The Plunge Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 By now we've all read the article by Rod Watson. I tried to let it go, but I couldn't. This is the letter I sent to the editors of the paper, and also those in charge of sales and marketing. They should all know that choosing to publish stuff like this will hurt their ability to land readers, particularly now that it is subscription bases. I'm not recommending a mutiny, or anything like that. But I did want to send a message to the powers that be at The Buffalo News that their choices can have an impact. Here is what I sent them... Good Afternoon, After reading the article you published yesterday by Rod Watson, I thought I would take a minute to provide you with some feedback. I’m a business owner, and if I have a client who is upset, I like to know so I can do something about it. I am extending that courtesy to you. First off, I understand that the business you are in is tricky. It’s hard to please everyone. And with the changes to the way news is delivered today, I’m completely supportive of the change to a subscription-based system. You currently employ two of my favourite writers in Vic Carucci and Tim Graham. I was all set to sign up for a monthly subscription, mostly because I wanted to continue reading their outstanding work. After reading the article by Rod Watson yesterday, I’ve decided not to subscribe to your publication. I just can’t. Either that article was written with the intention of causing a stir and generating a number of hits on the website, or it was actually written with sincerity. Either way, I can’t support any paper who chooses to print something like that. If you are doing it for web hits, I view that as bush league journalism. TMZ has more discretion. But I actually don’t think that’s why it was done. I think it was done because that’s genuinely the way Mr. Watson feels. And that’s actually worse, in my opinion. Everyone working at your newspaper understands what the Bills mean to Buffalo. While I don’t live in Buffalo, I understand what it means to the city. All you have to do is watch the video of Bills fans crying tears of joy when the Bengals scored that TD to understand what this means to people. To ridicule that raw emotion, or to try to take that away from people, is just sad. There is no other word for it. I don’t care if Mr. Watson is a football fan or not. It’s not the point. He doesn’t need to understand WHY people are that excited. But he should be prepared to accept the fact that they are without feeling the need to try to ruin it for people. One of the mom’s on my son’s hockey team loves to play Pokemon on her iPhone. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. But she loves it. And I see the joy on her face when she finds something she’s been looking for. I would never, ever think of ridiculing her for this. It doesn’t matter that I don’t “get it". It’s not my place to try to ruin it for her. This cynical, negative tactic serves no purpose. And in a time when our world is such a terrifying, negative place, why would we worry what makes people happy? Does it matter if the happiness comes from things that don’t really matter in the real world? Like football? Or Pokemon? Or anything else like that? It breaks my heart to write this. It really does. The work Tim Graham did on the Darryl and Janine Talley story is one of the most impactful articles I’ve ever read about any sport. It forever changed the way I view the game of football and the athletes who play it. It actually convinced me that my kids will never, ever play tackle football. It also showed how powerful Bills fans can be when they unite for a cause. As you know, they raised an incredible amount of money for the Talley’s in a very short period of time. We also saw that power this week with the money raised for the charities of Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd - over $275k the last time I looked. And most of that money was raised in $17 increments. If that doesn’t show you the incredible power of the Bills fan base, I’m not sure what will. But this speaks again to the incredible lack of awareness by Mr. Watson and also, the editor who allowed it to go to print. If you published that article when your subscription was still free, there’s little to no consequence. Your readers can still get the great material from people like Tim and Vic. But now, you’ve switched to a subscription bases system. Bills fans have already proven, twice now, how much money they can raise in small increments. And you want to put an article like that out NOW? That same fan base that can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, $17 at a time, will have no problem NOT spending $3 a month on a paper who publishes things like that. I’m not asking for a solution for this. I’m not asking for anyone to be fired. I just wanted you to know that you won’t be getting my subscription, and from the reactions on Twitter and the message boards, I suspect I’m not alone. Please keep this in mind the next time Mr. Watson feels the need to take cheap shots at the great people of Buffalo, and the happiness the Bills are finally bringing to them. Thank you and have a good day. Go Bills. 9 11 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
