Almost 20 years ago I helped redesign the Bournemouth Evening Echo (now the Daily Echo). During the discussions it became clear that the commercial department wanted more colour slots to sell. One of the heated exchanges was around a proposal to take sport off the back page and replace it with TV. 'We can sell on to a TV page,' said one of the ad team. 'We can't sell into sport.' And then he added: 'It's not as if Bournemouth is a hotbed of sport is it? We're never going to get close to the Premier League.' Editor Gareth Weekesfought his cornerand sport was kept on the back. Today AFC Bournemouth are on the back page of every national newspaper. Congratulations to the Cherries on a remarkable achievement, the Echo on some great coverage ... and to Gareth on being proved right 20 later.
Thanks Peter, but keeping sport on the back page was a no brainer. Even in their darkest Third Division days the Cherries had a large and devoted band of disciples whose faith was unshakeable and who bought the Echo in droves. I thought they were mad - but how wrong I was.
Thanks Peter, but keeping sport on the back page was a no brainer. Even in their darkest Third Division days the Cherries had a large and devoted band of disciples whose faith was unshakeable and who bought the Echo in droves. I thought they were mad - but how wrong I was.
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