Monthly Archives: October 2009
Breaking into the Writing Biz Like Breaking Through a Brick Wall
There’s tough, there’s month-old jerky, then there’s trying to break into the journalism business in 2009.
I remember about this time just two years ago some classmates and I were sitting in a CBS conference room in Washington, D.C. talking with the one-of-a-kind Bob Schieffer.
We were there to tour the studios, maybe pass on a resume or two, and glean what we could from one of the seminal faces in broadcast journalism. At the end of the talk everyone in the room had this little glow that, hey, maybe the business is not in so much trouble.
Two years later and now, I’m not so sure.
Morning Journal- October 28, 2009
It’s Wednesday morning. Here are some sports media news stories since our update yesterday morning…
Rachel Cohen at the Associated Press has the story of how earlier start times may mean good news for World Series ratings…
Jim Williams at the Examiner talks with Joe Buck on covering his record-tying 12th World Series for Fox…
Michael Hiestand at USA Today sits down with Fox World Series Director Bill Webb...
Ed Sherman at Crains Chicago Business talks with White Sox Manager Ozzie Guillen as he preps to do some analysis for Fox for the World Series…
Ed also reports that World Series coverage on local radio will impact early season Bulls games…
Mike Penner at the LA Times talks World Series with HBO’s Bryant Gumbel...
Anthony Crupi at Media Week (through the Live Feed) has the story of how big ratings for Monday Night Football have been a boost to ESPN..
Bob Wolfley at the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel says unlike the rest of the country, Milwaukee viewers were not watching baseball on Sunday…
Will Leitch at New York Magazine has 5 questions for SI’suPeter King…
Will also has Part Two of his conversation with ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons…
The Associated Press has the story of ESPN’s Bobby Knight refusing a settlement with Indiana University…
Sports Media News has the press release on the MLB Network’s special looking back at the 1989 Northern Californian earthquake…
Sports Media Watch has news of a big week for Fox and the NFL…
Philip Hersh at the Chicago Tribune looks at the countdown NBC will use to prepare for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver…
Carolyn Shapiro at the Virginian-Pilot has word of a Cox cable telvision rate increase for local subscribers…
Sam Schechner at the Wall Street Journal (subscription required) says some over-the-air broadcasters may be asking cable companies to pay them to re-transmit their programming…
Keith J. Kelly at the NY Post says Sports Illustrated is one of the Time, Inc. properties facing layoffs by year’s end…
The Orlando Sentinel has local media reaction on the prospects of the Magic this season…
Sara Kuta at the Daily Northwestern talks with alum Christine Brennan on her move up the sports media ladder…
EPL Talk wonders whether Sky Sports will get the rights to the FA Cup matches in Great Britain…
The Financial Post reports that Rogers Communications in Canada has seen a dip in profits...
Indiana State University Athletics has the story of Versus covering the NCAA Division 1 Cross Country Championships…
Real Sports With Bryant Gumbel Review- October 27, 2009
HBO tonight (10pm ET) debuts its latest edition of Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel. I have seen a preview of the show. Here is what you can expect…
In Our Hearts: This segment looks back at the horrible twist of fate that met former Angels pitcher Nick Adenhart. You may remember that Adenhart was killed this past April after riding in a car that was blind sided by another vehicle who’s driver was drunk. Adenhart had made his 2009 debut earlier that day, throwing six shutout innings against the Oakland A’s.
Mary Carillo sits down with Adenhart’s family, friends, and teammates to recount that fateful day and how his team rallied around his spirit to capture the American League West title.
The piece fits well as baseball is wraping-up its post season. It probably could have had a bigger impact if the Angels had advanced to the World Series…
Game Over: Jon Frankel gives us the story of how budget cuts in and around Columbus Ohio have caused the elimination, or in some cases a pay to play scenerio, of high school extra curricular activities, including sports.
The piece does not break any new ground–examples of sports cutbacks has become more commonplace in many areas of the country. But the segment does shed light on the impacts budget cuts can make on individuals and communities that rely of the benefits of having a strong local high school athletics programs.
Record Breaker: Queens, NY native Ashrita Furman currently holds 92 Guinness Book of World Records, the most of anyone on earth. Since 1979 Furman has held 244 records.