White Linen Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Very nicely written and I like how you refrained from emotional outburst. It's, IMO, the best way to be heard. As a portion of your write up suggest - I honestly do not think they care. 2 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloBill Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Your response, perfect. Watson’s “thoughts,” pathetic. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JaCrispy Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Very nice...please let us know if they respond 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kwai San Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 As a long time Bills fan you ALMOST lost me when you said your fav writer was Timmah.......I kept reading.....I was impressed. The Tally article was indeed one of their best articles I have ever seen written in the BN. I however have NEVER paid to see the articles written - i would be most interested in seeing what Watson did write. Good response - sadly it was proally read by some junior staffer and ended up in the trash bin - literally and figuratively as I do not thing the BN can handle criticism or the truth. I would be most interested to see if BN follows up with you with anything more than a form letter. Good job and of course - GO BILLS!!!! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SinceThe70s Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Well done, the overall tone was perfect IMO, thanks for sharing. Great point regarding whether it was click-bait or the writers real opinion. As you noted, it doesn't really matter, the editor chose to run the story. P.S. - I play Pokemon...but I don't get too excited....usually 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ol Dirty B Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Even Jerry and Bucky don't really bother me. They just talk and talk and try to gain clicks, but this went a bit too far. For a publication that will come here and beg for us to pay for their Bills coverage to publish this blatant attention seeking article should be the final straw. Links to that junk or mentions of it should be scrubbed from the site. I know I won't ever click on a link or buy another publication of theirs. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 1 hour ago, The Plunge said: By now we've all read the article by Rod Watson. I tried to let it go, but I couldn't. This is the letter I sent to the editors of the paper, and also those in charge of sales and marketing. They should all know that choosing to publish stuff like this will hurt their ability to land readers, particularly now that it is subscription bases. I'm not recommending a mutiny, or anything like that. But I did want to send a message to the powers that be at The Buffalo News that their choices can have an impact. Here is what I sent them... Good Afternoon, After reading the article you published yesterday by Rod Watson, I thought I would take a minute to provide you with some feedback. I’m a business owner, and if I have a client who is upset, I like to know so I can do something about it. I am extending that courtesy to you. First off, I understand that the business you are in is tricky. It’s hard to please everyone. And with the changes to the way news is delivered today, I’m completely supportive of the change to a subscription-based system. You currently employ two of my favourite writers in Vic Carucci and Tim Graham. I was all set to sign up for a monthly subscription, mostly because I wanted to continue reading their outstanding work. After reading the article by Rod Watson yesterday, I’ve decided not to subscribe to your publication. I just can’t. Either that article was written with the intention of causing a stir and generating a number of hits on the website, or it was actually written with sincerity. Either way, I can’t support any paper who chooses to print something like that. If you are doing it for web hits, I view that as bush league journalism. TMZ has more discretion. But I actually don’t think that’s why it was done. I think it was done because that’s genuinely the way Mr. Watson feels. And that’s actually worse, in my opinion. Everyone working at your newspaper understands what the Bills mean to Buffalo. While I don’t live in Buffalo, I understand what it means to the city. All you have to do is watch the video of Bills fans crying tears of joy when the Bengals scored that TD to understand what this means to people. To ridicule that raw emotion, or to try to take that away from people, is just sad. There is no other word for it. I don’t care if Mr. Watson is a football fan or not. It’s not the point. He doesn’t need to understand WHY people are that excited. But he should be prepared to accept the fact that they are without feeling the need to try to ruin it for people. One of the mom’s on my son’s hockey team loves to play Pokemon on her iPhone. I don’t understand it. I don’t get it. But she loves it. And I see the joy on her face when she finds something she’s been looking for. I would never, ever think of ridiculing her for this. It doesn’t matter that I don’t “get it". It’s not my place to try to ruin it for her. This cynical, negative tactic serves no purpose. And in a time when our world is such a terrifying, negative place, why would we worry what makes people happy? Does it matter if the happiness comes from things that don’t really matter in the real world? Like football? Or Pokemon? Or anything else like that? It breaks my heart to write this. It really does. The work Tim Graham did on the Darryl and Janine Talley story is one of the most impactful articles I’ve ever read about any sport. It forever changed the way I view the game of football and the athletes who play it. It actually convinced me that my kids will never, ever play tackle football. It also showed how powerful Bills fans can be when they unite for a cause. As you know, they raised an incredible amount of money for the Talley’s in a very short period of time. We also saw that power this week with the money raised for the charities of Andy Dalton and Tyler Boyd - over $275k the last time I looked. And most of that money was raised in $17 increments. If that doesn’t show you the incredible power of the Bills fan base, I’m