You may recall that this publication was launched a year ago amid great fanfare (by Browns HQ itself, that is). I’ve never seen it, because ponying up $50 for a snail mail version of what I projected would be fluff further leavened with corporate PR … well, it didn’t seem like a wise use of my entertainment dollar.
I guess I wasn’t the only one. This year, the Browns are practically giving the thing away. Of course the terms of the deal are secret, but “Browns Huddle” will be tucked into single-copy editions of the Cleveland Plain Dealer throughout the season. (Home subscribers are apparently out of luck, I guess.)
That got me to thinking: are they really going to try to sell $50 subscriptions to home subscribers and out-of-towners? Well, the order page on the official site is still there, but it’s not easily found. Call their phone number, and the recorded voice says, “New subscription sales and subscription renewal information will be available during training camp.”
But here is a letter sent to subscribers, as posted on Dawg Talk,
July 19, 2006
Dear Huddle Subscriber – Over the past year, the “Browns Huddle” presented our fans with Browns-related news and opinion each week during the season, as well as several times throughout the off-season.
The original columns written by newsmakers like Phil Savage and Jim Brown, as well as the in-depth features about our coaches and players, were well received and gave fans a true insider’s look into the team.
We also found that because we live in an age in which people want their information instantly, that the “Browns Huddle” did not satisfy our fans desire to get Browns news in a timely fashion. For this reason, the 26th edition of the “Browns Huddle” (the post draft issue) was the final edition of the magazine in this format. We will no longer be offering or renewing subscriptions to the publication.
We are proud to announce that we have reached an agreement with the Cleveland Plain Dealer to include the “Browns Huddle” in all single-edition Friday copies throughout the fall.
While the Plain Dealer does have significant reach throughout the state of Ohio, we do realize that many of our fans live out of state. To accommodate those of you who are unable to purchase the Plain Dealer, we will also offer content normally found within the pages of the “Browns Huddle” on-line though our official website, www.clevelandbrowns.com. We plan to have the “Browns Huddle” accessible on-line prior to our first regular season game (Sept. 10), and we will contact you in the coming weeks to let you know how you can access this web-based information free of charge.
A full refund for the balance of your subscription will follow shortly. We will reimburse you for every issue that you did not receive under the guidelines of the offer for 28 issues for the price of 26.
Should you have any further questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact the Browns Fan Squad at (440) 824-6284, toll free (888) 891-1999, or via e-mail at [email protected].
Once again, thank you for your continued support.
The Cleveland Browns
Astounding.
Even though I live out of the PD’s circulation area, if this means more free content on the official site, I’m still finding myself smiling at this news. “Browns Huddle” was a bad idea to begin with, and though I didn’t see how it was executed (not yet anyway), it’s clear that this got green-lighted without proper forethought. The best they can do now is turn tail and play for field position.
I just hope the Browns’ football operations has more game than the media side.