Bernard Goldberg profiles Furman, and looks at many of his records, which fall into the categories from the ridiculous to the sublime. A fun segment about a man dedicated to setting records as part of his inner spiritual journey.
Ernie Harwell Revisit: The shows final segment is a look back at Frank Deford’s 2002 piece of former Detroit Tigers announcer Ernie Harwell. The piece is scheduled to include an update on the recent diagnosis that the 91 year-old Harwell has contracted an incurable form of cancer.
Unfortunately the segment was not included on my review DVD.
Morning Journal- October 27, 2009
Welcome to Tuesday. Here are some stories making news across the sports media industry…
Barry Jackson at the Miami Herald has word that ESPN college football analyst Bob Greise was suspended for one week following his inappropriate content concerning NASCAR driver Juan Pablo Montoya…
James Jahnke at the Detroit Free Press has the story on the firing of the ESPN production assistant involved in an affair with Steve Phillips…
Here’s another view of that story from Neil Best at Newsday
Sean Gregory at Time Magazine has the latest on the Deadspin/ESPN rift…
The Sports Media Watch has this past weekend’s college football ratings for CBS and NBC…
The AP has the New York City area ratings numbers for Sunday, with the Yanks winning out over the Giants…
More on the NY numbers from Richard Sandomir at the NY Times…
Michael Hiestand at USA Today believes the appearance in the World Series by the Yankees will help with television ratings…
Bob Raissman at the NY Daily News reports that the weather may play a factor again in the World Series…
Mason Levinson at Bloomberg says the Phils/Yanks World Series has the potential to be a ratings winner…
The AP, through the SF Examiner, says that the Northeast should provide big ratings for the World Series…
Tom Van Riper at Forbes has a similar prediction on the ratings potenatial for the Series..
Radio Online has word of a simulcast between the top two sports radio stations in New York and Philadelphia prior to the World Series…
MLB.Com has word of plans by the MLB Network to provide pre and post game coverage of the series…
Ed Sherman at Crains Chicago Business says local ratings for the Bears were strong despite a blowout to the Bengals…
Chad Cripe wt the Idaho Stateman speculates that the ESPN Gameday crew may be headed to Boise in the near future…
Heather Hintze at KEZI TV says the appearance of the Gameday crew in Oregon is a coup for the region…
Ken Fang at Fang’s Bites has the press release on the opening night action of the NBA on TNT tonight…
The AP, this time through NESN, has the story of TNT’s CHarles Barkley being critical of some NBA General Managers…
The Toronto Star has word of increased ratings for the NHL…
Bill Martin at LSU has the story of 15 Women’s Basketball games being televised locally...
Late Day Journal- October 26, 2009
Here are some other sports media news stories since our morning rundown…
Here is an AP story on news that the production assistant involved in an affair with ESPN’s Steve Phillips has also been let go by the WWL…
Michael Buteau at Bloomberg early Sunday night ratings numbers…with the ALCS topping Sunday Night Football…
Ajax World Magazine has a wire story on the increased numbers for the NHL and NHL.com…
Dan Levy at the Sporting Blog has the latest of the Phillips affair, among other items in his morning media notes…
Will Leitch at New York Magazine has a Q&A with ESPN.com’s Bill Simmons…
Tom Jones from the St. Petersburg Times has his weekly From the Lip segment…
Jim Williams at the Examiner looks at an important anniversary for Mike and Mike in the Morning…
Donald Wilkes at the Jackson Sun believes the media still has an issue with race when it comes to covering football…
Cody Dockens at the Bleacher Report says ESPN has a thing for USC’s Matt Barkley…
Bob Sassone at TV Squad talks about a new alert feature from CBS…
Steve Lapore at Puck the Media has the College Hockey Television Schedule for 2009-2010…
Reggie Parquet at New Orleans.com has media reaction to the Saints fast start...
Lang Whitaker of Slam Online has his story on lunch with TNT’s Charles Barkley, Ernie Johnson, and Kenny Smith…
John Ourand at Sports Business Journal has the story on NBC gearing up for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver…
Jason Fry at the National Sports Journalism Center at the University of Indiana writes that aspiring sports journalists may want to begin their careers on their own...
