All Purpose Media Thread

[Flgatorguy87]

Full episode for those that don't have NHL network

 

[adsfan]

Use of the term “journalist” to describe the local media is stretching it a bit. Some are but mostly a bunch of folks who offer opinions just like we do. Only they do it for money, fame or both. Many of the media today covering sports and news are a bunch of kids who got a first job after obtaining some sort of communications degree. They come and go. We hear and see them; ever changing but hardly journalists. I put less value on most of their work than I do some of the informed opinions on this board(myself excluded). It’s a shame really given the excellent team journalists of the past in this sports market.

Fame? After Bob Woodward, even this news junky has a hard time naming a few. Bill Plante was on CBS during my whole life. I remember Barbara Walters before she started interviewing Cher. When Nixon went to China, she was the best reporter. I liked Ted Koppel on Nightline.

For sports, I liked Bob Costas and Joe Garagiola. The latter was just a baseball commentator, but entertaining.

Locally in Milwaukee, we only have a handful of people. The newspaper has about 8 reporters. The best TV guy went to Marquette University for a job about 10 years ago. He hosted a presidential debate before vanishing.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

Fame? After Bob Woodward, even this news junky has a hard time naming a few. Bill Plante was on CBS during my whole life. I remember Barbara Walters before she started interviewing Cher. When Nixon went to China, she was the best reporter. I liked Ted Koppel on Nightline.

For sports, I liked Bob Costas and Joe Garagiola. The latter was just a baseball commentator, but entertaining.

Locally in Milwaukee, we only have a handful of people. The newspaper has about 8 reporters. The best TV guy went to Marquette University for a job about 10 years ago. He hosted a presidential debate before vanishing.

Gousha? He hosted Upfront on WISN up until a few years ago and was big time in Marquette's law and public policy department. I also agree that he was awesome. Would watch Upfront every Sunday and then he left and the show turned to shit.

 

[adsfan]

Gousha? He hosted Upfront on WISN up until a few years ago and was big time in Marquette's law and public policy department. I also agree that he was awesome. Would watch Upfront every Sunday and then he left and the show turned to shit.

Yes, Mike Gousha. Yes, that show is a shadow of its former self, kind of like Tim Russert's old show on NBC.
David Gregory was boring and Chuck Todd is even worse. I could ask better questions than he does.

 

[AnalogKid]

We are vacationing in Niagara Falls and in the 10 minutes I have had TSN on the TV, I have seen more preseason hockey coverage than I would on ESPN during the playoffs. A fella could get used to this!

 

[jumb0]

We are vacationing in Niagara Falls and in the 10 minutes I have had TSN on the TV, I have seen more preseason hockey coverage than I would on ESPN during the playoffs. A fella could get used to this!

It's almost as if hockey is infinitely a bigger deal in Canada than in the US

 

[LCPreds]

Can the Predators Win Back Their Disillusioned Fan Base?

The team’s roster looks better than it did a few months ago, thanks to some savvy offseason moves

www.nashvillescene.com

Who exactly represents the disillusioned fan base here? The bandwagon that hopped on board about 5 years ago?

 

[101st_fan]

Can the Predators Win Back Their Disillusioned Fan Base?

The team’s roster looks better than it did a few months ago, thanks to some savvy offseason moves

www.nashvillescene.com

Who exactly represents the disillusioned fan base here? The bandwagon that hopped on board about 5 years ago?

Vingan once again demonstrating he has no damned clue.

It has the writing style of a 7th grader using every cliche possible to sound enlightened. "Nevertheless, the Predators persist ..." is a feminist bumpersticker and t-shirt rip off.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Can the Predators Win Back Their Disillusioned Fan Base?

The team’s roster looks better than it did a few months ago, thanks to some savvy offseason moves

www.nashvillescene.com

Who exactly represents the disillusioned fan base here? The bandwagon that hopped on board about 5 years ago?

Vingan, writing like he lives in New York or Toronto. In a Nashville publication, littered with "Subscribe Now" links... um, no thanks?

 

[David Singleton]

Adam offers a lot of opinions that are unpopular to many on this board. Nothing wrong with that in general. He has his fans too, although perhaps not on this board, lol, and there's nothing wrong with that either.

I can't speak overmuch regarding his knowledge of hockey systems, mainly because he doesn't write columns with opinions based upon that knowledge. Adam has repeatedly stated that his drive is based upon knowledge he gleans from analytics. That's his passion. A high percentage of his work is rooted to that- even if he's not consciously doing it.

