News -> INDReporter FRI, DEC 3 12:18PM by Leslie Turk

Advertiser backtracks on STM-only special section

The Daily Advertiser’s plan to publish an exclusive special section, “In the event that STM wins Friday night,” came to a screeching halt Thursday when readers and other local team boosters — understandably upset that the daily paper had no plans to publish issues for any other winning teams — called foul. STM is playing Acadiana High School at Cougar Stadium tonight; the winner advances to the Class 5A state championship game in the Superdome next Saturday.

“I got this email forwarded to me today,” wrote a reader, who posted the email on the Advertiser’s blog. “I think it’s pretty much a low blow by TDA.” In the above referenced email, which was sent out by Account Executive Jan LeBlanc, the daily notes that it will be doing a six to eight page special section in the paper Dec. 9 congratulating STM on going to the dome. “If they do not win we will not be doing the section,” LeBlanc wrote, proceeding to list advertising pricing for the section.

That post set off a firestorm of criticism and the paper quickly backtracked on its STM-only plan. Read more here.

What's more, the STM/Acadiana High matchup is not the only semifinal battle being fought tonight involving local teams. Teurlings Catholic travels to New Orleans to face No. 1 Karr in a 4A bout that could end with the local high school — like STM — making its first-ever state title appearance next weekend. And reigning state champ and top seed Notre Game of Crowley hopes to continue its winning tradition in Baton Rouge, taking on Parkview Baptist, which it defeated in the 3A finals last year.

In response to a phone inquiry from The Independent Weekly, Blake Spivak, the daily’s sales and marketing director, says the paper will publish a special section for any local winning team, provided it has sufficient advertising support. Spivak offered the following explanation of what happened via email:
The Daily Advertiser planned to pre-sell a commemorative section highlighting STM’s first-ever journey to the Superdome. If the business community does not support the publication — it would not publish.

At my direction, our sales staff began selling to potential advertisers Monday afternoon. Subsequently, we were contacted by several AHS Rams supporters inquiring why we would “show favoritism” to one school over another. That was never our intent. As we were planning the commemorative section, the differentiation was the historical first trip for the Cougars. It was never a snub to the AHS community.  

Upon realizing that AHS fans felt so strongly about having their own commemorative section, I backtracked to correct the “STM only” issue and told those who inquired via email and by phone that we would print a commemorative section on any area school if the local business communities would financially support the section with advertising.  

The high school sports coverage that The Daily Advertiser publishes in our sports pages and online was never in jeopardy of being replaced or influenced by the singular outcome of one game. We are committed to unbiased, fair coverage of all teams in our news pages. I can assure you that we support and congratulate each of the area teams that are in the playoffs and vying for a championship berth.

Acadiana High School Principal Martha “Nicki” Broussard did not return a phone call seeking comment.



Comments (15)add
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written by Anonymous , December 03, 2010 - 06:21 pm
Don't Ms. Spivak's kids attend STM?
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written by MikeD , December 03, 2010 - 07:31 pm
Not surprising. Gannett should fire a few people.
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written by Morrow , December 03, 2010 - 07:51 pm
pulling for STM, but I don't like the idea something would be printed for one team and not the other. What are they thinking??? Do it afterward idjit. BOTH teams are deserving of recognition and by the way, DONM'T FORGET FR TEURLINGS !!! They're super too.
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written by Lou Rom on KVOL , December 03, 2010 - 08:39 pm
Do they have "a few people" around to fire? :)
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written by The Original Northsidian , December 03, 2010 - 09:57 pm
Explanation: LIE!!!
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written by MichHop , December 03, 2010 - 09:57 pm
This is why people think so badly of STM, by no fault of the school. Why would the paper do such a thing? I am an STM parent, step-parent of an AHS graduate and I am a graduate of ND. I am, of course pulling for STM, but for the paper to show such favoritism, make the school look bad. It is just wrong. They owe all the schools an apology, including STM. Someone needs to be called out for this fiasco .
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written by RobertA , December 04, 2010 - 04:19 am
It's obvious it's all about money and advertising. The sales staff at the Advertiser most certainly felt they could get the more well off STM community of businessmen to buy ad space to underwrite the special STM sport section, and they would also sell a ton more papers as keep sakes. Money talks. It makes STM look bad when the Advertiser sales people are trying to make more profits by targeting businessmen in the area who are much more likely to pay for their kids to attend STM.
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written by stu , December 04, 2010 - 07:16 am
Ouch! 31-0. Maybe The Independent should quickly round up some Acadiana High boosters and publish a commemerative edition.

I don't know what people are complaining about anyway. What would the Advertiser's special edition really have been? A couple of pictures with dozens of ads, the same story that would have run in the sports section, and maybe some pithy quotes from students and alumni. It should be insulting to everyone that the people over at the Advertiser think only of the deep pockets at STM.

