By Dan Shaw, danshaw@monroenews.com

Deciding how big to play a big story is one of an editor’s most challenging decisions.

The Michigan/OSU game Saturday has been growing in excitement since before the leaves started to fall. As the Wolverines climbed the BCS rankings, the game got bigger and bigger. For three weeks, since Michigan climbed to No. 2 in the AP poll, it’s been clear this is the game of the century.

So, as we planned coverage this week, we were faced with the question? How big is big enough? How much is too much?

We decided to make sure there was a story on pages 1A and 1B of The Evening News every day of the week leading up to the game. City Editor Doug Donnelly and Sports Editor Ron Montri worked together to plan the stories - everything from a feature on fans living across the state line in enemy territory to a whimsical look at planning a game party.

We devoted two extra pages in the sports section Friday and Saturday to stories about the game itself - player matchups, features on stars from both teams, etc.

Was it too much? I don’t think so. I haven’t been in a conversation this week that didnt’ include the game. Not enough? Maybe. The reader appetite seems to be inexhaustible.

A personal note: Sometimes it’s hard for journalists to remain objective on stories like this. In my case, it’s easy. My wife has a degree from OSU and my daughter has a degree from Michigan. I’m rooting for both sides. I know who buys my birthday presents.

This entry was posted on Friday, November 17th, 2006 at 6:14 am and is filed under The Evening News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.