Cleaning the windshield
Back in the day, one of the stranger sites along pit road was the squeegee guy. Shortly after seven guys jumped over the wall to service the car, an eighth would extend a long-handled window washer toward the windshield. (You know, like the thing you use at the gas station -- just longer.) He'd scrub the window, lift the pole to let the over-the-wall crew work on the left side of the car, then lower the pole and wipe the glass clean.
But that method of keeping the windshield clean, like Ernie Irvan and Cup races at North Wilkesboro, is pretty much just a memory. (At least I can't think of anyone who uses the squeegie method any more.) These days, teams use tear-offs, or clear pieces of plastic stuck to the windshield. When a driver pulls in for a stop, someone on the pit crew yanks a little tab to expose a new layer of clear -- and clean -- plastic.
A blog is a little bit like a tear-off. As my boss' boss reminded me the other day, one reason for all of these blogs is to give readers a glimpse into what goes on here at 200 E. Market St.
In this spirit of transparency, let me tell you a little bit about how things get done around here.
Y'all know our NASCAR writer, Dustin Long. He's been on the beat since 1999, and he's unique among N&R writers for two reasons:
* He's the only reporter based out of Charlotte
* And he's the only reporter here who writes for three papers.
If you pick up the Roanoke or Norfolk newspapers, the same Dustin Long you see in those pages is the same one you see here. All three papers are owned by Landmark Communications, and somewhere along the line someone decided it made sense for all of us to share a NASCAR writer.
Dustin's based out of Greensboro, which means I'm in charge of his care and feeding. (And listening to his surfing tales. But that's fodder for another post.) When Dustin files a story, all three papers grab a raw copy, then edit it slightly differently. That's why Dustin's Dale Earnhardt Jr. and Jeff Gordon stories that ran last weekend might read slightly differently depending on which paper or Web site you read it in.
Dustin also gives each paper slightly different content depending on the circumstances. For our friends in Norfolk, the Richmond races are considered home dates, so Dustin covers everything that moves those weekends. (Such as the Busch and truck races, which he usually watches but doesn't always write about.) Norfolk also wants a Rudd Report after each race. (Ricky Rudd is a Chesapeake, Va., native.) Rudd's not a Greensboro guy, so the N&R doesn't carry that.
Speaking of Dustin, he landed in California today after a beach break in Daytona and he'll start cranking out stories for the weekend papers tomorrow.
And speaking of tear-offs, the U.S. Army is using them on the windshields of their helicopters. Maybe NASCAR is good for something other than giving race fans something to do on Sunday afternoons.
Comments (2)
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Is the blogs a means to the end of print journalism?
I believe blogs are going to choke the press out of business.
Posted on February 27, 2005 8:33 PM
Thanks for the comment, F Reid.
If you're here to talk about racing, you're in the right spot. If you want to hear what the boss has to say about print journalism, blogging and technology, you might want to check him out here. He's much better versed on the relationship between the two than I am.
Posted on February 27, 2005 9:43 PM