Local sports coverage talk (the Athletic/Local TV/TBN/WGR/Charging Buffalo/LGA, etc)

[MayDay]

Interesting they didn't look in-house for this job. I'm a Sabres fan but I'm assuming being the Bills columnist if the top job there and drives way more traffic than hockey.

I'm not sure this is true. The last time I remember reading a direct comparison of traffic stats, the Buffalo News' Sabres Edge blog was receiving far more hits than the Bills blog, and was in fact the most-visited page on TBN's website.

http://thesportsdaily.com/buffalo-wins/qaa-with-lisa-wilson-the-sports-editor-from-the-buffalo-news/

Q8) I read that Sabres Edge has had over 3 million hits since its inception in 2007. Why do you think the blog has been so successful? Also, do you find it strange that the BillBoard blog, which I’m sure does well because of the love for the Bills, has been behind the hockey blog in terms of hits?

A8) I think Sabres Edge has been successful because John Vogl and Mike Harrington never stop posting breaking news and interesting tidbits that keep readers coming back for more. I think Mark Gaughan, Rodney McKissic and Jay Skurski do the same with the BillBoard blog. I don’t think it’s strange that Sabres Edge has gotten more hits than BillBoard, considering the Sabres have had some success in recent seasons while the Bills have endured a long playoff drought. But it will be interesting to keep track of the numbers if the Bills keep winning.

Interview is from 2011, but I don't think the dynamics of the Buffalo sports market have changed all that much to make the Bills much more popular since then. If anything, interest in the Sabres has increased since the start of the Eichel era.

 

[snowshoes1818]

Would be interesting to see how those figures have changed, but I wouldn't be surprised if the Sabres pages continued to draw more hits. There's a ton of competition for Bills coverage on the NHL side on the national and blog levels. Much less so on the Sabres side. ESPN does a bad job at covering any hockey, much less the Sabres. CBS, NBC, etc. are pretty much out of the game altogether. And DBTB, for instance, isn't large, doesn't offer much in the way of quality, and can't match the access that even Harrington, Vogl, and co. can. (Not that they break stories all that often, but they at least get face time with team players and personnel.)

The potential total market for Bills news is probably larger, but with the stiffer competition, yeah, I wouldn't be surprised if Sabres coverage was 1) more consistent and 2) potentially better for them.

(I can also imagine a very much boom-or-bust cycle around Bills coverage.)

 

[Rasmus CacOlainen]

Good talk with Baker on the instigators yesterday on Eichel, lines, and prospects from WJSS. Quite a good listen if anyone has 1:30 hrs to kill

 

[SackTastic]

Interview is from 2011, but I don't think the dynamics of the Buffalo sports market have changed all that much to make the Bills much more popular since then. If anything, interest in the Sabres has increased since the start of the Eichel era.

The Sabres have been much more drama filled in the last few years than the Bills, Rex Ryan era notwithstanding.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

It is available outside of WNY

 

[Chainshot]

Listening to Botts on WGR from a few days ago and hearing Schopp again unprepared, not knowing who Ukko-Pekka Luukkonen was. Come on. Seriously, at least FAKE that you know who these people are.

 

[26CornerBlitz]

 

[joshjull]

Looking fly

 

[Chainshot]

Wayne swept the leg didn’t he?

 

[truthbluth]

Jesus. Somebody teach Paul how to spell. Or use Microsoft Word. What is he using to type these stories? "Sluff of"?

 

[sabrebuild]

In what seems likely a monthly bump for idiocy...

This morning I caught 5 minutes of Paul Hamilton, who when asked about Reinhart for the last 3 months, chalked up the improvement to Reinhart preparing better and finally going back to the front of the net. At one point saying that Sam had not played in front of the net for the last year and half.

This afternoon as I drive, schopp wants to trade Risto because he is there number 1 for 4 years,,,,, and Risto at 25 minutes is the problem not falk Tennyson gorges beaulieu or Bogo because individually they play less...,

Followed by bulldog wanting to trade ROR because he makes the team slow.

I’ll let myself out.

 

[Jim Bob]

 

[joshjull]

Congrats to Bulldog and his son.

That is one big goalie.

 

[Jim Bob]

Congrats to Bulldog and his son.

That is one big goalie.

