In the last week or so the issue of the local newspaper not sending a reporter on the road to cover the Coyotes came up again.  Several people, including myself, emailed The Arizona Republic about the issue.  Below is the response from I received from the paper's sports editor, Mark Faller.

This will answer several e-mails I’ve received about our lack of staff road coverage for the Phoenix Coyotes.

 

We value the Coyotes and know they have loyal fans. But we have to make tough decisions about how best to use our resources to cover a myriad of sports in a crowded sports marketplace. At this time our policy with the Coyotes remains the same – we don’t expect to be able to travel with them. As the end of the regular season nears, and they appear headed toward the playoffs, then we will re-evaluate.

 

We are taking steps to minimize the impact of this decision by supplementing wire content with occasional staff stories on off days while the team is away – for example, reaching out to coaches and players on the phone when warranted.

 

Some have suggested that since the NBA is in lockout, we should reallocate travel money normally used on the Suns. That’s not relevant because we have to be prepared to react in case some form of a season still takes place. Also, we face new expenses in 2012, such as the Summer Olympics, that have to be considered.

 

Thanks for taking the time to share your concerns.

 

Mark Faller

Sports editor

The Arizona Republic | azcentral.com