Sports Media Spotlight: Pandemic forces reporters to work harder than ever to tell unique stories
Penn State football returns this month (as long as everyone remains healthy) and members of the media contingent covering the team might have to work harder than ever to prove their relevance and value.
That’s because not much separates the media from fans at this point.
It’s not about how they do their jobs, but how they’re able to do their jobs. Read that again. It’s not that media members act like fans (OK, some do). Instead, it’s that they’re often unable to get more than superficial access to those they’re covering.
Access — always a point of contention for media members in any situation — has been much more limited since the coronavirus pandemic started and it will remain that way throughout the season and beyond.
Doing their jobs and doing so profitably was already challenge for many outlets because of the changing media landscape.
Because of the limited access, this season could eliminate the difference between fans and the media like none other before. Most media members will be watching games on TV, just like the fans.
Those traveling to away games will be limited by the number of media credentials available (perhaps as few as a half dozen for anyone not affiliated with Penn State itself for the first game at Indiana) and there will not be a packed press box at Beaver Stadium.
Maybe that will help media members because they’ll hear and see what fans are seeing at the same time and they’ll potentially be able to provide appropriate context. Also, they might get away from group think that can happen in a press box or media room after a game.
Interest in Penn State football remains high, perhaps higher than ever. That’s why new online outlets covering the program have popped up and an already large media contingent has gotten even bigger.
So, those who can be creative, cultivate sources and find ways to generate stories of interest can really separate themselves from the crowd. Those who cannot might seem like nothing more than fans lucky enough to have regular meetings with the coach.
College critiques
It’s been hard to get invested in college football without a strong rooting interest during the first few weeks of the season, but four things have stood out so far.
First, ESPN’s “College GameDay,” often the best studio show in all of sports, largely because it’s on location every week, has suffered greatly because of the lack of fans on site. There’s just not much energy, despite the talent of those on set and despite the adaptations of the production team.
It just does not feel like the appointment viewing it has been throughout its decades-long run as the show of record for college football. Because of that, the gap in ratings and viewership between “GameDay” and Fox’s “Big Noon Kickoff,” might continue to decline a bit this season.
When the Big Ten gets back to action, the presence of its games probably benefits Fox more so than ESPN — especially with the ability to make the pregame show lead-in programming to a midday game.
Ironically and related, this might be the year that fans do not complain about noon games for the Nittany Lions as much. Perhaps any games are better than none at all at this point.
OK, second, play-by-play man Joe Tessitore is much better on college football than he was on “Monday Night Football.” His energy and enthusiasm just seem to fit better in the college game.
Third, Mike Golic, who got bounced from ESPN Radio, has found a spot as a game analyst on college football and his games, whether in person eventually or from a studio in the current setup, seem destined to provide a different vibe. He’s informative but relaxed, collegial and entertaining. He might not move to the network’s top teams, but the games he works will be done well.
Finally, sideline reporter Quint Kessenich has either been put in the worst possible position by his producers or he’s just silly. He worked two Pitt games on the ACC Network early in the season and both times, in an empty stadium — that’s one with no fans and nobody within 10 yards of him at all times — he was wearing a mask while completing his on-air reports.
It was just silly. And the ACC Network’s approach was inconsistent with that of its sister networks: ABC (which has “MNF”) and ESPN (with its variety of other college games). Reporters on many of those games were in stadium and without a mask. All of the inconsistency sends a mixed message that’s further complicated by the politics of perception and political correctness.
Franklin Fridays
Well, we must be back in a somewhat regular routine for college football because we already have complaints (they’d call it context) and gamesmanship from coaches.
For example, Penn State coach James Franklin was asked about the possibility of Penn State playing at Indiana on the first Friday of the season later this month. It’s an option that had been speculated about and remained undetermined as this column was being written.
Franklin dutifully complained that if his team were starting on a Friday (a day earlier than other teams), it should’ve had a head start on preparation. But if the schedule was undecided, then both Penn State and its opponent, Indiana in this instance, were in a similar situation with the same amount of time to prepare. There was no advantage or disadvantage.
Still, coaches just cannot help themselves sometimes — and media members, perhaps accustomed to the silliness, never really point it out.
Plentiful PPVs
Last month’s pay-per-view event for the Nittany Lion Wrestling Club, offered through Rofkin, probably represents the future of access for some sports.
That access already exists successfully with FloRacing and FloWrestling, for example, and numerous other events and sports offer one-off opportunities and subscriptions.
Watching things that way can be a cost-effective option for some fans, and with technology improving almost daily the quality of what gets delivered has improved as well. Plus, almost every team and athletic program seems to have personnel capable of producing such content.
Tuner tidbits
Probably the biggest media miss in the past month has been any kind of context in regard to attendance at sporting events in Pennsylvania. While the focus in recent weeks was on high school football, ranging from small numbers (250 people for an outdoor event) to school-imposed numbers (a specific percentage of capacity), nobody seems to have been looking at things like auto racing. Well, maybe they have been looking but nobody cares. There have been commentaries and editorials across the state regarding facilities like Lincoln Speedway in Adams County, Selinsgrove Speedway in Snyder County and others. At the same time, government’s focus or messaging about those places has been haphazard and inconsistent. It’s just interesting that while some fret about how many people can attend high school events in Centre County, there were 30,000-plus fans at a race in Juniata County last month.
Along with WHVL-TV’s weekly high school football game (it’s scheduled to be Cumberland Valley at State High on Oct. 9), every Centre County program seems to have a way for games to be accessed or streamed on social media. That’s a testament to dedicated boosters and student producers as well as an abundance of easy-to-use technology. It’s great that fans can get access in that way. Oh, future WHVL matchups include: Philipsburg-Osceola at Tyrone on Oct. 16 and Clearfield at BEA on Oct. 23.
Just like those high school programs (but on a much bigger level), Penn State has invested in ways to tell its story online and on social media. In fact, the sports production team for the university’s athletic department will grow by about a half dozen people in the near future as some members of the award-winning team at WPSU-TV migrate the athletic department. In the wake of recent salary reductions across the department and financial challenges because of the pandemic, it’s an interesting move.
Kudos to all in the Big Ten and at member schools who consistently stay on message about the return of the college football season as mostly a matter of student opportunity and finding safe ways to proceed. OK, those things were part of it but was mostly about the money from the conference’s TV partners. How refreshing would it be if someone were just forthright about that?
Finally, belated kudos to NFL play-by-play man Joe Buck, who was notified on air during the first week of the season that he would be honored in the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It’s a deserved honor.