For example, being a credentialed member of the media by the Predators (at least while he was with The Athletic, and he may still be), he had access to coaches and players after each and every game; access to press conferences (in-person or remote); etc. That access allowed him to pass along some of that information. That said, being a human being (and one that formulates opinions as well as straight reporting), what is passed along is influenced by his opinions formed during those conversations (body language and words) combined with his other "data points". There's nothing wrong with that necessarily, but it does put the onus on the reader to read his opinions (and any other opinions from "media" or others (i.e., "social media") with some thought given to the how-and-why those opinions were formed.

Sports columnists largely have to bring enough value (i.e., readers) to their employer to warrant keeping them (or a replacement) in their position. I would hazard a guess that it's been hard to keep a dedicated beat writer for the Predators due to some combination of not enough readers overall (willing to pay now that everything is behind a paywall) or not finding the right writer that provides the output that brings in enough readers to meet their employer's threshold. For example, media personalities that focus on delivering "hot-takes" are popular right now because they draw a response- and a passionate one whether it's in agreement or disagreement of the take.

As for "Disillusioned Fanbase" column, I didn't have too much of an issue with it. Every year, The Athletic takes a survey of their readers that speak directly to that question. While I can't find the results from this year (and I swear I remember reading them), here is the summary of results from past years. The results I remember pretty well support (and I believe that Adam quoted them in his new article, now that I think of it) his rationale behind the article.

Combine that with the tone of the end-of-season press conference, talk radio, national media perspective, it's easy to understand the basis for the article.

A last point regarding Adam, I also get the impression that he wants the Predators to rebuild (which is not the same thing as saying he wants them to fail). He wants them to take his advice. It's been his (and others in the analytics community like Dom on the The Athletic) that the clear and best way forward is to start a rebuild- so it should stand to reason, right? These are human beings and they want to be right. It's natural. They put all this effort into proving their point and it's not being followed. I get it. It's a hard trap to not fall into and I know I fell into it repeatedly in the short period I wrote.

Finally, lacking much in the way of dedicated beat writers, your best options might be the local bloggers/Twitter. Many appear to still be credentialed with the Predators as well. Early on, they were the only option (Dirk at the Forechecker, Buddy at Preds on the Glass, Amanda, etc.) and the lifeblood. The Predators recognized their importance and credentialed them. They are still doing a good job provided one understands that they have their own drivers as well- and more freedom to follow those passions.

 

[Flgatorguy87]

If Preds hockey beat writer is such an in demand job, why don't we have one from our group do it?

 

[Armourboy]

If Preds hockey beat writer is such an in demand job, why don't we have one from our group do it?

Because I'd make an editor lose his shit tbh.

Vingan's issue has always been that he says a whole lot of nothing. Looking at analytics is great, but knowing what you see on the ice is a whole different thing, and I can tell you from his input at times on 102.5 the man doesn't know what he is looking at.

I get the feeling in general with media these days is that is a major problem, they really don't know what they are looking at. They stat watch, or analytics watch, but as we have shown around here many times those numbers are only as good as their context and I get a stong feeling that guys like Vingan are horrible at the context part.

 

[Predsanddead24]

I think the problem is that the people who are capable of giving good breakdowns of plays go into video broadcasting or to work for the teams. The money just isn't there in written journalism which is why you don't get great people in those roles let alone for a team with a small market like ours.

Also it might just be a symptom of what media is available out there but I think there really might just be more interest in analytics based content than more traditional x's and o's content. Companies like the Athletic make their decisions based on clicks so you'd have to think the analytics articles get more of them given how they seem to be the main thing they post nowadays.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Thoughts on Alex Daugherty and AZSports

 

[nine_inch_fang]

If Preds hockey beat writer is such an in demand job, why don't we have one from our group do it?

Most people in this group probably already have a life that can't just be shifted to the "beat writter" life style and/or income. I have no idea what their income would look like. Not mention having the ability to "write" articles.

Thoughts on Alex Daugherty and AZSports

I'd be willing to circle back around and at least look at their stuff but a huge issue for what I'd like to see is thise guys are "embedded" with the team the way other journalists are.

 

[ShagDaddy]

I'd be willing to circle back around and at least look at their stuff but a huge issue for what I'd like to see is thise guys are "embedded" with the team the way other journalists are.

I’d love to see an embedded reporter too. Unfortunately I think an embedded reporter would be in the same vein as Willie and Chris Mason always saying how great things are. Although at this point if we we’re getting ANY kind of daily reports on practice and things going on in the locker room, I’d take it.

