There is not a day that goes by that an angry reader does not accuse me of sensationalizing a story.
“You only put that on your front page to sell newspapers,” is the usual rant.
I won’t lie; there is some truth to it.
One aspect of my job. I repeat one – not the only one, not the most important one - but a very real one is that I want to sell as many newspapers as I can.
I think it’s something the editors at Sports Illustrated can relate to. Fifty-one weeks of the year, the magazine focuses on the world of sports.
But one week every year, usually after the Super Bowl, in the doldrums of February, traditionally a slow spot for sports before the March Madness of college hoops, before baseball teams report to spring training, as pro hoops and hockey are continuing their never-ending march toward the important games in the playoffs, the magazine takes a different tack.
The call it the Swimsuit Issue.
While much of the country is dealing with bitter cold and snow, Sports Illustrated delivers an issue jammed with the world’s most beautiful women wearing the skimpiest bikinis they can find. And sometimes not even bikinis. On the cover this year is Israeli stunner Bar Refaeli, who can often be found on the arm of Leonardo DiCaprio.
On the cover shot, it certainly appears as if Refaeli is trying to pull down her bikini bottom. And yes, that certainly looks like a tan line she is exposing, along with very nearly everything else she has to offer. You’re shocked, I know.
Routinely the issue sparks outrage from those offended by the images, along with a wave of letters from readers vowing to cancel their subscriptions.
It also sparks something else, aside from the male libido, of course.
Sales. Really big sales. The Swimsuit Issue is traditionally SI’s biggest seller of the year.
I bring that up because this year there is a local tie-in to the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
They did a promotion with the NBA this year and did a spread including members of some teams’ cheerleaders in some specially designed suits.
So there on Page 158 you can find Melanie Fitzpatrick. She’s from the Folsom section of Ridley Township. She’s a nursing student at Saint Joe’s and a four-year member of the Sixers Dance Team.
After getting a tip from her mom, I had a reporter track down Fitzpatrick for an interview. Her story appeared in Wednesday’s newspaper, along with a photo of her from the magazine.
We also placed that story on our Web site, along with the photo. And we linked from the story to the rest of the spread on the Sports Illustrated Web site.
One of the things I love about the online world is that we are able to tell pretty quickly which stories on our site are drawing the most interest.
Which story do you think was the most visited on Wednesday? In the 24-hour period after we posted the story, the Fitzpatrick interview recorded more than 4,800 “hits.”
We also teased the story off our front page. It was not our lead story.
Maybe it should have been. But then I no doubt would have been inundated with calls from irate readers saying we were simply trying to cash in on the racy nature of the photos.
It’s kind of like the National Inquirer. Nobody reads it, right? But it is routinely among the best-selling newspapers or magazines in the world, and a lot of people who claim they would never look at “that rag” seem pretty well-versed as to what’s in it.
I will continue my daily balance of what to put on the front page, balancing the stories I think are important and those that I think will sell.
It goes with the job. So do the swimsuits.
“You only put that on your front page to sell newspapers,” is the usual rant.
I won’t lie; there is some truth to it.
One aspect of my job. I repeat one – not the only one, not the most important one - but a very real one is that I want to sell as many newspapers as I can.
I think it’s something the editors at Sports Illustrated can relate to. Fifty-one weeks of the year, the magazine focuses on the world of sports.
But one week every year, usually after the Super Bowl, in the doldrums of February, traditionally a slow spot for sports before the March Madness of college hoops, before baseball teams report to spring training, as pro hoops and hockey are continuing their never-ending march toward the important games in the playoffs, the magazine takes a different tack.
The call it the Swimsuit Issue.
While much of the country is dealing with bitter cold and snow, Sports Illustrated delivers an issue jammed with the world’s most beautiful women wearing the skimpiest bikinis they can find. And sometimes not even bikinis. On the cover this year is Israeli stunner Bar Refaeli, who can often be found on the arm of Leonardo DiCaprio.
On the cover shot, it certainly appears as if Refaeli is trying to pull down her bikini bottom. And yes, that certainly looks like a tan line she is exposing, along with very nearly everything else she has to offer. You’re shocked, I know.
Routinely the issue sparks outrage from those offended by the images, along with a wave of letters from readers vowing to cancel their subscriptions.
It also sparks something else, aside from the male libido, of course.
Sales. Really big sales. The Swimsuit Issue is traditionally SI’s biggest seller of the year.
I bring that up because this year there is a local tie-in to the famous Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.
They did a promotion with the NBA this year and did a spread including members of some teams’ cheerleaders in some specially designed suits.
So there on Page 158 you can find Melanie Fitzpatrick. She’s from the Folsom section of Ridley Township. She’s a nursing student at Saint Joe’s and a four-year member of the Sixers Dance Team.
After getting a tip from her mom, I had a reporter track down Fitzpatrick for an interview. Her story appeared in Wednesday’s newspaper, along with a photo of her from the magazine.
We also placed that story on our Web site, along with the photo. And we linked from the story to the rest of the spread on the Sports Illustrated Web site.
One of the things I love about the online world is that we are able to tell pretty quickly which stories on our site are drawing the most interest.
Which story do you think was the most visited on Wednesday? In the 24-hour period after we posted the story, the Fitzpatrick interview recorded more than 4,800 “hits.”
We also teased the story off our front page. It was not our lead story.
Maybe it should have been. But then I no doubt would have been inundated with calls from irate readers saying we were simply trying to cash in on the racy nature of the photos.
It’s kind of like the National Inquirer. Nobody reads it, right? But it is routinely among the best-selling newspapers or magazines in the world, and a lot of people who claim they would never look at “that rag” seem pretty well-versed as to what’s in it.
I will continue my daily balance of what to put on the front page, balancing the stories I think are important and those that I think will sell.
It goes with the job. So do the swimsuits.
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