Mid-Atlantic Region Workshop: AP’s Hometown Leads program Nov. 30, 2011
By Jeremy Elliott, Patriot-News staff writer
A report from the APSE Mid-Atlantic Region workshop, held Nov. 14 in Philadelphia:
Tim Sullivan, the East Sports Editor at The Associated Press, and Andrew Frazer, the assistant chief of bureau in Pennsylvania, took the floor and talked about its new Hometown Leads program.
This program, which has already been put into effect, provides expanded coverage coast to coast for Major League Baseball, National Football League and college football, which includes the AP top 25, BCS Conferences and Notre Dame.
The Associated Press will file two stories from each game, one for each team. Stories will consist of a News Now game lead, a write thru with the game details, an optional lead with quotes from the winners and a Hometown Lead with quotes from the other team.
The goal of the Associated Press is to have complete game coverage within an hour of game completion and is a direct response to member requests for more local interest.
It’s a program that has gotten positive reviews so far, Sullivan said, and the Associated Press is planning to move forward and expand the coverage to include the National Basketball Association and National Hockey League as early as next year.
