Exactly! Could not have written it better.

[CajunFreak]

_ I just want to say I had a great time. I went to alumni tent and ate jambalaya and drank beer free. The game was great. I sat with a bunch of good friends. My kids had a good time. The Abita beer in the stadium was awesome. We won. The facility was clean. The band was good. Geno Delafose before the game was awesome. The weather was good. Wish more people could have shared it with me. I have season tickets this is my basic experience every time. _

GOOD POST... That is what it should be about!

[Frenchie35]

_ I'll drop it with these last comments. I don't get to see the daily paper, only the internet which posts the Saturday Game Day full spread, etc. Apparently, all that is in the paper is on the internet, just not very well packaged. And, more and more people view the internet daily which is why a lot of papers are closing. This appears to have more impact than you give it credit.

I know UL is not a BCS program. We get 42,000 one week and 12,000 the next. That is from total neglect of athletics by our former President and failure to develop a winning tradition and national exposure. Now, under new leadership, things are changing for UL. Why compare UL to other schools that are at a level we want to surpass. If you want to improve things, why settle for the status quo? Why not look at how more successful programs do things and strive to excel to that level? By your thinking, and this continues to promote a somewhat negative perception of UL, nothing will likely improve, the community could care less, we are no better than any other mid-level program, so let's be content that we do as much as we do. We are not and never will be at LSU's level, so what's the point? God forbid we have any ambitions to rise to a higher level. Maybe we should tell the Beau Soleil team to come home now because we don't belong with the other top tiered universities they are competing against. I think a newspaper is more than "only a reflection of what the community cares about". A newspaper is the heart of a community, it has an impact on how the community views itself and it has a role in shaping that view. I think I better understand now why the Advertiser is what it is. _

I think Bunch24 put his foot in his mouth in his last post. In short, "be satisfied with what you are and except what we say as gosple"....never.