NOTHING BUT GREEN: Sports section to shift focus, introduce new era of engaging coverage

Apr. 19—As the sports editor of the Claremore Progress, I wanted to take a moment to address the recent changes we are implementing in our coverage of regular season games.

We have decided to move away from the traditional routine game coverage, where we simply report on who beat who and by how much. Instead, we are shifting towards a more feature and column approach, which we believe will make our sports section more interesting and engaging.

One of the main reasons for this change is the fact that our print editions are sometimes released multiple days after the games are played. It doesn't make sense to cover a Friday football game and then publish a traditional game story in our next available print edition on Wednesday.

We want to provide our readers with timely and relevant content, and this new approach allows us to do just that.

I want to emphasize that this is not a change initiated solely by the Claremore Progress. It is a company-wide shift being implemented by CNHI for all of its papers across the country.

We understand that this may take some getting used to, but we believe that by focusing on telling human stories, providing key takeaways and incorporating elements like short videos and columns, we can still deliver a terrific sports report both in print and online.

In addition to this new approach, we will also be working on producing more features and columns. We want to provide our audience with a variety of content that goes beyond just the game results and highlights both the athletes and the teams.

Some of you may have already noticed the beginning of this trend, for we have been implementing it slowly over the past few weeks. This is why you haven't seen as many game stories in the print paper lately.

Whenever I anticipate that readers are expecting a particular game or games to be in the paper, I will make sure to provide a notice in the print edition saying, "Game coverage available exclusively online."

I understand that this transition may raise some concerns and questions. I encourage you to reach out to me at kgreen@claremoreprogress.com with any feedback or concerns you may have.

I value your input and would love to continue the conversation on what you can expect and how I can best serve your interests during this time of transition.

I want to assure you that this change does not mean you will never see a game story again. There will always be a place for game coverage, but it will be done in a way that provides historical context and takes into account the stakes of a particular game.

For example, while you may see less regular season game coverage in the print edition, a historic playoff win will likely find its way into the paper.

Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to improve our sports section and provide you with the best possible coverage. Your support and feedback are greatly appreciated, and I look forward to continuing to serve you as we navigate this transition together.