The Star

[OO 21]

Say again?

 

[Cerberus Blade]

40 quid? 40 quid....

I’d expect The Athletic level insight for that.

“Programmes 40 quid’

Sign up for The Star now before it’s too late!

See photos of spaniels with the caption, “Kieron Freeman, Sheffield United”. Start reading a story only for it to suddenly and abruptly disappear after the pop up ads. Learn about a driver of a black BMW who was seen having an argument with another motorist but no further information. Have fun spotting the typo’s. Read about the stuff you already posted on here!

It’s great value and if there’s another lockdown and big rolls are in short supply again, you’re sorted!

 

[TJB.]

Two days ago: JPI Media (who own and run The Star) cut 30 jobs and put the business up for sale for a second time

Today: Plz give us £40...

 

[Bla blade]

What's port match analysis?

When Stockport play Southport ?

 

[Yank]

I've only ever paid that much for a website subscription once in my life.Unfortunately, my wife found out and I was in the dog house for several days...

 

[PeterNdlovu081]

What's port match analysis?

James Shield analyses Blades matches while looking over the left side of a sailing vessel.

 

[Blade56]

The Star is embarrassing for a major city like ours.

A ‘major city’ Like ours is embarrassing for the club.

 

[Ainsley Harriott]

They're trying to run a business. It's not easy for a newspaper to make money nowadays with the swathes of online content. We all used to rush for the green un on a Saturday night but those times have gone. I admire their efforts to try a new way of creating a bit of revenue. I won't be taking it up but give them a break a bit.

 

[Foxy]

To be fair... This was news i'd not seen reported anywhere else...

 

[South London Blade]

It's like a tramp stood in an underpass asking perfect strangers if they want to buy his shitted underpants for a tenner so he can sort himself with some Special Brews.

Not going to be many takers I'm afraid.

 

[Snake]

James Shield is to football reporting what sand paper is to bog roll. It's a no from me Simon.

 

[diode_blade]

Port match analysis:

"There was definitely a match"

Why are you posting pictures of HMSPTL
consider yourself put on the naughty step.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Fully get the cynicism, however how often on here do we see links to their articles. People moan about the quality which I could agree with, but then posters on here are quite happy to copy and paste an interesting Athletic piece which has a detailed quality story but folk are still unwilling to pay for its content.
Someone has to pay somewhere for journalistic content but if you just keep stealing it then it only ends one way. I suppose it depends on if you want access to quality pieces on football, but if you do, you’re going to have to pay for something at somepoint.
Whatever you think of The Star or James’ pieces but if you want to keep local journalists attached to the club and providing content then someone needs to pay their wages through one medium or another.

 

[benn5712]

Going down the Chancer route of money-clawing desperation; guilt tripping and emotional blackmail.

They’ll be offering 10 year subscriptions next.

...free when it goes back to broadsheet format.

 

[Blade56]

Thanks, but no thanks!

Having a laugh...

View attachment 91207

£40 for a newspaper based service that even me as a dyslexic spotted they can’t even spell ’post match’ correctly in their launch promotion ffs.

 

[Foxy]

Fully get the cynicism, however how often on here do we see links to their articles. People moan about the quality which I could agree with, but then posters on here are quite happy to copy and paste an interesting Athletic piece which has a detailed quality story but folk are still unwilling to pay for its content.
Someone has to pay somewhere for journalistic content but if you just keep stealing it then it only ends one way. I suppose it depends on if you want access to quality pieces on football, but if you do, you’re going to have to pay for something at somepoint.
Whatever you think of The Star or James’ pieces but if you want to keep local journalists attached to the club and providing content then someone needs to pay their wages through one medium or another.

Not necessarily talking about the Star here (though some of the wider team do it). There is of course a growing trend of things going the other way.... some places charging people for 'regular content' simply lifted from social media/other free sources verbatim

Not just 'print' media, I recall multiple occasions in recent years until we called it out, when local radio shows read out tweets sent directly to us (not them, nor were they mentioned) in the context of "XXXXX has messaged us at [INSERT RADIO SHOW NAME HERE] to say XXXXX about the game".

 

[Bladesman]

£40 for a newspaper based service that even me as a dyslexic spotted they can’t even spell ’post match’ correctly in their launch promotion ffs.
View attachment 91288

What are you complaining about? They are now offering port analysis as well as match analysis. Everyone likes a good booze review.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Not necessarily talking about the Star here (though some of the wider team do it). There is of course a growing trend of things going the other way.... some places charging people for 'regular content' simply lifted from social media/other free sources verbatim

Not just 'print' media, I recall multiple occasions in recent years until we called it out, when local radio shows read out tweets sent directly to us (not them, nor were they mentioned) in the context of "XXXXX has messaged us at [INSERT RADIO SHOW NAME HERE] to say XXXXX about the game".

