JoshBarnett

The latest from Kelly the Dog in The Buffalo News. Enjoy ... http://buffalonews.com/2017/11/05/voice-of-the-fan-has-any-given-someday-arrived/

As I have said, I am happy to have a productive conversation on what people want. Appreciate your thoughts. By my count, we posted 14 other pieces posted today that are not on the above list. Included among them is an analytical look at the go route that the Raiders used last week -- and have used -- as they try to shake Amari Cooper free after a slow start. We also have an X's and O's column in the morning that breaks down the opponent. We also have another play breakdown coming that has the Bills on offense (instead of defense). We have been doing multiple analytics pieces every week, as well as stat-driven pieces. Up now, we also have an analysis of the pass defense after last week's effort with quotes from the coach and players. Are some days softer than others in terms of tone? Sure. But we also have 35 pieces a day and are attempting to cater to a wide audience. The Kyle Williams postgame speech was liked and retweeted thousands of times so we asked him about it. It might not be everyone's cup of tea, and that's OK. But we thought it was an interesting window into a guy who has been in town for a while and understands the fans' frustrations. Josh

The plan is for the price to be 2.99 consistently and we intend to more aggressively produce offseason content. The price could be subject to change because the product is new and we have not done an off-season. We toyed with full year or season pricing options for those who wanted to pay up front for the time period and landed on using more of the Netflix model that only goes month to month. Definitely something we will look at again. Thanks

It is a two-week free trial and then the billing for the first month happens after the two weeks expires. It is billed monthly. Thanks for the heads up on the FAQ. Will get that fixed ASAP. Josh

Thank you to Kelly and Scott for helping us get this off the ground. We look forward to the weekly contributions. With the Voice of the Fan and the View from Vegas that we debuted last week on Bills betting trends, we have added two features directly derived from my requests for suggestions on this board. So thank you all for that. And happy to hear more ideas. The conversation about subscription models is ongoing here and elsewhere and the decision is up to you. But I will say that I am constantly talking with my staff about how to make our coverage better and different. I want to engage with Bills fans and learn what they want to read about. So I make the same offer that I made to you before: Drop me a line at jbarnett@buffnews.com. I read everything I get. Or post something here or on the other threads that I have started. Early on, someone here accused me of post and ghost. I hope by now you know that's not the case. Thanks, Josh

It's not really appropriate for me to comment on personnel issues generally, but let me say this. We are sad to see Kimberley go and appreciate what she brought to our coverage over the last few months. The Washington Post was her dream destination when she decided she wanted to be in this business. They had an opening and called her. It was impossible to turn down. It's a wonderful opportunity for her and we know she will do a great job. As for us, we already have talked to several potential candidates and will continue to examine what makes the most sense for the short term and the long term. We remain committed to providing the most comprehensive Bills coverage available. Thanks, Josh

In one of the earlier threads, it was suggested that we do more about gambling trends related to the Bills. We began that today. The weekly piece is for subscribers but since the idea came from this group at TSW, here is what it looks like with the addition of Marc Lawrence to our team. Thoughts? Marc Lawrence previews the NFL from a Vegas perspective. You can follow him online at Playbook.com or @MarcLawrence. The Bills catch the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in an optimal role this week, according to the betting trends. The Bills are 7-0 ATS (against the spread) at home after a bye week following a loss to non-division opponents. They also are 6-0-1 ATS in their last seven games against NFC opponents. The Buccaneers are 1-10 ATS away in non-division games following an away game when facing a team that they lost to in the previous meeting. Tampa Bay is also 0-5 ATS in games before facing the Carolina Panthers. The pick: Bills over Tampa Bay by 6. Thanks to their waning offense, the Bills were outgained in their last four contests. That's generally bad news for NFL teams that find themselves favored. However, Tampa Bay has problems of its own as the Bucs allowed Arizona a season-high 432 yards in last week’s 38-33 loss to the Cardinals. It marked the third time this campaign that the Bucs have surrendered season-high yardage in a game. We’d be all over the Bills even more here if their offensive numbers were stronger.

