A Sad Farewell to PFW

[CloakNNNdagger]

46-year run ends for Pro Football Weekly

Posted by Mike Florio on May 31, 2013, 10:43 PM EDT


The handwriting has been on the wall for months, given the lack of handwriting or other new content appearing at the Pro Football Weekly website. Despite the controversial and headline-creating Geno Smith scouting report by Nolan Nawrocki, the worst-kept secret in media circles had been that PFW was in an apparent death spiral.

On Friday, editor Hub Arkush posted a farewell message on the publication’s website. A separate link revealed the cold, hard truth: assets of $143,000, and liabilities of $8.5 million.

“Over the last five years our majority owner and each of the minority partners invested a tremendous amount of money, time and effort to try to build a bridge for PFW from the rapidly deteriorating world of old media to the new, exploding market of digital media and glitzy, new products,” Arkush writes. “We built some truly great stuff that you all seemed to love, but try as we might, we couldn’t get enough of you to pay what it cost us to deliver it. There comes a time when there is just no more money to lose, and now we are forced to close the doors.”

While PFW could have, in our view, remained competitive in the world of new media — indeed, the publication’s “Way We Hear It” feature reflected Internet-style rumor mongering long before folks were mongering rumors on the Internet — the name itself epitomized old-media realities. “Weekly” would no longer cut it; news and analysis must be delivered in real-time via electronic means, not once per week in a publication that looked and felt more like a newspaper than a magazine.

At one point, PFW was an indispensable source of league-wide information and analysis to supplement local newspapers that focused on one team and national newspapers that provided only the most superficial information (but at least they did it in pretty colors). Put simply, times changed and PFW didn’t.

 

[Playoffs]

Funny title. PFT is about as "sad" as a witch in a broom factory.

“Way We Hear It” was good stuff. Actual insider comments, not made up crap like others do.

But PFW's website maintainence was awful.

Now let's say goodbye to Florio & his news manufacturing site that posted this.

If you're looking for an alternative to PFT, NFL's Around The League does the same thing with much less click seeking b.s.:

http://www.nfl.com/news/around-the-league

 

[ObsiWan]

Pro Football Weekly hasn't been the same since Joel Buchsbaum stopped contributing to it.

 

[steelbtexan]

Pro Football Weekly hasn't been the same since Joel Buchsbaum stopped contributing to it.

Yep

Buschbaum was the best. He actually took the time to know the ins and outs of all of the draftable prospects each yr, unlike the Kiper/McShays of the world.

McClain lost his NFL insider when Buschbaum paeesed away and McClain's work has suffered ever since.

Keep RIP Joel you were the best.

 

[CloakNNNdagger]

Pro Football Weekly hasn't been the same since Joel Buchsbaum stopped contributing to it.

The world of "usable" football information has not been the same since JB was put to rest.

 

[Hookem Horns]

The internet has killed a lot of businesses but probably has made even more.

I remember looking forward to the preseason newstand publications and seeing who was picked to do what. I haven't bought a magazine in years.

Does anyone remember the "Oiler News" magazine? I used to have that shipped to my house when I lived up north. It never once arrived on time. I always got the upcoming game review issue on the Monday following the game. I still couldn't wait to get it each week.

 

[toronto]

Pro Football Weekly hasn't been the same since Joel Buchsbaum stopped contributing to it.

He was my absolute fave. I used to ADORE reading PFW every week when I was younger, was my bible for everything NFL-related and also was my bible when I first started fantasy sports in the early 90s.

And "the way I hear it" was the true inside guts of the NFL. Was a must read for any diehard every week.

I personally hate relying on Peter King's MMQB (mostly because he insists on non-football talk when I clearly only read him for football) and ESPN (who slants their coverage ridiculously towards the same **** (re: tebow) over and over again.