One of the big stories in sports media last week was Dianna Russini announcing she has joined The Athletic. Pro Football Talk’s Peter King felt like the New York Times-owned publication is making a big bet on Russini.
In his “Football Morning in America” column for NBC this week, King wrote that The Athletic making Russini one of the highest-paid journalists ever at the Times was pretty remarkable in comparison to some of the other talent on the news beats.
“To think Dianna Russini will almost certainly make more money than Maggie Haberman or David Brooks—Times legends—and, crazily, might earn more than them combined, is a sign of the strange sports journalism times we live in,” King wrote. “Stars who cover the NFL make crazy salaries compared to the money people make covering news that truly matters.”
But King pointed out that part of the goal with bringing Russini in from ESPN would be to generate more interest in The Athletic and drive up subscriptions at the start of the new season.
“The Athletic hired Russini to be different, to be a subscription magnet, to tell good stories, to be a difference-maker on the NFL beat, and to break some stories. (Not a lot, but some. You’re not beating Schefter, Rapoport, Glazer, Pelissero with any regularity in this business right now.)” King wrote. “The Athletic wants to be profitable soon, and the way to try to do that is to take chances. This is a chance.”
“With all the free content of NFL stuff flooding the web, will the Russini brand translate into current non-subscribers of The Athletic paying $71.99 a year to read this smart paysite?” King added. “It’s a big ask. Very big. But it’s a gamble The Athletic was willing to take for a rising media person ESPN wasn’t willing to pay like a major star.”
King mentioned that as Russini pointed out, she’s a TV free agent now. So eventually she will start getting NFL sideline or studio assignments. But she’s moving on to a more writing-heavy world, and he thinks she absolutely will shine.
“Russini’s in a business where information and stories are kings. She can do that,” King wrote. “She shouldn’t have to worry about being Faulkner, or Deford. She needs to get the information and put it out in a straight, declarative way. Stories rule.”