not sure what will. But this speaks again to the incredible lack of awareness by Mr. Watson and also, the editor who allowed it to go to print. If you published that article when your subscription was still free, there’s little to no consequence. Your readers can still get the great material from people like Tim and Vic. But now, you’ve switched to a subscription bases system. Bills fans have already proven, twice now, how much money they can raise in small increments. And you want to put an article like that out NOW? That same fan base that can raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, $17 at a time, will have no problem NOT spending $3 a month on a paper who publishes things like that. I’m not asking for a solution for this. I’m not asking for anyone to be fired. I just wanted you to know that you won’t be getting my subscription, and from the reactions on Twitter and the message boards, I suspect I’m not alone. Please keep this in mind the next time Mr. Watson feels the need to take cheap shots at the great people of Buffalo, and the happiness the Bills are finally bringing to them. Thank you and have a good day. Go Bills. So you point out that you enjoy Vic and TG. Both of whom write numerous articles/columns weekly that you presumably enjoy. But you're not going to pay $2.99/mo because you didn't like one article. You're a moron. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rsxfirefighter Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Very well written. I agree with a lot of your points. I understand freedom of the press, but somethings just should be censored.. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BuffaloSol Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Amazing, I'm glad you did this, it's what a strong man would do not a weak punk. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Their inevitable reaction: "Hey, look! We can show advertisers that people really do read our paper! Rod, write a response to this..." It's not about sending a message, it's about the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ndirish1978 Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Is it just me or does Rod Watson sound like a made up person 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DC Tom Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Sounds like an extra in Days of Thunder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oldmanfan Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 Ralph did an amazing amount for the community. I imagine the Pegulas do as well. Players have charitable causes. For this writer to suggest that the football team and its successes is somehow divorced from other community concerns boggles the mind. Such an article hurts rather than helps his cause. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roundybout Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 35 minutes ago, stony said: So you point out that you enjoy Vic and TG. Both of whom write numerous articles/columns weekly that you presumably enjoy. But you're not going to pay $2.99/mo because you didn't like one article. You're a moron. I didnt know Watson posts here. If you cant see what's wrong with that article, you arent a Bills fan. Its that simple. 3 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 39 minutes ago, stony said: So you point out that you enjoy Vic and TG. Both of whom write numerous articles/columns weekly that you presumably enjoy. But you're not going to pay $2.99/mo because you didn't like one article. You're a moron. Really? You just can't disagree without being crass and rude. Especially in the week we're in, our first playoff game in 18 years. You're a better poster than that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cripple Creek Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 1 hour ago, The Plunge said: By now we've all read the article by Rod Watson. I tried to let it go, but I couldn't. This is the letter I sent to the editors of the paper, and also those in charge of sales and marketing. They should all know that choosing to publish stuff like this will hurt their ability to land readers, particularly now that it is subscription bases. I'm not recommending a mutiny, or anything like that. But I did want to send a message to the powers that be at The Buffalo News that their choices can have an impact. Here is what I sent them... I too sent an email, but I'm too embarrassed to post it next to your Pulitizer worthy letter. Well done. 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stony Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 2 minutes ago, Green Lightning said: Really? You just can't disagree without being crass and rude. Especially in the week we're in, our first playoff game in 18 years. You're a better poster than that. No, I can't understand not supporting an entire news publication that he admits to enjoying because of one crap article. 12 minutes ago, BillsEnthusiast said: I didnt know Watson posts here. If you cant see what's wrong with that article, you arent a Bills fan. Its that simple. It's a crap article. Agreed. Not a reason to condemn what is largely a solid paper. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fadingpain Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 whole lotta stupid in this thread! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Lightning Posted January 5, 2018 Share Posted January 5, 2018 9 minutes ago, stony said: No, I can't understand not supporting an entire news publication that he admits to enjoying because of one crap article. I don't disagree, I just don't think it's right to call him a moron because you don't understand his motivation. After all, aren't we all in this together? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts