Leaving The Inquirer For Online Pastures: Our Interview With Tim Panaccio

Early in this hockey season, I began to notice that Tim Panaccio wasn't staffing his regular beat at the Inquirer. I thought maybe he was taking a season off to write a book, but soon after, I started seeing Panaccio-penned columns every day at the newly revamped web offering of Comcast SportsNet, CSNPhilly.com. When listening to him speak with WIP's morning show last week, I learned that there was more to the story of his departure from the Inquirer, and I asked if he'd be interested in discussing leaving, starting his new venture, and the 2008-2009 Flyers with us. Always a straight shooter, Tim didn't disappoint.

After so many years of covering the Flyers for Philadelphia's largest-circulation newspaper, why did you leave the Inquirer during the off-season?

Jim Cohen took over the Inky sports department in January. He is not a hockey guy. He moved me to the Eagles beat on May 22. He said that hockey was "irrelevant" and the Eagles far outweighed other beats. Cohen didn't understand nor appreciate that my "passion" was hockey and not the stinkin' Eagles. They ended up moving Ray Parrillo, another displaced hockey guy, back onto the Eagles to back up Bob Brookover. On May 22, I began looking for another job. I more or less created an idea that coincided with what Comcast SportsNet was planning to do in October. I left the paper on 9/11 to join Comcast.

To what degree was it that you didn't want to cover the Eagles, versus only being interested in covering the Flyers?

The NFL beat is too orchestrated, too controlled, too difficult to do anything original. Also, I like dealing with hockey players and I don't like dealing with football and baseball players who feel they are owed something the second they become a pro.

Working for CSN Philly, your offering is now entirely web-based. As a long-time newspaper veteran, was there any hesitation to leave the medium?

It was the easiest decision I ever made. Why? Newspapers are dying. The web is the future, and smart newspapers look at the web as an ally and not an adversary. The Inky/Daily News still haven't figured that part out yet, which is going to hurt them long into the future. Also, having worked with Hockeybuzz.com, this was a natural progression for me.

Are there any differences between your current approach to covering the Flyers versus when you handled the beat for the Inquirer?

None. Everything I did for the Inquirer, I now do for Comcast, except it appears on the web. I can write longer. I can write additional stories without worry about an Inky editor telling me there's no room for a sidebar because we have 7 Eagles stories tomorrow. There are NO deadlines. I can hang around longer after games to get the player or two I would normally miss if I were still on the Inquirer's insane deadlines. Also, I have more time to write and that—theoretically—means cleaner copy, less dumb typos.

You've always been known as a guy who would ask the question that needs asking, with Bob Clarke even answering "You're an asshole" at one point. Will there be any change in your approach considering that you work for Comcast, which is a major part of the Flyers' ownership situation? You're not going to go Spadaro on us, are you?

No, and I give credit to Jon Litner, Peter Luukko and Ed Snider, who made it clear to me that they wanted me to cover this team like I did at the Inquirer. They each said to me that they didn't want a "house" man. They understand that the Flyers' web site is a club site, and that Comcast is independent of the NHL's web sites. If you hear my questions in post-game, I think you'll agree I haven't changed. I pushed John Stevens hard last week on benching Scott Hartnell, and Stevens answered with blunt, honest criticism of why he did it. I haven't changed, and my approach won't change.

Which editor's desk has stricter standards when writing about the Flyers, the Inquirer or Comcast SportsNet?

CSNPhilly.com is a work in progress, and over the next year, you will see more hires, more changes. This is all new to them. I appreciate the tough standards I had at the Inquirer. It's made me a more responsible journalist. I NEVER forget those standards when I write for Comcast. I intend to operate on the web as if this were a Pulitzer Prize-winning newspaper.

How do you balance your content offering between writing for two online homes, CSNPhilly and HockeyBuzz.com?

Comcast and Hockeybuzz.com actually share some advertising and joint ventures, such as Flyersbuzz.tv. It's a good partnership. The rules are simple: Comcast pays my salary; therefore, we break news on Comcast, and we refer to that news on Hockeybuzz with a link back to Comcast. Hockeybuzz is blog-oriented. My material on CSNPhilly, for now, is more journalism-oriented. Eventually, we will add new material, and I anticipate a blog for CSN as well.

On to the team... The Flyers have clearly underachieved for much of this season. Do you feel they'll be able to turn it around before Randy Jones and Ryan Parent return, or are they in trouble without them?

Every time they seem ready to go into the tank again, they rebound. I don't see how they are going to afford Jones and Parent unless they move someone, and I believe Luca Sbisa will go back to juniors. His salary would come off the cap, but they would still have to pay him out for the season. I feel a trade involving the defense and a pricey forward will be coming in December. The back end of this team would not have been such a problem had all these injuries not occurred in the pre-season. Hatcher, Jones, Parent have missed every game.

You've been on the record as supporting a move for the Panthers' Jay Bouwmeester, who is a player we'd love to see here as well. What kind of player package will it take to land him, and do you think the Flyers are interested?

