After a year of deep staff and budget cuts, many of the country’s sports editors are putting Winter Olympics coverage on ice.
Unless the international event happens to be within driving distance across the Canadian border.
Northwest sports editors and staff are gearing up for Winter Olympics coverage on an unprecedented level because the Games are in Vancouver and Whistler, B.C.
At least four Washington newspapers and one in Oregon are planning to staff the Games, two of them papers with circulation under 40,000. Proximity has everything to do with those decisions.
The two smaller papers sending staffers are The Kitsap Sun in Bremerton, Wash., and the Bellingham Herald. The Herald, the nearest U.S. daily newspaper from Vancouver, is sending reporter Joe Sunnen and photographer Philip A. Dwyer. The Sun is sending three staffers — sports editor Chuck Stark, a photographer and videographer.
The Sun got its credentials from Scripps Howard News Service, which decided against putting together a coverage team for Vancouver because of the recession.
"Since we’ve got two potential Olympians — bobsledder Bree Schaaf and figure skater Ashley Wagner — we’ve got ’em," Stark said of the credentials.
Of course, no paper is immune to tighter budgets, so the Sun’s crew is only going up the second week. Stark also wanted to go up earlier, but is still looking for a place to stay.
"You don’t know of somebody that has some floor space?" he asked.
Three larger Northwest papers are also covering the 2010 Olympics.
The Seattle Times is sending 14 credentialed journalists, by far its most ever for an Olympics. USA Today and The New York Times are the only U.S. dailies sending more. The Times’ coverage team includes five sports reporters and columnists, a Metro reporter, a Business reporter, five photographers and photo editors and three online journalists. Columnist Ron Judd, Steve Kelley and Jerry Brewer, freelancer Meri-Jo Borzelleri, Business reporter Kristi Heim, and photographer Kevin Fujii have covered previous Olympics. Borzelleri is credentialed through the Anchorage Daily News and will do stories for both newspapers.
Sports editor Don Shelton, coordinating his first Olympics, is excited — and a little nervous as the countdown to Vancouver continues.
"Planning for this is incredibly complex," he said. "There are a lot of moving parts with this many people going. We’re talking about our first truly multi-media Olympics, with print and online sharing the spotlight. Beyond that, you have staffers in two cities scattered across a half-dozen hotels and condos, and many, many venues. But we have a great team and a great plan, so it’s going to be great."
The Times plans an Olympics special section with a poster cover throughout the Games and already has launched a new Olympics Web channel that will include blogs, Twitter updates, video, slide shows, photo galleries, audio, Web polls and flash graphics.
The Oregonian is sending two staffers to Vancouver. Columnist John Canzano will be in Vancouver for the first week, and reporter Rachel Bachman will be there for the duration. Sports Mark Hester will add a page of space to the section, but notes, "That will leave us with only five pages on some days, during the Olympics."
Like The Times, the Portland, Ore., paper plans to use The AP Olympics online feed.
The News Tribune in Tacoma, Wash., is sending at two writers — columnist John McGrath to Vancouver and reporter Craig Hill to Whistler. They’ll be part of McClatchy contingent.
At least one other newspaper gave up its credential and another is considering not going. The Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., decided against covering the Games, and The Register-Guard in Eugene, Ore., may not send anyone despite having a credential. Columnist George Schroeder was planning to go up for a few days, but his newborn son has major health issues. Christopher, born in November, needs a heart transplant, putting coverage in limbo.
