Friday, December 31, 2004
The Memo
December 16, 2004
To: Phil Anastasia (Courier-Post sports editor)
Cc: Stu Skinske (C-P managing editor), Derek Osenenko (executive editor), Joyce Gabriel (assistant managing editor)
From: Sean McCann
Re: Summer project proposal
A couple of summers ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer sent "People" columnist (and Haddonfield resident) Mike Vitez out into America with several thousand dollars, a photographer and an SUV. When I heard about it, my first thought was, "Lucky Mike." My second thought: Wouldn’t it be more fun to send somebody out with a hundred bucks, a camera and a bus ticket instead?
Of course, I imagined myself in that role, and the type of stories that might emerge on the way across this vast country. But though I was intensely fascinated with the idea, I never proposed it because I couldn’t think of an angle that would directly speak to South Jersey readers.
Then came the 2004 presidential election.
This past Nov. 2, Camden County went for John Kerry 62 percent to 37 for George W. Bush. Only two municipalities in the county came in Republican, one of them being tony Tavistock, which backed Bush an overwhelming eight voters to one. Waterford was the only town to mimic the national percentages, going Republican 51-to-48.
The numbers in Camden County weren’t much different than the rest of South Jersey, and the rest of the East Coast, for that matter, and yet the nationwide numbers reflected a very different America. After the election, I came back to a conclusion that I’d first made when I was a college student, a coastal kid plopped down at the University of Missouri: most people don’t realize what this country is really like.
The red state-blue state disconnect is both well documented and oft-analyzed, but I think there’s an opportunity here to go someplace deeper. My idea is to wander across the country via Greyhound bus for the period of a month. I’d talk to fellow travelers and stop in towns small and large to find stories and photos that would resonate with any reader. I'd send them back every day or two, to be run under a brand name like "Meet your Nation" or "From the West."
The coverage could be packaged as a column or feature that appears three or four times a week, a daily weblog, a large special section, or some combination of the three. Most of the stories would be slices of life and profiles, all falling within a master narrative that connects and places South Jersey within this incredibly complex national tapestry. I could occasionally focus on South Jersey transplants or topics of special area interest, and readers could even steer me in the direction of good stories via email and weblog comments. In addition, the series could possibly be marketable to other Gannett affiliated newspapers.
The idea wouldn’t be as expensive as one might think. A Greyhound domestic Ameripass – which allows me to board buses at will throughout the U.S. – costs $419 for a 30-day period. Many of the nights would be spent in transit, cutting down on hotel stays, and a simple YMCA membership allows me to shower and even work out for free at about 2,400 locations nationwide. That leaves food and incidentals. To make it more interesting, I’d suggest a stipend of $200 a week (less than $30 a day) to cover all those expenses. The only costs I’d claim outside that stipend would be work-related cellular phone calls and transmissions. According to my math, that’s a month’s worth of sharp, relevant, innovative content for about $1,200 in addition to my normal salary. We spend more than that on one Eagles road game. Plus, the Sixers and Flyers appear unlikely to spend much time in the playoffs, saving the paper money over previous years.
I realize this odyssey would not be many folks' idea of a good time, but it’s the sort of project that I have the energy, passion and endurance for at this time in my life. I envision starting in mid-June, shortly after the end of the Varsity year, and finishing in the middle of July. With baseball the only game in town, this is normally a slow time of the year, when such a project would likely present minimal disruption to my regular duties in the sports department. I truly feel this is an opportunity for the Courier to set itself apart at very little expense, and to articulate an vast issue that is at the front of many readers' minds, doing it in a way that is consistently interesting to read.
I thank you for your time, and eagerly await your thoughts.
To: Phil Anastasia (Courier-Post sports editor)
Cc: Stu Skinske (C-P managing editor), Derek Osenenko (executive editor), Joyce Gabriel (assistant managing editor)
From: Sean McCann
Re: Summer project proposal
A couple of summers ago, the Philadelphia Inquirer sent "People" columnist (and Haddonfield resident) Mike Vitez out into America with several thousand dollars, a photographer and an SUV. When I heard about it, my first thought was, "Lucky Mike." My second thought: Wouldn’t it be more fun to send somebody out with a hundred bucks, a camera and a bus ticket instead?
Of course, I imagined myself in that role, and the type of stories that might emerge on the way across this vast country. But though I was intensely fascinated with the idea, I never proposed it because I couldn’t think of an angle that would directly speak to South Jersey readers.
Then came the 2004 presidential election.
This past Nov. 2, Camden County went for John Kerry 62 percent to 37 for George W. Bush. Only two municipalities in the county came in Republican, one of them being tony Tavistock, which backed Bush an overwhelming eight voters to one. Waterford was the only town to mimic the national percentages, going Republican 51-to-48.
The numbers in Camden County weren’t much different than the rest of South Jersey, and the rest of the East Coast, for that matter, and yet the nationwide numbers reflected a very different America. After the election, I came back to a conclusion that I’d first made when I was a college student, a coastal kid plopped down at the University of Missouri: most people don’t realize what this country is really like.
The red state-blue state disconnect is both well documented and oft-analyzed, but I think there’s an opportunity here to go someplace deeper. My idea is to wander across the country via Greyhound bus for the period of a month. I’d talk to fellow travelers and stop in towns small and large to find stories and photos that would resonate with any reader. I'd send them back every day or two, to be run under a brand name like "Meet your Nation" or "From the West."
The coverage could be packaged as a column or feature that appears three or four times a week, a daily weblog, a large special section, or some combination of the three. Most of the stories would be slices of life and profiles, all falling within a master narrative that connects and places South Jersey within this incredibly complex national tapestry. I could occasionally focus on South Jersey transplants or topics of special area interest, and readers could even steer me in the direction of good stories via email and weblog comments. In addition, the series could possibly be marketable to other Gannett affiliated newspapers.
The idea wouldn’t be as expensive as one might think. A Greyhound domestic Ameripass – which allows me to board buses at will throughout the U.S. – costs $419 for a 30-day period. Many of the nights would be spent in transit, cutting down on hotel stays, and a simple YMCA membership allows me to shower and even work out for free at about 2,400 locations nationwide. That leaves food and incidentals. To make it more interesting, I’d suggest a stipend of $200 a week (less than $30 a day) to cover all those expenses. The only costs I’d claim outside that stipend would be work-related cellular phone calls and transmissions. According to my math, that’s a month’s worth of sharp, relevant, innovative content for about $1,200 in addition to my normal salary. We spend more than that on one Eagles road game. Plus, the Sixers and Flyers appear unlikely to spend much time in the playoffs, saving the paper money over previous years.
I realize this odyssey would not be many folks' idea of a good time, but it’s the sort of project that I have the energy, passion and endurance for at this time in my life. I envision starting in mid-June, shortly after the end of the Varsity year, and finishing in the middle of July. With baseball the only game in town, this is normally a slow time of the year, when such a project would likely present minimal disruption to my regular duties in the sports department. I truly feel this is an opportunity for the Courier to set itself apart at very little expense, and to articulate an vast issue that is at the front of many readers' minds, doing it in a way that is consistently interesting to read.
I thank you for your time, and eagerly await your thoughts.
