What's this about Tony Connolly leaving?

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:34

Just picked it up from another thread; can anybody fill in the details or expand the rumours here? I've been away for a couple of weeks.

thepocketrocket · Post by **thepocketrocket** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:36

Same, here, and I aint got the bible since my Crolla piece(disgraceful I know)

Fill me in lads...

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:56

He's had enough of Newsquest Media Group, which owns BN and several other publications and is classically corporate. You know the type: meetings every week, women bosses interfering, and Claude Abrams, inevitably, backing his bosses.
What can I say? Things change.

boxingchat · Post by **boxingchat** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:58

Will you follow Bennie....please?

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:58

boxingchat wrote:Will you follow Bennie....please?

Oh yeah, baby.

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 06:59

bennie wrote:He's had enough of Newsquest Media Group, which owns BN and several other publications and is classically corporate. You know the type: meetings every week, women bosses interfering, and Claude Abrams, inevitably, backing his bosses.
What can I say? Things change.

I work for Newsquest! But I'm in work right now, so no comment ;)

BN has moved around a lot over the years in terms of ownership. Unfortunately they simply wouldn't survive as an independent and so will always be answerable to a "higher power". It's a shame, but that's business. Still, they continue to do an excellent job and there's very little I'd have them do differently.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:00

oliverfennell wrote:
bennie wrote:He's had enough of Newsquest Media Group, which owns BN and several other publications and is classically corporate. You know the type: meetings every week, women bosses interfering, and Claude Abrams, inevitably, backing his bosses.
What can I say? Things change.
I work for Newsquest! But I'm in work right now, so no comment ;)

BN has moved around a lot over the years in terms of ownership. Unfortunately they simply wouldn't survive as an independent and so will always be answerable to a "higher power". It's a shame, but that's business. Still, they continue to do an excellent job and there's very little I'd have them do differently.

Watch your back, son.

jamesmcdonnell · Post by **jamesmcdonnell** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:15

A great shame for boxing news that Tony is leaving. He's an excellent journalist, with a deep knowledge of the game, and a great love for it too.

On a personal note, I always found Tony to be a very personable bloke as well, very easy to talk to and engage whenever I sat near him at boxing matches, which was on quite a number of occasions.

He also printed my first submission to boxing news, although, following the terrible wrangling with newsquest to get paid, I wasn't too interested in repeating the experience.

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:18

Same - he dealt with my first printed piece and was my usual point of contact there. Agreed, a very nice bloke too, always remembered me and liked to have a personal chat. Given how busy he was and how many people he must have dealt with, that was nice.

In fact, could anybody PM me his personal email and/or phone number, as I only have his office details. Would be nice to stay in touch with him.

knockout · Post by **knockout** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:18

Tony is a top guy, when I had more spare time and used to attend more shows, I always used to enjoy chatting with him.

The guy loves the boxing and I wish him every success in the future.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:24

jamesmcdonnell wrote:A great shame for boxing news that Tony is leaving. He's an excellent journalist, with a deep knowledge of the game, and a great love for it too.

On a personal note, I always found Tony to be a very personable bloke as well, very easy to talk to and engage whenever I sat near him at boxing matches, which was on quite a number of occasions.

He also printed my first submission to boxing news, although, following the terrible wrangling with newsquest to get paid, I wasn't too interested in repeating the experience.

Wrangling is the word. Some people like the corporate lifestyle (as some people liked the dark-haired one in ABBA); most normal people find it a pain. Boxing News needs a stronger man at the helm. Can you imagine Harry Mullan being told what to do?

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:27

This is all getting a little serious isn't it.

Connolly's are going to walk and jibes that its become a propoganda rag.

Where does it end?

Is there room for another printed publication? BN is becoming more like a monthly with the three features a month. Which I enjoy I hasten to add, and it may be a senisble strategy given the quest for topical, instant news is fulfilled by the internet.

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:29

DavidPayne wrote:This is all getting a little serious isn't it.

Connolly's are going to walk and jibes that its become a propoganda rag.

Where does it end?

Is there room for another printed publication? BN is becoming more like a monthly with the three features a month. Which I enjoy I hasten to add, and it may be a senisble strategy given the quest for topical, instant news is fulfilled by the internet.

Jibes or not, the old BN has gone forever and the new one is all rather 'safe'.
All rather dull.

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:36

bennie wrote:
DavidPayne wrote:This is all getting a little serious isn't it.

Connolly's are going to walk and jibes that its become a propoganda rag.

Where does it end?

Is there room for another printed publication? BN is becoming more like a monthly with the three features a month. Which I enjoy I hasten to add, and it may be a senisble strategy given the quest for topical, instant news is fulfilled by the internet.
Jibes or not, the old BN has gone forever and the new one is all rather 'safe'.
All rather dull.

I disagree. With the exception of their apparent softening stance towards SN, it's still essentially the same publication, just a different format. Claude's news section at the front is excellent and even now still manages to tell me a few things each week which I hadn't yet heard on the internet, the previews and features are usually excellent, and the reporting good as well (although for me this has become less important than the other sections due to the timeliness of the internet).

bennie · Post by **bennie** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:38

oliverfennell wrote:
bennie wrote:
DavidPayne wrote:This is all getting a little serious isn't it.

Connolly's are going to walk and jibes that its become a propoganda rag.

Where does it end?