I know the Flyers will be in the hunt once the Panthers decide to move Bouwmeester. If I am Count Jacqula down there in Sunrise, Fla., I go the distance, wait til the trade deadline when teams get desperate, then make my best deal. If I am Paul Holmgren, I come up with a "best" deal right now and beat everyone to the punch. There are two things in hockey every team covets: a franchise goalie and a No. 1 d-man who will be around a long time. Bouwmeester is that kind of guy. By the way, Matt Carle has been impressive in his short stint here, offensively—his passes out of the zone, and defensively—his shot blocking.

Is Marty Biron good enough to lead the Flyers to a Stanley Cup winner?

Based on the season so far, definitely not. Based on last year's playoff run, I would have said yes. If Cam Ward can do it, so can Marty, but his consistency needs to get back to where it was. He has been much better and has solid numbers over the past 5 games though. That tells me he is coming out of his funk. I need to see that Biron the rest of the way to say he's good enough to win it all.

Any predictions for the outcome of this season?

Second place in the Atlantic Division remains a possibility. As does fourth. It's that tight. It depends on whether Stevens can keep this team's interest from waning like it did over stretches of last season. I think that is something the Flyers see in Brendan Shanahan—a guy who can keep the club heading in one direction and be rather vocal about it. Truth is, Derian Hatcher was that guy, and not having him in the dressing room is a huge loss for the club.

Our thanks to Tim for taking the time to talk with us. Look for more from him at CSNPhilly.com.

Comments

[Walklett]

How is it possible for Jim Cohen, head of the PHILADELPHIA Inquirer sports department, to say that hockey is "irrelevant" in this town? It's amazing they would hire someone who is so clueless. This is the same sport/team where the fans consistently sold out the building in the midst of having the worst season in franchise history.

Philadelphia hockey fans are fortunate to have someone like Tim Panaccio, who possesses an honest passion for the sport, giving us our Flyers coverage.

[MPR529]

timmy P was a great writer, and would always send me engaging email answers to my questions. what a shame.

[Tartan69]

Hockey irrelevant eh? Looks like the Birds are the irrelevant team these days. Jim Cohen may just choke on those words.

Panaccio is a great writer and has the trust of the Flyers organ-EYE-zation. I'll continue to read his articles wherever he goes.

[Tartan69]

Also one observation about Panaccio's comment regarding "the guy who can keep the club heading in one direction and be rather vocal about it"...shouldn't that be the job of the captain?

My understanding is that Richards isn't exactly a "yeller", but why make him captain then?

[Ron]

Good luck in the new job Tim!

Tim's right about NFL coverage... You only get what they give you... and with this Eagles regime, that's not much.

[Scott]

Looks like the WIP morning show got what they wanted all along. An editor who wants wall-to-wall Eagle coverage. Congrats guys.

[JD]

"He said that hockey was "irrelevant" and the Eagles far outweighed other beats."

yeah, that's why the flyers keep selling out the home games. because this town considers them "irrelevant".

great interview, BTW.

[Rosey]

Fantastic 1-on-1 with T.P.

The philly.com coverage of certain teams (i.e., flyers) has been lacking a lot lately, this totally makes sense now.

[G.E.]

I do not care for hockey. I follow the sport sporadically. But even I understand that thousands of people in the region care passionately about it, and the so-called Paper of Record cares not a whit about them. Ironic that both Tim Panaccio and Al Morganti, former Inquirer writers, now cover the sport for CSN. Even a hockey doofus like myself can see that no other local cable sports outlet brings pros of the caliber of Morganti and Bill Clement to the table. Or the benefits that Panaccio brings to its website. Advantage, New Technology.

[BK]

Hate to break it to you, Tim, but the audience for philly.com -- which you so nonchalantly claim is dying -- DWARFS your new site. There's really no comparison. I don't see too many paying ads on CSNPhilly.com, either. Not a good sign. See, you need ads to pay bills. And didn't Comcast just shutter their DC and Boston sports outlets? Yep, they sure did. I wouldn't get too comfortable -- we'll see if you still have this job in a year. You old farts trying to kick the business on the way out make me sick.

[BK]

Oh, and nobody reads CSNPhilly.com. Have fun disappearing from the landscape (i.e., nobody quoting your stories, loss of prestige). Ask Mariotti how that's working out for him now that he left the Sun-Times.

[Wenalway]

If newspapers are dying, it's because they packed their ranks with mediocre dim bulbs and dull blades. Some of the dumbest and laziest people in the American work force can be found in the nation's newsrooms.

Yet they refuse to change. Even today, I would bet there are dozens, if not hundreds, of sports dorks reading this interview and saying: "Yep, he just couldn't make it in the business" as they nod their heads clad in hats turned backward before going back to screwing up the TV listings and the game times in the next edition.

[Mike]

Hey "G E": Thanks for checking in, Jim Cohen!