Monthly Archives: February 2009
SMJ Interview- Dan Levy, On the DL Podcast
Dan Levy and On the DL Podcast are becoming a “must listen to” event each week. His mix of topics on pop culture and sports, combined with what is becoming an A-List of guests, has gotten many people’s attention.
In our podcast we ask Dan how he got started, how he develops his show, and his relationship with Tony Kornheiser…
Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Thanks to Dan for giving us some time to talk about his show. If you have a chance, check it out.
Schreiber Dissects Gammons/Rodriguez Interview
ESPN Ombudsman Le Anne Schreiber weighs in on the Peter Gammons/Alex Rodriguez interview in her monthly column.
I agree with her assertions that Gammons should have been more forceful in getting Rodriguez to explain how he acquired the PED’s, from who, and how long he used them. That information, or his refusal to answer, would have told us a lot more about Rodriguez.
Another great examination of journalistic practices by Schreiber.
What They’re Saying- February 13th, 2009
Time again for our Friday look at the topics some of the sports media columnists are writing about…
Let’s start in New York where Neil Best of Newsday who catches up with Marve Albert…
At the NY Post Justin Terranova has 5 questions for Albert. He also previews the Daytona 500 with Darrell Waltrip.
Bob Raissman at the NY Daily News expects the YES Network to be kind to Alex Rodriguez and the Yankees this spring…
Michael Heistand at USA Today looks at the NBA’s foray into the world of 3-D…
Nancy Marrapese-Burrell has the story of a new hire at Comcast Sports Net New England…
David Barron at the Houston Chronicle looks at a local connection coming up in the next edition of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel.
Dave Darling at the Orlando Sentinel gives us a profile of local Bright House Network sports anchor Dave Baumann…
Mel Bracht at the Oklahoman has the story of what is next for Stacy Dales now that she has not reached a deal with ESPN. He also has his weekly media notes.
Ted Cox at the Chicago Daily Herald previews a baseball-themes movie on HBO…
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel talks with ESPN’s Dick Vitale…
Diane Pucin at the LA Times gives us the update on Charles Barkley’s return to TNT…
Jim Carlisle at the Ventura County Star also comments on the absence of Barley from TNT’s coverage…
Tom Hoffarth at the LA Daily News continues his best/worst sports media columns…
Ray Frager at the Baltimore Sun gives us his weekly hodgepodge of notes in his weekly piece…
John Maffei at the North County Times looks at coverage of the Tour of California…
Ray Buck at the Fort Worth Star Telegram talks with the NFL Network’s Mike Maycock…
Scott D. Pearce at the Salt Lake City Desert News gives us an update on the battle between Dish Network and MTN.
As does Jay Posner at the San Diego Union Tribune…
Dan Caesar at the St. Louis Post Dispatch has a look at the Cardinals on TV in 2009. He also has local NBA-er David Lee making waves in new York…
How Do Editors Rate Future Sports Journalists?
I stumbled across this piece at the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) site on the the views of some editors about the experience of sports reporters coming out of college. If you are into surveys and the numbers (as I am), take a minute to read the piece.
In viewing the data, I came away with a few thoughts…
1. I found it a bit alarming that the sports editors surveyed complained that poor writing and grammar was the biggest weakness among college recruits, yet when asked the most important skill for a sports journalist, good grammar and writing was toward the bottom of their list.
2. I was not surprised that it appears the editors surveyed do not value the experience blogging could have in a reporter’s development. It appears that short, accurate writing (like a blog post!) is becoming more important to online journalism, yet only 2.8% of the editors thought blogging experience was important.
3. It was expected that the strength of graduating college students included their knowledge of technology and their versatility. What was troubling was their apparent lack of enthusiasm. If you are a young sports fan and can’t get excited about covering a sporting event, don’t become a reporter.
The average age of the 108 sports editors who responded to the survey was 44. I continue to wonder whether there is still a generational component at play as editors steer their sports departments toward the future. I will be 44 this year. I think I get it.
Is Coverge of Major League Baseball Changing?
I am one of many who feel that the month-old MLB Network (MLBN) is doing some good work. They spared no expense in designing their studio (HD compliant), building their audience (50 million homes at the time of their launch), and landing big name talent (Bob Costas). This past weekend it may have also been an influence into how big stories within the league will be covered going forward. Let me explain.
When news broke Saturday from Sports Illustrated that they had corroborating evidence of Alex Rodriguez testing positive for steroid use in 2003, the league-owned network took advantage of its resources to suspend normal programming in favor of discussing the breaking news. MBLN was able to quickly get Costas in studio to talk with SI reporter Selena Roberts who co-authored the A-Rod piece. It was quite a coup.
The aggressive work by MLBN put much of the other sports media outlets on notice that it would not just be a mouthpiece for the league. It wants to be a player in terms of reporting the news.
Who has the most to lose by this? ESPN. I have little doubt that the powers at be at the WWL were taken aback by MLBN’s coverage…that for one day they were out-hustled on coverage of a major sports story. That doesn’t usually happen in Bristol.
So how did ESPN react? With added vigilance to make sure the next chapter of this story would be theirs. I am sure ESPN put all hands on deck making sure it got the first interview with Rodriguez, which it secured today.
Now that MLBN is a player in competing for stories, I would expect that baseball fans will see more comprehensive coverage of their sport. ESPN may no longer have a stranglehold on the big stories coming out of Major League Baseball. And that’s not a bad thing.
