Austin American Statesman North

[Pegasus]

that's what the Dallas Morning News SEEMS LIKE THESE Days!!!

[Pony4Life]

THESE days? It's been that way for years. Before the weekend, I'm sure we'll be blessed with feature stories about T.J. Ford's decision to cut his braids off, the life and times of Rick Barnes and perhaps a reveling exposé on what it's life to have your team represented by a heavily sedated cow. I've said for a long time that they should remove "Dallas" from the name of the paper. Because they cover everything except what happens in Dallas.

[Stallion]

It's completely justified-they have perhaps the best athletic program in America right now-including a Men's and Woman's BB Team presently in the Final Four. SMU on the other hand has pretty graduation rates.

[dandyfan]

once again, stallion is painfully correct.

[PonyFan]

Sure it's justified - in the Austin paper, or in any of the UT alumni magazines. If the DMN is going to claim to be a Dallas newspaper, it should act that way. I'm not saying they should ignore the Final Four, but they're going overkill. If UT wins the national title, give them the top headline. Other than that, if the DMN were to do what it claims to do ("keeping you up to date with all local sports") then the Horns and Aggies and the Tech radio announcer should never have precedence over the Cowboys, the Mavs, the Stars, even the Rangers -- and SMU.

That paper continues to display its true purpose: selling more papers, not reporting on its community.

I feel bad for Rick Alonzo. He's a good writer, and deserves better space in the paper.

[Stallion]

Explain to me again why the DMN should not cover the University of Texas when it is the Flagship state university in Texas and the DMN has a readership with many, many times more UT grads than SMU grads. SMU needs to make itself RELEVANT to Dallas sports fan because the VAST majority of people even in Dallas don't know and don't care to know a thing more about SMU's teams and their 15 years of pathetic athletic achievement. I am truly amazed that after our "accomplishments" that we still get the little coverage we do in this market.

[This message has been edited by Stallion (edited 04-01-2003).]

[GrapevineMustang]

"Explain to me again why the DMN should not cover the University of Texas when it is the Flagship state university in Texas"

Because the D in DMN stands for "Dallas." If they want to call themselves the Texas Gazette or something, go for it. But if they're going to present themselves as a city newspaper, they should cover that city first.

Pony4Life is right. Of course there are a lot of UT grads here. The paper should cover them, but on a secondary basis (OK, I'll give on the Final Four run). But to have a full-time reporter in Austin covering a team that plays exactly one game in Dallas every year shows what a fraud that paper's name really is.

Their refusal to cover SMU adequately is why I cancelled my subscription, and I encourage everyone else to do the same.

[Fooball]

I think you're right. DMN should narrow its focus to only Dallas-centric topics. First, let's wipe all that war coverage off the front page, and replace it with the top "local interest" story, which is about local liquor sales:

<A HREF="http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/040103dnmetliquor.65226.html" TARGET=_blank>http://www.dallasnews.com/localnews/stories/040103dnmetliquor.65226.html</A>

With sweeping editorial changes like this, DMN will soon be able to do direct battle with Park Cities People.

[Dooby]

Which do you think there are more of: D/FW residents with UT season football tickets or D/FW residents with SMU season football tickets?

Do I know for sure? No. But it is closer than you would ever admit.

This simply reaks of whiny homerism.

[Horseradish]

Slightly off topic, but the Lady Longhorns arent currently in the Final Four, they're still a game away. The winner of their game with LSU will play the UConn-Purdue winner in the final four.

[pony91]

I guess the real question-If SMU was playing in a bowl game or some other success would we get ant print in the Pravda(I mean Austin Paper)

[JasonB]

1) No, SMU would not get any press if we went to a bowl game. They still don't know we have a new stadium down here.

2) AAS is not like Pravda. Pravda had a less dictatorial entity that governed its words, and probably had an editor as well. The quality of the editing in the AAS is worse than the DC.

[Pegasus]

Everyone has had valid opinions on this, but it really drives my crazy that a program that has every advantage keeps getting valable recruiting and marketing boost from the "DALLAS" Morning News!!! The News runs a story on ut if they cut a fart!! Plus i must admit i am old school, I HATE THOSE FRIGGIN HORNS!!! GO Stangs!

[Pegasus]

Everyone has had valid opinions on this, but it really drives my crazy that a program that has every advantage keeps getting valuable recruiting and marketing boost from the "DALLAS" Morning News!!! The News runs a story on ut if they cut a fart!! Plus i must admit i am old school, I HATE THOSE FRIGGIN HORNS!!! GO Stangs!

[No Quarter]

IMO, the FWST gives SMU sports coverage at least equal to the DMN, perhaps in part because of the TCU sports schedules. I am told that the FWST maintains a large Dallas bureau although there are no current plans to invade the Dallas market.

If I moved back to North Texas, I'd subscribe to DMN because it was one of the newspapers I saw while growing up in Dallas. But I'd definitly subscribe to the FWST.

No matter how true the often repeated comments about the state of SMU sports, it is a pity that SMU has no home town paper in the sense I remember.