Of course, they don't call it "The Advertiser" for nothing.
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written by Morrow , December 04, 2010 - 01:23 pm
What a STUPID assumption if the paper thought they could make more $$$ from one school over the other! What a stupid, ignorant assumption! Look at Scott, Louisiana if you haven't recently! There are significant companies and businesses who support their schools! And if you think there aren't people of SIGNIFICANT MONETARY MEANS in and around that area, well, good, that's what they want you to think! TO THE ADVERTISER STAFF: NEWS FLASH: I know a lot of you are new to the area, but do some research! Learn about the area you're overlooking! In addtiion to having a lot of old, hard earned $$$, the area has tons of loyal fans who would gladly spend money on a commemorative insert. Never understimate how a lot of little dollars add up into a ton of big bucks. I believe this was an oversight by unknowing people who hoped to make some money for their employer and did not have much time to do it (or think it through. I think the big hearted people of the area will forgive the paper though, eventually, especially if the paper is smart enough to give AHS the kind of support and coverage that team deserves. Sign me,

an STM parent, AHS alumnus
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written by NORTHSIDIAN SHOTGUN , December 05, 2010 - 02:15 pm
Blame it on the St. Thomas More parents they are the ones responsible for raising a bunch of weak-knee kids with the preferential treatment they require, "SPECIAL PARKING, POLICE PLAYING THE ROLE OF SCHOOL GUARDS for the kiddys, " All this is demanded by the parents, insisting that St. Thomas More School, provide for their kids at the school. The Daily Advertiser is a mouth for the Elitist of this community and their elite childrens school, and for the present Parish Administration, this has been the case going back 50 years, with the SORRY EXCUSE FOR A DAILY PAPER, THE ADVERTISER, " IT is a DAMN WONDER THAT THEY ARE STILL IN BUSINESS, WHEN THEIR PRINT TYPE LOOKS LIKE THEY USE RECYCLED MELLO JOY DARK ROAST COFFEE GROUNDS AS THEIR PRINTING AGENT, the preferential treatment by the Daily Advertiser towards Cathedral High School, in the SIXTYS went like this, " THE CATHEDRAL HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM WOULD GET A HALF PAGE WRITE-UP WHEN THEY LOST A GAME. and on the back sport page, the team who beat them would get a four inch space, hah I was there
"OH AND MIKE D, THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO FIRE ONE SINGLE EMPLOYEE, THEY ARE AT A SKELETON CREW STAFF NOW. AND THEIR AD SALES REPS, PLAY GOLF FIVE DAYS A WEEK, not counting SUNDAYS !
SOMEONE SHOULD COMPLAIN TO THE PAPAL HOLY COMPTROLER IN ROMA AND THE BISHOPS, AND THREATEN TO PASS ON THE LIMONSA !
If it were not a SOCIAL STATUS SYMBOL, for the elistist, and a means to permit them a social snub towards the wannabe's who cannot afford the tution at the school, there would not exist a ST. THOMAS MORE CATHOLIC SCHOOL, or any other, NON PROFIT ORGANIZATION RELIGION BASE SCHOOL IN THE WORLD, with the promise of a "PERSONALIZED GOLD KEY TO THE PEARLY GATES, THE PAPAL RAKES IN THE DOUGH FROM THE ELISTIST.
This post is by a Catholic who believes in GOD, and on nothing else.
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written by Anonymous , December 06, 2010 - 06:16 pm
Spivak's children do attend STM. Makes you think about if that was the reason or was it beacuse they maybe did not make enough money off of Acadiana the last time they did a special section on the Wrecking Ram's? Although I am a STM alumni, we must not forget what a weekend Acadiana High Schools had. When was the last time there were this many Acadiana Schools playing for a chance at the dome?
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written by Soop. , December 06, 2010 - 08:30 pm
Shame on the Daily Advertiser for trying to make money! What do they think they are .. a private business?

It's funny, half the people complaining would normally be spouting off that no one else has the right to tell a private citizen or a private business what to do. I'm no Advertiser fan (I don't even subscribe), but saying they have to make the same offer to schools that clearly would not be able to come up with the sponsors sounds like the same reasoning that says 80 year old grandmothers have to go through the new TSA screenings.

Sounds very politically correct to me. And last I checked, Lafayette wasn't a very PC-friendly town. Go Wreckin' Rams!!!!

All the best,

Soop
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written by The Original Northsidian , December 07, 2010 - 01:29 am
You probably won't print this, but here goes: "THE BOYS FROM SCOTT MADE STM FOT!" "Justice is mine, saith the lord!"
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written by beheard , December 07, 2010 - 01:34 pm
Excuse me for a second, but can everyone use some "common sense" for a minute. It is public knowledge that STM has alot of "money", so why is everyone in an uproar? The Advertiser was simply trying a marketing strategy that would benefit them. It would have been a better idea to open it up to all schools, but I can't blame them for seeking out the school who has traditionally been labeled "the rich school." STM has it's share of problems like other schools, but you can't deny their accomplishments academically and athletically. The biggest problem is SOME supporters of other schools have an "inferiority complex." It is a good thing the Acadiana Football team doesn't feel this way. They played a remarkable game Friday, and should be commended. Congrats to the RAMS and good luck.
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written by MR BITTER SUCKS , December 09, 2010 - 12:00 pm
Who cares if STM has money maybe if you people werent so jealous of STM you would go out and better yourself and live a better life and make MORE money. One thing that is horrible is the radio jerk on 1420 Mr Bitter HE IS THE BIGGEST JERK IN TOWN AND I HOPE ACADIANA LAYS AN EGG CAUSE OF HIM
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