For the record, I read the Bills Wire piece before I posted and agree that the Bills Wire piece defended his position on mobile quarterbacks. My point is that is a small portion of the longer article and not even in the first section. While that can be one takeaway from the article, the aggregation seems like it is the only takeaway and a complete story about race. That is not the case. Other quotes also can be found in the various social media promotion. Here is a free link to the long piece: http://buffalonews.com/2017/10/14/tyrod-taylor-unfiltered-win-everythings-great-lose-want-crucify/ Here is a free link to the additional quotes that cover a wide array of topics: Http://buffalonews.com/2017/10/14/tyrod-Taylor-Unfiltered-bills-QB/ Judge for yourself based on the totality of the comments. Thanks, Josh

Since I am the editor on the actual story and not what someone at another site decided to pull from it, let me say this: those are two quotes pulled from a 40-minute one on one sitdown with Taylor. And frankly, not a fair characterization of the thrust of the conversation. The full piece along with a wide array of excerpts from the interview will be in the Sunday print edition of The Buffalo News. We also will be making more of it available to non BNblitz.com subscribers. If you are a print or digital subscriber, it is on the site now. So maybe reserve judgment until you see the whole thing. Josh

Do you mean to sign up for Blitz? Here is your best option and this includes the two-week free trial ... https://subscribe.buffalonews.com/subscribe?package=BILLSDIG&promo=trial&utm_source=bills-2&returnUrl= Appreciate it very much.

Looping back in on your comments. Keep them coming. Lots of great stuff here ... * On fandom. As I mentioned, I grew up in the New York City area so I was the typical kid who watched the Giants-Jets TV doubleheaders and got a lot of exposure to both teams and talking about the game with my dad, who grew up a Giants fan. My fandom these days is for Syracuse football and basketball (at times to my dismay, especially football). When we moved back to the CNY/WNY area, we got season tickets for football. Hopefully, the program turns around. * On the column swap: We picked up a bit of Paul Daugherty's column from the Cincy Enquirer today. We had one of our columns in the Denver Post a few weeks ago. We have been having an internal conversation with the staff about how much is too much or too little on the opponent during the week leading into the game generally, not necessarily in terms of opinion per se. We are doing a lot of matchup breakdowns, key plays and film review. We also are trying to run transcripts of the opposing coach/player press conferences as available. We want to be comprehensive and recognize that it's not like the Bills are out there by themselves. * YoloInOhio: Feel free to send along the item from the Columbus Dispatch. Ray Stein is the sports editor there. Does a really good job. And a good guy. jbarnett@buffnews.com. * I will disagree with the notion that paying for internet content is very 2010ish. You have sites popping up such as The Athletic and its various local sites, Greg Bedard’s Boston Sports Journal, the DK sports site in Pittsburgh. There are myriad other specialized sites on all sorts of topics sports and beyond being produced by traditional and non-traditional media. (The New York Times has a subscription site devoted to cooking, for example). The entirety of media and its continued evolution is probably worth its own thread, if that’s a subject people want to talk about in depth.

Let me touch on the last few comments ... * Honestly, our customer service department has been outstanding related to the new product. Here's my personal offer: You want to cancel and can't get a response in a timely manner, email me your name and phone number. I will walk over to customer service inside the Buffalo News building and watch them call you back to make sure it gets taken care of. * I've addressed this before, but happy to do so again: I's not the same content. I mentioned the 40 items on Sunday. They are 34 on the site right now from today, and we have a few more to come before the night is over. We have moved Mark Gaughan back to the Bills full time. We have added Kimberley A. Martin as a columnist and feature writer. We have added new features. We have a large number of new contributors who are writing on specific topics. You don't like what we're doing? OK. But to say that it's the same content is just not accurate. * Tyler's name has come up a bunch, and I understand it. I brought in Tyler at the Philadelphia Daily News right out of college. He then went to work in Fayetteville, N.C., before coming back to Buffalo. There is no question he is a talented guy and someone I like personally and remain in contact with. Thanks, Josh

