By: KELVIN CHILDS MAYBE A DECLARATION of war would generate a bigger flurry of extras and special editions by the Rocky Mountain News and Denver Post but it's hard to imagine surpassing their output after the Denver Broncos ended a long drought and won the Super Bowl in San Diego.
The News printed its first extra as the city was celebrating the victory over the Green Bay Packers. An extra 25,000 copies ? headline: "No. 1" ? rolled off the presses at 9:30 p.m., Sunday, carrying a final box score and up-to-the-minute analysis of the game. They sold out before midnight.
A commemorative pre-printed edition with the headline "El Yea!" (a play on quarterback John Elway's name) was waiting in San Diego in anticipation of a Bronco win. It was immediately sold to downtown crowds, which snapped them up within 30 minutes, said News officials. On Monday, they added, readers in Denver jammed the paper's phone lines in quest of "El Yea!" copies.
A second extra edition announcing "This One's for John!" was on the streets at 4 a.m., Monday, Jan. 25, and was hawked by News staff volunteers from all departments. Of the 80,000 copies of the sunrise edition, all but a few were sold by noon. The regular Monday paper for home delivery and single-copy sales, with a full press run of 413,763, featured the head "7th Heaven." Another special edition was published Jan. 27.
Within moments of the victory, the News promoted itself with television spots on all Denver stations. The paper coupled a subscription offer with a commemorative metal printing plate celebrating the team's championship. In addition, full-size outdoor billboards declaring "Salute That!" went up at three busy locations. Fan cards with the same message were distributed to news racks, sports bars, and media outlets in the metropolitan Denver area. The News also ran eight special advertising sections throughout the playoff series, and classified featured "good luck" ads on AFC Sunday and Super Bowl Sunday.
The Denver Post also went into overdrive. From Jan. 18 to Jan. 26, it published several free-standing broadsheet sections, in addition to its standard sports coverage. Two extra editions appeared on Jan. 25, one bearing the 3.5-inch headline "Finally!" On Jan. 27, the Post went with a "Parade Extra" quoting Elway in the banner: "We Are The Best."
About 100 hawkers peddled papers on the streets after the Sunday win and another 200 "newsboys," many of them Post employees, sold copies during the Jan. 27 victory parade. The Post, joined by two TV stations, also sponsored a Broncos Super Bowl Party at McNichols Arena, where fans could watch the big game on four big screens, hear live entertainment, get free fan cards and other giveaways, and enter a contest. Earlier, the Post and KUSA-TV sponsored a contest to send 10 winners to the Super Bowl. There were more than 80,000 entries.
Not to be outdone in partying, the News called itself the "exclusive Denver partner" with the NFL in the league's "Taste of the NFL" party in San Deigo.
Also in San Diego, the Post was available at 40 hotels during the week preceding the game. Extra editions were sold outside the stadium along with the distribution of thousands of "Super Bowl Champs" fan cards. Retailers across the Denver area carried T-shirts with Page One game reproductions by the two papers.
Both newspapers claimed bragging rights to who did what best. "The Denver Post wins on Super Bowl coverage," proclaimed Tom Botelho, vice president of marketing. A Rocky Mountain News statement said it "dominated" Denver print media coverage of the NFL contest.
? (E&P Web Site: http:www.mediainfo. com)
? (Editor & Publisher: February 14, 1998)
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