Of course there has been some dubious behaviour no doubt driven by the constant need for content and lazy individuals looking to make a quick buck with no effort or skill.
I wouldn’t and couldn’t defend The Star as I’ve not bought a copy for years but I follow James on twitter and listen to his reports from time to time.
I subscribe to The Athletic which on its own was contraversal at launch for its approach but I want good quality content about us, and for that you have to pay.
I like having a local independent journalist attached to the club even though I understand he’s got a balancing act to deliver to deliver content without destroying relationships with the club.
The easiest way for him to get traffic would be to find out transfer gossip and then print it but no one at the club is going to tell him anything if he does that, although his popularity with fans would go through the roof.
Not sure if it’s James’ bag but it would be nice to have someone in with the club getting levels of access others can’t and doing deeper pieces on our players, tactics, post match analysis of our plans for those matches, how we setup and why etc. Articles with the manager, coaching staff and Board want us to go and the plan to deliver it, but seemingly no one would pay for it, and it’s not The Star’s type of content. The alternative is the club have someone doing it, which is great while things are going well, but who’s going to ask the difficult questions when needed?
There has to be a balance and I believe that is best met by independent journalism but it needs to be popular enough amongst fans to pay for it.
The key word that keeps coming up is quality, however for all the moaning people seem to want tabloid tat, gossip and paper thin stories and also want it for nothing.

 

[Kop sufferer]

“Programmes 40 quid’

Sign up for The Star now before it’s too late!

See photos of spaniels with the caption, “Kieron Freeman, Sheffield United”. Start reading a story only for it to suddenly and abruptly disappear after the pop up ads. Learn about a driver of a black BMW who was seen having an argument with another motorist but no further information. Have fun spotting the typo’s. Read about the stuff you already posted on here!

It’s great value and if there’s another lockdown and big rolls are in short supply again, you’re sorted!

Like your reference to toilet paper CB. Back in my youth the Star was a cheap alternative to Izal, which was like using a bastard file on one's backside, and there was always a picture featuring the snortbeasts that could be used that side up, something that you didn't get with Izal Then Proctor and Gamble upped the anti with soft ply paper and the rest is history.

 

[kevreedy]

The Star is full of yesterday's news.slow website. anyway, I stopped getting that newspaper.
When they stopped printing the brilliant Green Un.best in the country by a mile back then.

 

[Cerberus Blade]

Like your reference to toilet paper CB. Back in my youth the Star was a cheap alternative to Izal, which was like using a bastard file on one's backside, and there was always a picture featuring the snortbeasts that could be used that side up, something that you didn't get with Izal Then Proctor and Gamble upped the anti with soft ply paper and the rest is history.

I remember both! Newspaper cut into squares and hung on a nail in the outside lav, later upgraded to Izal, which, if folded the wrong way, could be painful. It made great tracing paper though!

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

The Star is full of yesterday's news.slow website. anyway, I stopped getting that newspaper.
When they stopped printing the brilliant Green Un.best in the country by a mile back then.

Unfortunately the Green Un just wouldn't work now due to how social media and immediate news online has taken that market, but would you pay for the type of content I listed above with quality indepth articles and daily updates? If not, what are you expecting, and if you would, how much would you pay, because it wouldn't be less than a pound a week like what the The Star appear to be offering.

 

[Tony Currie]

Fully get the cynicism, however how often on here do we see links to their articles. People moan about the quality which I could agree with, but then posters on here are quite happy to copy and paste an interesting Athletic piece which has a detailed quality story but folk are still unwilling to pay for its content.
Someone has to pay somewhere for journalistic content but if you just keep stealing it then it only ends one way. I suppose it depends on if you want access to quality pieces on football, but if you do, you’re going to have to pay for something at somepoint.
Whatever you think of The Star or James’ pieces but if you want to keep local journalists attached to the club and providing content then someone needs to pay their wages through one medium or another.

Sorry Bob but I strongly disagree. The internet doesn't work like that, Facebook, Twitter and Google are all free. The model works by getting enough hits on your site to attract advertisers. If you can't its just supply and demand economics and others will succeed where you can't. The Star used to be full of classified local ads - why aren't they doing that anymore?

 

[Sheffsteel]

I remember both! Newspaper cut into squares and hung on a nail in the outside lav, later upgraded to Izal, which, if folded the wrong way, could be painful. It made great tracing paper though!

I remember visiting both my grandmas in the late 70’s.
One always had newspapers squares on a hook on the door....the other had Izal...agree it was virtually identical to tracing paper.

In those days....there were loads of terrace houses with outside toilets in the yard.
You could almost guarantee they always used newspapers cut into squares..

It’a funny how times change. I used to get so excited if we ever had a mention in Shoot....we rarely featured anywhere in Shoot in the late 70’s/ early 80’s.
The only mention we had was when the “league ladders” came out at the start of every season.
Was also genuinely excited waiting for the Green’un....it was massively popular and if both Sheffield clubs had a great result it would often sell out.
You had to turn up early at the newsagent and wait for The Star van to arrive.