I appreciate the comments on this thread so far, and I promised I would be back and be checking in. Thanks to those of you who sent well wishes both here and via email. A few thoughts: * Some of the things suggested are things we are doing. We are doing advanced stats breakdowns, PFF grades, diagrams of key plays from the previous game and for the upcoming game. Those elements are derived from the new resources we have dedicated to Bills coverage. If you don't know they are there, that's on us. Not you. As I said the last time, YOU are the customer. * The volume is a big thing to us, and we hope to the reader. You aren't going to read -- or like -- everything. We had 40 posts up Sunday, for example. If you don't like a particular viewpoint or columnist or whomever, there is plenty more there than just that one piece. * I thought this was a great line -- a little reporting, a little dialogue, a little synthesis. I agree with that wholeheartedly and is a strong take. I prefer reported columns and I think there is more of that than you might think and it's something we strive for. I would say most of our columns or analysis pieces have quotes or are gleaned from conversations with people even if not quoted. * More human interest stories. That is a definite thrust of part of what we are doing. I think you have seen some early results on that: On Jordan Poyer from Jay Skurski, on Lorenzo Alexander from Kimberley A. Martin. You also will be seeing more stories about Bills in the community and who these guys are (A bunch of things are in the works for the upcoming days and weeks.) * Gambling. Interesting thoughts on this topic. When I was the editor of USA TODAY Sports Weekly, we brought on board Marc Lawrence from Playbook.com and we worked with Vegas Vic and Benji Eckstein (handicapper for the NY Daily News) when I was in Philly. Something to consider. * Relationship building. We recognize this is key. As noted, with a new administration with the Bills, it takes time for the new faces to get used to our reporters and vice versa. I think you've seen some of the fruits of that already, but it will be a proc ... (sorry). * Fans submissions. When I was in Philly, we started a "Fan Panel." We had a group of fans who had committed to send us a quick reaction piece after every Eagles game. We would then put the best pieces together and post excerpts. As noted, we retained editorial control but it gave a good-sized audience to the thoughts of the fans. Obviously, that was a few years ago and the landscape for message board communities was different. It is an interesting idea to consider trying here. Keep the suggestions coming ... My intent is to have a conversation and make our coverage better. But I will leave this here, it's a two-week free trial. If you hate it, cancel after the two weeks. Another option: We have a daily morning newsletter that is delivered via your email (no cost, no obligation). Take a look at the types of stories we are doing. If you see enough things that you like, then sign up for the free trial. Go to buffalonews.com/newsletter to sign up. And if you don't like the newsletter, you can cancel that, too. Again, don't hesitate to reach out. Email is jbarnett@buffnews.com. Thanks, Josh

As I said after my earlier post when I answered an initial batch of questions, I am happy to have an ongoing dialogue about our coverage and the subscription model we are currently offering. Someone along the way asked about my background, so briefly: Originally from White Plains, N.Y. Syracuse graduate and then worked at The Glens Falls Post-Star, the Utica Observer-Dispatch, the Syracuse Post-Standard, the Philadelphia Daily News (including eight years as the sports editor) and then five years at USA TODAY. And I’ve now been in Buffalo for three and a half weeks. As I head toward finishing my first month here, I will throw it back to the most passionate Bills out there: What should we be doing that we aren’t? What do you want more of? Let’s talk. I can check out the comments in this thread. Beyond that, feel free to send me questions at any point at jbarnett@buffnews.com. Please know that I read everything I get. (Note: I know the last thread was locked when the conversation got a bit aggressive. I also know that some of you don’t like certain members of my staff. That’s your prerogative and many of you expressed those views in your emails. I am willing to listen to reasonable suggestions. Telling me to fire this person or that person is not really productive.) Thanks, Josh Feel free to send me questions at any point at jbarnett@buffnews.com. Please know that I read everything I get.

Classic post and ghost? I have answered a bunch more emails from those in this community who have sent messages and plan to post responses to additional questions to the group next week. I remain happy to engage with people on these issues. I have read everything written in this thread since my initial post. I know where to find your thoughts and you know where to find mine.

