According to Scott MacKay’s blog on WRNI.org, Providence Journal sports editor Art Martone is leaving the paper to join Comcast SportsNet’s new online venture.
The really interesting part of this post is the last paragraph, which reads:
For Martone, the new post is a good opportunity. Reportedly joining Martone in the new venture is Globe hockey sportswriter Kevin Paul DuPont, McAdam and former Journal sportswriter and football beat guy Tom Curran.
Those are three pretty big names in the local market that could be going to the new CSNNE.com. The site recently had a makeover, and has had Michael Felger providing Patriots content for the last few weeks.
Right now I don’t know if Dupont, McAdam and Curran would be leaving their current positions, though it would seem likely. Dupont has been with The Boston Globesince the 1970’s, making this a huge leap for him, if he is calling it with quits with the paper. McAdam is a good friend of Martone, and the two worked together for years at the Providence Journal, along with Tom Curran, who is currently a national football writer for NBCSports.com
Popularity: 10% [?]
If Comcast SportsNet, is able to secure all four of those writers, to go along with Felger, that will immediately catapult them to the top of the of the local coverage print/web media mountain. Martone, McAdam, Dupont, Curran, and Felger is a Murderer’s Row of writing talent. If you’re not familiar with Martone’s work with the Providence Journal, he’s excellent – writes with a lot of passion.
ESPN Boston has Reiss and occasionally Gammons, so that’s pretty good right there.
However, who will want to read the Globe Sports anymore? Same goes for the Herald. Who does WEEI have for a web presence to compete with these writers? Rob Bradford is good, but isn’t in their class.
The Globe has lost Edes, Spears, Reiss, and now maybe Dupont. That is catastrophic. The Standard Times out of New Bedford has better sports writing talent now than the Globe. Seriously. – check them out – http://www.southcoasttoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/section?category=SPORTS Jonathan Comey, Tim Weisberg, Mick Colageo, and Jon Couture do a bang up job covering the 4 major sports teams.
After repeated increases in price & decreases in content, I recently canceled my subscription to the ProJo after 32 years of reading the paper on a daily basis. The loss of Martone is another nail in the ProJo coffin. Hopefully he’ll revive his morning tour of the various baseball websites, once a ProJo online staple, over at ComCast. Good luck to him.
[...] might Gasper be fielding offers from one of the (many) new online outlets in town? Yesterday, Bruce posted about Art Martone, the sports editor of the Providence Journal, leaving for Comcast Sports Net [...]