Is there room for another printed publication? BN is becoming more like a monthly with the three features a month. Which I enjoy I hasten to add, and it may be a senisble strategy given the quest for topical, instant news is fulfilled by the internet.
Jibes or not, the old BN has gone forever and the new one is all rather 'safe'.
All rather dull.
I disagree. With the exception of their apparent softening stance towards SN, it's still essentially the same publication, just a different format. Claude's news section at the front is excellent and even now still manages to tell me a few things each week which I hadn't yet heard on the internet, the previews and features are usually excellent, and the reporting good as well (although for me this has become less important than the other sections due to the timeliness of the internet).

You think Claude Abrams is a good writer? In a word, PAINFUL.

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:42

Harry Mullan's weekly column was the biz, he'd pot shot any one he saw as taking the piss - Warren, Duff...anyone.

Claude is firing blanks and terrified of upsetting SN or anyone else for that matter. Very sad & I can't see BN lasting much longer - the net has over taken it.

And yes Tony is a top man, I used to work with him and he's as genuine a person as you'll ever meet. He's probably back subbing at a daily paper, something he used to do between his stints at BN.

Maybe BM should give him a call

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:46

bennie wrote:
oliverfennell wrote:
bennie wrote: Jibes or not, the old BN has gone forever and the new one is all rather 'safe'.
All rather dull.
I disagree. With the exception of their apparent softening stance towards SN, it's still essentially the same publication, just a different format. Claude's news section at the front is excellent and even now still manages to tell me a few things each week which I hadn't yet heard on the internet, the previews and features are usually excellent, and the reporting good as well (although for me this has become less important than the other sections due to the timeliness of the internet).
You think Claude Abrams is a good writer? In a word, PAINFUL.

Yes, I do. What's wrong with it?

J · Post by J » 11 Sep 2007, 07:49

MightyWarrior wrote:Harry Mullan's weekly column was the biz, he'd pot shot any one he saw as taking the piss - Warren, Duff...anyone.

Claude is firing blanks and terrified of upsetting SN or anyone else for that matter. Very sad & I can't see BN lasting much longer - the net has over taken it.

And yes Tony is a top man, I used to work with him and he's as genuine a person as you'll ever meet. He's probably back subbing at a daily paper, something he used to do between his stints at BN.

Maybe BM should give him a call

INTERESTING YOU SAY THAT.

I used to buy boxing news week in week out, til about 5-6 months ago since when I've found boxing monthly far more enjoyable.
I just put it down to me not being as into who won in south west wales on a dark weds night as I once was.

Or is the fact of the matter is there seems to less and less interesting and well written content in BN these days?

MightyWarrior · Post by **MightyWarrior** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:54

J wrote:
INTERESTING YOU SAY THAT.

I used to buy boxing news week in week out, til about 5-6 months ago since when I've found boxing monthly far more enjoyable.
I just put it down to me not being as into who won in south west wales on a dark weds night as I once was.

Or is the fact of the matter is there seems to less and less interesting and well written content in BN these days?

Definitely. BN used to have Mullan, a world class writer with real flair and originality ( Claude is strictly a journeyman ) backed up by Graham Houston, maybe the best in the biz, and Tim Mo - so good a writer that I think he won the booker prize when he turned to writing novels.

Plus Bob Mee Steve and Tony Connolly - what a line up.

Autobarn · Post by **Autobarn** » 11 Sep 2007, 07:54

Mullan definitely used to rip the WBO and any fighter/promoter who wasn't acting like a world champion. He said it how it was.

J · Post by J » 11 Sep 2007, 08:00

MightyWarrior wrote:
J wrote:
INTERESTING YOU SAY THAT.

I used to buy boxing news week in week out, til about 5-6 months ago since when I've found boxing monthly far more enjoyable.
I just put it down to me not being as into who won in south west wales on a dark weds night as I once was.

Or is the fact of the matter is there seems to less and less interesting and well written content in BN these days?
Definitely. BN used to have Mullan, a world class writer with real flair and originality ( Claude is strictly a journeyman ) backed up by Graham Houston, maybe the best in the biz, and Tim Mo - so good a writer that I think he won the booker prize when he turned to writing novels.

Plus Bob Mee Steve and Tony Connolly - what a line up.

hmm interesting I just put it down to me not having quite as much time to go the Brtisih Masters etc etc at the York hall on a Sunday arvo these days, therefore not being that interested in reading about it.

Guess its a comination of BN not being quite the read it once was and the above.

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 11 Sep 2007, 08:04

Is it in part because there are more fights on the box than ever. Reports are less interesting when you've seen the fight.

oliverfennell · Post by **oliverfennell** » 11 Sep 2007, 08:07

DavidPayne wrote:Is it in part because there are more fights on the box than ever. Reports are less interesting when you've seen the fight.

I'm MORE interested to read a report on something I've seen. I like to see what other people thought of a fight and compare it to my own thoughts.

DavidPayne · Post by **DavidPayne** » 11 Sep 2007, 08:11

True Ollie and I'm the same.

fatton · Post by **fatton** » 11 Sep 2007, 08:22

They have beefed up the features and interviews a little bit but 90% of the news now is just recycled from the web. At least their U.S. fight reports have improved since the passing of Jim Brady, far greater variety now.

Also used to enjoy Connolly's ringside snippets. A little rambling sometimes but better than Claude's ones.

Anyway to sum up I always get the impression from BN in recent years that they are catering for the boxing fan who hasn't discovered the internet yet. That group of people is diminishing by the day so it's hard to see how the current BN can have a long term and profitable future and if the suits are running it they will drop it long before it reaches it's natural end.