I remember when Teletext started becoming mainstream around 1979 ish.,and after the match on a Saturday you’d always see United fans wandering around the tv section in Dixon’s. They’d pretend they were interested in buying a tv...but all they were doing was waiting for the teletext pages to show the results.
Some shops got fed up of the football crowds arriving at 5pm every Saturday...that they’ll turn off the teletext channel.

 

[Flatulent_Bob]

Sorry Bob but I strongly disagree. The internet doesn't work like that, Facebook, Twitter and Google are all free. The model works by getting enough hits on your site to attract advertisers. If you can't its just supply and demand economics and others will succeed where you can't. The Star used to be full of classified local ads - why aren't they doing that anymore?

But people moan about the ads on The Star already? If you're hunting advertising revenue then your stories need to be tabloidesq click bait, because you need to generate hits. If that's what people want that's fine, as I believe I'm in the minority being willing to pay for quality content, but it's what you are asking for is what The Star is providing now. It also helps you find single MILFs in your area who are just waiting for your call too.

 

[Rochdaleblade]

The star seems to be very poor generally compared to the Manchester evening news. The men has live news and traffic and also some in depth reporting. The star seems to consist of stuff rehashed from social media with no actual quotes attributed. I don't know who would pay for their "exclusive" content. What stories have they broken that weren't already in the public arena.

 

[BushBlade]

I remember both! Newspaper cut into squares and hung on a nail in the outside lav, later upgraded to Izal, which, if folded the wrong way, could be painful. It made great tracing paper though!

Folded? My mum taught me to scrunch Izal up to make it a bit softer.

 

[LoughboroBlade]

But people moan about the ads on The Star already? If you're hunting advertising revenue then your stories need to be tabloidesq click bait, because you need to generate hits. If that's what people want that's fine, as I believe I'm in the minority being willing to pay for quality content, but it's what you are asking for is what The Star is providing now. It also helps you find single MILFs in your area who are just waiting for your call too.

I’ve got no problem with the idea that they need to advertise to stay viable. The difference really is how they do the advertising. Compare Yorkshire Live with them: they are both doing similar sports coverage locally, they both have advertising on their sites, but while YL’s pages are laid out in an easy to read way with advertising generally out of the way, if I’m accessing The Star on my phone it’s usually a pop-up to start with, followed by a massive advert in the middle of the content, and if you’ve endured that you might be midway through reading before you’re bumped out for exceeding the number of free articles. It’s a mess of an interface, and I don’t really understand why when there are better examples of how it’s done they have maintained it largely as is. It’s absolutely ruining what good journalism there is on there.

I should add that they used to have this to an extent with the Green ‘Un app, when it worked properly.

 

[Bladesman]

But people moan about the ads on The Star already? If you're hunting advertising revenue then your stories need to be tabloidesq click bait, because you need to generate hits. If that's what people want that's fine, as I believe I'm in the minority being willing to pay for quality content, but it's what you are asking for is what The Star is providing now. It also helps you find single MILFs in your area who are just waiting for your call too.

It is possible to have advertising on your website that is tastefully displayed. The problem with The Star and other websites is its cluttered, slows the website and then they throw in an annoying survey on top of it all. It can be done without being cheeky either by making an advert look like a news article.

As we have talked about previously on this forum, the state of journalism these days is awful. A lot of it is very lazy, very click bait, opinion rather than facts and often stealing other peoples content without attributing the source.

Clickbait bullshit is the only thing keeping some media outlets going and The Star is one of them.

"A lie can travel half way around the world while the truth is still putting on its boots."

 

[nopigfansintown]

I'm on a similar page to Flatulent. Local news including sport is important, and has to be financially viable - be that through changes to the content and business, state intervention or a combination of these things. You can't have local politics and other institutions (including football clubs) completely free from oversight, and local journalists will always focus more on their patch than the nationals. For that, I expect the papers to stay neutral politically and to give the readers what they want in the modern climate.The political neutrality is very important to me, as I wont shed many tears for the national press if they go under. I would oppose state aid to save the oligarch's propaganda empire.
I'm not averse to paying for the current content the Star produces, but I much prefer the longer more in depth pieces that occasionally appear from the likes of Danny, than the tick box every day stuff (although I understand there is still some need for that - particularly among older readers who don't engage so much with the internet). I think the latter stuff is what has been largely overtaken by social media, forums etc. People have already read it elsewhere so don't have to go on the Star website or buy a paper to get it. In a nutshell, it would be good if the Star writers had artistic licence to write about whatever interests them about football and United in depth even if the articles took a while. Maybe more guest columns from United fans who bring value e.g. Blades analytics?