For those of you who have asked me questions about our decisions related to BN Blitz, I have started a new thread with my responses. https://forums.twobillsdrive.com/topic/196570-bn-sports-editor-responses-to-questions/ Thanks, Josh

As promised, I have gone through the questions that you sent me and wanted to provide responses. I am happy to do this on a regular basis and I did not get to all of them. If you have other questions, don't hesitate to email me at jbarnett@buffnews.com. I also want to thank those of you who wrote for welcoming me to town and your well wishes. Those are appreciated. One note in terms of how I am replying: Because you emailed me, your email in most cases is tied to your name and not your screen name on the board. Rather than using your name, I won’t identify who the question came from. In some cases, a number of you asked something very similar so I will summarize the question rather than using them verbatim. Q: Why are we being asked to pay for the same content that was free in the past? A: We have expanded our coverage and coverage team to provide much more than in the past. We are posting more than 20 Bills-related articles per day since BNBlitz.com launched (we had 35 last Wednesday, 21 on Thursday, 27 on Friday and 33 last Sunday). We have put Mark Gaughan back on the Bills full-time after he spent several years on colleges and he is breaking down game tape for both the Bills and their upcoming opponents, looking at trends and much more. We have added Kimberley A. Martin as another voice on the Bills as a columnist and she also is doing feature stories. We have expanded our use of analytics – breaking out stats watches for players such as Taylor, McCoy, Dareus and the kicking game – among other analytics-based content. I have seen a reference on the board to all I want is a good All22 breakdown of the opponent.” Well, we have that. We are doing more stories on the people who love the Bills in this community and beyond -- helping the fans who travel to see the Bills with trip guides, those who remain in town with bar guides and introducing you to celebrities who are Bills fans. While many of the hallmarks of the BN coverage remain, there is much more available than before. There is not a single outlet doing more on the Bills every day than we are. So. … we are offering a free 2-week trial for anyone who signs up. Sample it and see precisely what we are offering. If after 2 weeks you do not feel we provide you with something worth $2.99 per month, you can cancel. Q: Why is there a total blackout and not a mix of free and paid content? A: We do have a mix. There are 3-4 free articles after every game and around three every day, depending on the day and the content. The articles on our site with the red football icon with the star are only for subscribers. Articles without that icon are free. You can always go here: http://buffalonews.com/section/sports/bills/latest-bills/ to see our latest Bills content. Q: Why can’t you just sell ads like other outlets? A: No doubt digital advertising is an important part of how we will sustain our business in the future. But it is only one small piece of the overall picture. It used to be that subscriptions were the small part of our revenue picture and advertising was the much larger piece. Now, it is, and needs to be, the opposite. Subscriptions are a much larger piece so we need to charge for our content to support the business. However, the advertising helps hold down the price of subscriptions. Without advertising, the cost of subscribing both digitally and in print would be more. Keep in mind also that the advertising landscape has changed. One expert estimated that Google and Facebook accounted for 89 percent of digital advertising growth last year. As more advertisers coalesce around Google and Facebook, other outlets need to find other ways to generate revenue. Q: The Buffalo News is profitable. Why should I pay you $3? A: There are a lot of businesses that are profitable that all of us support on a regular basis, but they also don’t give away their products for free. Your favorite fast food change is profitable and they don’t give you hamburgers for free. Your favorite movie theatre is profitable, and they don’t let you into the movies for free. Or your favorite grocery chain or Target. And on and on. We think we are offering a service that is valuable and warrants the investment – and we think the sum total of what we are providing on the Bills is worth it, even if you don’t like a particular columnist, feature or some element of what we do. Q: Why are there pieces of content aggregated from other sources and why is that behind the paywall? A: Sometimes they are and sometimes they aren’t. Our goal is to do as much Bills content as we can via the reporting and analysis of our staff. Items such as “what the national media is saying about the Bills” or “where the Bills are in power rankings” add to our coverage by providing a perspective from outside this region. But someone on our team is taking time to piece those items together and put them in one easy package for you to use. We are saving you time and becoming more of a one-stop shop for everything Bills. Q: I don’t like your columnists and I won’t support where they work. (That isn’t really a question, but you