 

[nine_inch_fang]

I’d love to see an embedded reporter too. Unfortunately I think an embedded reporter would be in the same vein as Willie and Chris Mason always saying how great things are. Although at this point if we we’re getting ANY kind of daily reports on practice and things going on in the locker room, I’d take it

Beat writers used to travel with the team and there were certain etiquette amd expectations of discretion toward what was seen and heard when utilizing team transportation or off the record interactions but that still gives that person the ability to see beyond the games and team press releases.

I'm not talking about some ball busting "hot take" jackass but someone that has a symbiotic relationship with the fans and the team. They'd ask the tough questions that the fans want answer to but still understand they want and need the respect and trust of the team to have behind the scenes access.

 

[triggrman]

Thoughts on Alex Daugherty and AZSports

He seems to be the better source for us. I think he actually understands the game. Id take him over Gallagher, Vingan or any of the podcast guys.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

If Preds hockey beat writer is such an in demand job, why don't we have one from our group do it?

Well, any of us could start a podcast or become a "twitter journalist" if we wanted to or had the time to, but I don't think that would solve anything. For however many years I've been reading here, I haven't found anybody I think is significantly better than all the media we decry in terms of understanding the game or avoiding hot takes or biases. Everybody here has their biases and blind spots too. Maybe there was one person here who could have done it, but sadly he is not with us anymore.

And it's too small a market to just have a guy who can work purely for the fans (and his newspaper/TV station boss) and not worry about pissing off the Preds front office by asking the tougher questions or digging hard for more info when he runs into a wall.

I suspect we have what we have simply because that's the natural outcome for our market/team/management mix relative to the modern sports media environment in the country in general. It happened this way organically, there isn't any other way that was going to end up better/different. I feel like I've been fully resigned to it for many years already, it doesn't even really bother me at all. So if I read an article where I don't agree with the premise or the tone, well, I may make a negative comment about it, but it's kind of just like responding to somebody's opinion here that I don't agree with. It's not really that I'm asking for or expecting anything to change. If change was really a viable option, it would have already happened by now.

 

[ShagDaddy]

Here’s my problem with local media (radio and TV). The radio stations can manage to come up with 12 to 16 hours of material to talk about the Titans and the NFL. The hosts can talk ad nauseum about NFL players, even the ones who n other teams practice squads. They discuss some of the most obscure details about the Titans and the NFL to fill time. They even go into detail about other teams in the Titans division and their upcoming opponents. Only one radio station that I have found will dedicate about 10-15 percent of their time talking about the Predators and they claim to be “The Flagship” of the Predators. The hosts have very little knowledge of hockey, know next to nothing about other teams in the NHL and a complete lack of knowledge when it comes to the NHL as a whole. The local media just refuses to ignore the biggest drawing professional sports team in the city. The same can be said about the TV stations.

I’m almost to the point of paying for Sirius radio just to have access to the NHL network station.

 

[triggrman]

And even the guys that do cover have yet to actually learn the sport. When Adam Vingan is the bar…..

 

[Viqsi]

I think the problem is that the people who are capable of giving good breakdowns of plays go into video broadcasting or to work for the teams. The money just isn't there in written journalism which is why you don't get great people in those roles let alone for a team with a small market like ours.

Also it might just be a symptom of what media is available out there but I think there really might just be more interest in analytics based content than more traditional x's and o's content. Companies like the Athletic make their decisions based on clicks so you'd have to think the analytics articles get more of them given how they seem to be the main thing they post nowadays.

I would point out that it costs less to have one guy develop a model and report on it (and maybe a handful of other guys to add some spice to the reports here and there) than it does to pay 32 beat writers.

 

[AnalogKid]

Vacationing in Toronto and couldn't watch the game anywhere up here! Evidently NHL Network charges bars $8000 for the season and they all said screw that, why pay that much for only a handful of games. Don't blame them but still sucks for the average fan.

.....wouldn't have mattered anyhow, I was told all TV's would have turned to the Blue Jays playoff game at 4 anyway.

 

[Porter Stoutheart]

Vacationing in Toronto and couldn't watch the game anywhere up here! Evidently NHL Network charges bars $8000 for the season and they all said screw that, why pay that much for only a handful of games. Don't blame them but still sucks for the average fan.

.....wouldn't have mattered anyhow, I was told all TV's would have turned to the Blue Jays playoff game at 4 anyway.

If you read the main boards griping about Sportsnet NOW, you might see that it's actually on a free preview right now. So you should be able to create an account for free and stream it for free from Toronto? Or maybe ask in one of those threads?

 

[ShagDaddy]

Here is a nice little rah rah article from Gentry Estes is the Tennessean on Sherwood.