That is cool.

And he's only 15yo.

He might get even bigger...

 

[sabrebuild]

I fully support giant goalie son.

However that bastd Paul Hamilton was on again spewing his horrible opinions and it shall not stand.

No Paul, Tyler Myers did not just figure out his game this year, the one time you watched him.

His team is good around him and he is a quality top 4 guy who wasn’t a Norris candidate.

You are incompetent and no matter how many times we hear the story that you tried out for the olympic team in 80’, your currrent opinions will continue to mirror some of the least informed and poorly evaluated thoughts regularly forced down good western new yorkians ears.

Have another hot dog Phil.

Edit: I’m currently fat so fat shaming is within my purview.

 

[stokes84]

I turned on WGR during lunch and it was right after the GM roundtable. Murph had some serious contempt in his voice for having to talk about the Sabres even for a moment. I think he's the worst WGR personality and that's saying a lot.

 

[Dingo44]

I like Tasker a lot more than Donald Jones but that's a no brainer. Always liked him on CBS, plus it's Steve The Man Tasker.

Is it just me, or do they desperately need new microphones for Andrew Peters and usually the other guests? It's constant feedback or something. Or maybe Peters is screaming into his mic. Lots of distortion and it's always bad.

 

[Husko]

I’ve started writing to the top executives of wgr complaining about Hamilton’s unethical antics. He’s by far the worst on that station. Saying risto has regressed each season since his rookie year is just nonsense

 

[sabrebuild]

I’ve started writing to the top executives of wgr complaining about Hamilton’s unethical antics. He’s by far the worst on that station. Saying risto has regressed each season since his rookie year is just nonsense

Pham is what my wiiifffffeeeee would call an old baba, just an angry dottering old woman who thinks no one is worth a damn and contradictory statements have no consequences.

 

[MayDay]

I turned on WGR during lunch and it was right after the GM roundtable. Murph had some serious contempt in his voice for having to talk about the Sabres even for a moment. I think he's the worst WGR personality and that's saying a lot.

I noticed that too! And to be honest I found it startling.

Usually there is a general mutual respect and well-wishing among Bills and Sabres people.

But there was no mistaking the undercurrent of contempt in his voice over having to address the Sabres at all, in a one minute conversation out of his three hour show.

 

[Genny Screamer]

I turned on WGR during lunch and it was right after the GM roundtable. Murph had some serious contempt in his voice for having to talk about the Sabres even for a moment. I think he's the worst WGR personality and that's saying a lot.

Murph is the worst. His jokes are bad. He takes jabs at his co-hosts all the time. Donald Jones was bad because he would just complain about the weather or repeat what was just said. However, when Murph was away you can just feel a sense of relief from Donald especially when he was paired with Sal C. or Ruben Brown.

 

[Chainshot]

I tried. I spent almost 2 hours listening to the afternoon hosts ramble about hockey. Some takeaways:

- They want to get younger and faster by signing an older and slower player.
- Ultra-frail Jeff Skinner, at 26 and 1 year from UFA, is a "young" piece to go get.
- They continue to confirm my belief that they spend no time trying to dig into the sports they cover and it's the equivalent of chatting with people at the water cooler or coffee machine based on the level of their prep and acumen.

My ears are bleeding.

 

[joshjull]

I noticed that too! And to be honest I found it startling.

Usually there is a general mutual respect and well-wishing among Bills and Sabres people.

But there was no mistaking the undercurrent of contempt in his voice over having to address the Sabres at all, in a one minute conversation out of his three hour show.

He’s never really been a hockey fan. He would occasionally through a snarky shot at the NHL when he was working as a local TV sports anchor.

 

[Chainshot]

He’s never really been a hockey fan. He would occasionally through a snarky shot at the NHL when he was working as a local TV sports anchor.

He used to have the WBEN nightly sports talk gig and had to talk it. But that was 30 years ago.

 

[Husko]

It’s a small thing, but does anyone else get fed up with the clear effort by the afternoon hosts to work as little as possible. 5 minute route and recorded intros to every segment. Using the last half hour to replay some stupid interview they had as though it was the most important guest ever. All clearly done in the name of being on air as little as possible. I don’t know why I care, since I hate their show, but I can’t help but let it bother me.