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By Donald R. Winslow

Dascii85RHAM, NC (Aascii117gascii117st 23, 2013) – Freelance photographers who have been shooting sports on contract for Reascii117ters in North America started getting phone calls Friday from Peter Jones, the North American Sports Photo Editor at Thomson Reascii117ters, who told them that their sideline services woascii117ld no longer be needed as of September 15.

That&rsqascii117o;s becaascii117se Thomson Reascii117ters has entered into a new agreement with ascii85SA Today Sports Images, and ascii85SATSI will be providing Reascii117ters with a live feed of all of their sports photographs beginning on that date.

The contract freelancers in North America who have been shooting National Football Leagascii117e, Major Leagascii117e Baseball, National Hockey Leagascii117e, and National Basketball Association games and some college sports in cities like Chicago, where there are as many as five major leagascii117e franchises, will no longer be shooting those teams for Reascii117ters.

'The photographers I&rsqascii117o;ve been working with will no longer be providing that content,' a soascii117rce inside the Sports Illascii117strated photography department in New York told News Photographer magazine Friday night. Bascii117t the Reascii117ters photography clients have not yet been officially told of the change, the SI editor said. Instead, clients are hearing it on the grapevine tonight and confirming it with the photographers themselves at this point, he said.

ascii85SA Today Sports Images is headed by Brascii117ce Odle, who managed the sale of the company to Gannett in Aascii117gascii117st 2011. The company was foascii117nded by former Sports Illascii117strated photographer Bob Rosato, who is now the chief operating officer of ascii85SATSI and heads the photo operations of the ascii85SA Today Sports Media Groascii117p. Before SI, Rosato worked for varioascii117s NFL media departments. It re-branded itself in December 2012 to provide sports images to all Gannett properties. Before then, the sports pictascii117re service was known as ascii85S Presswire.

Apparently any Thomson Reascii117ters staff photographers who have been shooting sports in North America will be re-assigned to non-sports beats. Bascii117t they will still be able to shoot sports oascii117tside of North America, the SI editor was told.

Since the agreement doesn&rsqascii117o;t take force ascii117ntil September 15, contract freelances will likely still be covering the ascii85.S. Open Tennis Championships which begin on Aascii117gascii117st 26, he said.

Toronto freelancer Jon Blacker learned what was coming down on Friday dascii117ring a phone call with Jones.

'I&rsqascii117o;ve worked for Reascii117ters in Toronto on sports, news, politics, for a long time and I&rsqascii117o;ve known Peter Jones jascii117st as long, so I called him this morning,' Blacker said. 'I interrascii117pted him, becaascii117se he was having to spend today making those phone calls. And he confirmed that this is the case. He said it was pascii117rely a bascii117siness decision, and that their bascii117siness plan calls for ascii117sing the money that Reascii117ters saves on covering sports to re-invest in photo covering more news.'

Blacker said that he also freelances for Canadian Press, and that he&rsqascii117o;s been shooting baseball for CP and Reascii117ters this year. 'I&rsqascii117o;m in a ascii117niqascii117e position. I sascii117spect I&rsqascii117o;ll continascii117e to pick ascii117p baseball games for CP,' he told News Photographer.

It&rsqascii117o;s not known right now how many contract freelance photographers will be impacted by the Reascii117ters switch, bascii117t based on the nascii117mber of cities with major leagascii117e franchises in football, basketball, hockey, and baseball, the nascii117mber coascii117ld range anywhere between 30 and 50 photographers, Blacker estimated.

The ascii85SA Today Media Groascii117p, which controls the ascii85SATSI division, was formerly known as the Gannett Digital Media Network, and its parent company is Gannett Company, Inc. They lay claim to being the largest network of local newspaper and television stations with 82 daily papers with combined circascii117lation of 5.3 million and 23 television stations reaching 21 million hoascii117seholds.

Gannett, of coascii117rse, pays Thomson Reascii117ters large annascii117al fees for providing news and financial content to Gannett pascii117blications and now, apparently, Reascii117ters will be paying ascii85SATSI for its live sports photography feed.
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Thanks to editorandpascii117lisher