get the idea.) A: Yes, I’m new here so I can’t speak to the history or more of the longer view. Here is my view on opinion writing in general and what I have told all our columnists/opinion writers: You are entitled to your own opinions; you are not entitled to your own facts. In much the same way, the reader is entitled to disagree with the opinions or conclusions expressed or the tone. If we have something factually wrong – in columns or elsewhere – we will correct it. You now all know where to find me. Again, the reader can disagree with the interpretation or conclusions drawn. That’s your prerogative. We have three jobs that we try to accomplish every day that comes from a mix of news, opinion, human interest, stats, etc.: Inform, entertain and surprise. Some days we are better than others. But we will continue to work every day to hit the trifecta. Q: Corollary to above, The BN has too many columnists and too much opinion. A: We have two full-time beat writers on the Bills. That is more than Syracuse or Rochester or ESPN.com or Olean (that is not to disrespect how hard everyone works at other news organizations, but just to indicate that we are putting in more resources to covering the Bills). We have three columnists who write Bills but also are free to write other topics. We have an enterprise/long-form writer who writes on the Bills but also other topics. We have a number of analytics writers on the Bills in various forms. Within those roles, anyone and everyone is able to break/report on content that has traditionally been handled by the “beat writers,” even if they are not designated as “beat writers.” We had five people in the press conferences this week with McDermott, Taylor and McCoy and then other reporters added when the locker room was open. We then broke our team apart to determine the most important elements, storylines and posted lots of materials. We also then ran the transcripts of what was said directly from the podium and beyond. And our reporters were tweeting as information was acquired both in the press conference and the locker room with our live coverage from One Bills Drive. I saw someone posted a list of what they deemed analysis or opinion from us on Two Bills Drive off Sunday’s game against Carolina and determined it was too much. But we aren’t looking at it as a static list. Our goal is to deliver Bills content as it’s happening and when you want it. That means before the game, during the game and after the game and into the overnight Monday morning. Or if you want to see it all in one place at the same time after it’s over, you can do that, too. We post an analysis of each quarter as the quarter ends. We post Hot Reads from the game after the games ends. We post more extensive pieces after being in the locker room and talking to the principals. That extends beyond just what happens at the practice facility. Don’t have time in your day to listen to The John Murphy Show? We’ll give you a recap. Plus, we have our own podcasts with Vic and Jay, radio and TV appearances and a Daily Drive podcast from Kevin Sylvester and Paul Peck. You can catch up with that content at any time. Q: How do you balance the need for accurate reporting with the need to be out front in the era of social media, and increased competition between different media sites, bloggers, etc.? A: Sure, we WANT to be first, but we NEED to be right. It’s tough out there with competition from a lot of outlets that are working hard too, but accuracy is what we have to stand on. Some of you have mentioned the coach and GM searches in your comments. Keep in mind those are fluid situations with a lot of changes. It’s no different than when you or your wife or kids apply for jobs. The employer likes someone one day and then talks to the next person and might like him more. Maybe the candidate the employer really likes wants too much money or has another offer and so circumstances change. Maybe the person in one part of the organization has a favored candidate, but the owner vetoes that choice or has a different view. We will provide the best and most accurate information we can at the time we report it. Q: Any chance the sports reporters may join Two Bills Drive with their name so we can interact with them from time to time? A: I would not rule out anything. It certainly is a possibility if we set up some moderation rules in order to have a civil and productive discussion on the team.

As promised on the other thread about The Buffalo News and BNblitz.com, I am Josh Barnett, the new executive sports editor as of two weeks ago. You understandably have questions so I wanted to extend the opportunity to the readers of Two Bills Drive to get them answered directly. Send your questions to jbarnett@buffnews.com. I will collect them, answer them and post them on this thread. We can then do another round if there are more. Bottom line: YOU are the customer. It’s OUR JOB to explain to you why we think $2.99 is reasonable for the mass of content that we are providing on the Bills. We have added new features, new types of coverage and personnel. The amount of coverage on the Bills in total is more than we have ever had available and is more than any individual outlet offers. I look forward to reading your questions and furthering the conversation. Thanks, Josh