The state of traditional media, print, broadcast or otherwise, throughout the United States is at best rocky right now, at worst, it’s at death’s door. While many would argue the reports of the demise of traditional media are overstated or exaggerated, one thing is for sure, it ain’t like it used to be.
The number of “traditional” media covering NASCAR every weekend are rapidly declining. The use of AP wire stories and advent of Internet news sites has made the costly coverage of NASCAR unnecessary. The death of newspapers and cost cutting in media has aided that decline and become the new normal.
That new normal became disturbingly clear on Tuesday as Street and Smith’s shut down the venerable NASCAR Scene. The weekly publication which had been around since 1977 under one name or another was a standard among fans and a mainstay in the garage.
Unfortunately Street and Smith’s could no longer make NASCAR Scene (or turn SceneDaily.com into) a profitable product for their business.
This move left some of the most experienced and well-respected journalists in the garage without jobs and the sport without a few of its biggest advocates. While certainly some will find jobs elsewhere, nothing on the horizon will fill the void being left by Scene.
Last spring I wrote on here about the Future of NASCAR Media. What that future is, is still hard to say. We lost David Poole last spring and his spot at the Charlotte Observer was never really filled. While Jim Utter has become the lead motorsports reporter for the paper, he has other responsibilities, including covering the UNC Charlotte 49ers. Now NASCAR Scene is gone and SceneDaily.com will no doubt become a scaled back version of its former self.
Though some traditional media in the form of ESPN and FoxSports among others remain entrenched in the sport, the burden is increasingly falling to new media. The problem that medium faces though is a familiar one to those trying to keep traditional publications afloat: how to monetize them effectively. It’s a shame Street and Smith’s couldn’t find a way to make SceneDaily.com their profitable vehicle.
Tuesday was a sad day for the sport. The NASCAR Scene reporters were/are among the best. They brought experience and expertise and a consistent outlet for news and information. Here’s hoping they all land on their feet (preferably somewhere in the garage before Daytona).
