The Future of Media in Sports

[17to85]

17 hours ago, DR. CFL said:

If you want a cheerleader hire one, the expectation that media are, or should be fans is ludicrous. I want objective reporting and editorial opinions from the media. Not propaganda designed to help sell a product. Any way you sclice that it is advertisement. Tait was good at the FP but why do I want to read him now?

Because he's still a better writer than any of the newspaper folks with more insight into the game and what fans actually want to read about? Being negative about the team doesn't make someone more objective, it just makes them negative and right now there are several reporters in winnipeg who only care to talk an endless stream of **** about things. bitter old men upset that their medium is dying and they are irrelevant in the internet age. 

[Mark F]

 Even after joining the team staff, Ed has  not hesitated to write about problems with the Bombers as well as the more postive side of things.

Which, since he works for them, makes him even more credible, and worthwhile.

In addition to which, he's a very good writer stylistically; He's a national level writer.

Pretty sure someone mentioned here that traffic to the Bomber site increased a great deal after Ed started there. Great move by the team.

 

Edited January 4, 2017 by Mark F
bad grammar, horrible sentences.....

[Mark F]

The group that I find hard to follow to are the radio talk show people. Getting worse by the month. It's Like listening to unfunny standup comedy much of the time. Canada, and the USA.  Don't care what Joe talkshow thinks about the new starwars movie.

[MOBomberFan]

12 hours ago, Goalie said:

If I'm Wiecek and Friesen and these guys. I think very long and hard next time I decide to crap on teams or coaches cuz in a couple of years when I'm unemployed because print media is dead.... you will have pissed the people you could be working for off.  

They could band together as a food critic duo. They could call the column "Sour Grapes and Stinky Cheese" or "Winnipeg's Top 20 Restaurants to be Banned From in 2017"

Edited January 4, 2017 by MOBomberFan
#14 Will Shock You!

[WBBFanWest]

11 hours ago, M.O.A.B. said:

Wiecek and Friesen should move to Toronto to write about the Argos. They (Argos) could use any help in publicity...even the negative ones.

Not likely going to happen because one of the goals of a writer is to be read.  Go to TO and write about the Argos means that Bluto and the other guy might read your article, but that's about it.  At least Friesen and Wiecek know that they're going to be read here, even if it's just so we can point out their negativity. 

[JuranBoldenRules]

The problem for sports media in this town boils down to the difference between reporting and journalism.  Lawless, Tait, Penton are all great reporters.  Even Wiecek in the sports he's really into, curling and horse racing.  He's been brutal on other beats.  When Lawless got bumped up to the columnist role (journalism) he had to make everything fit a predetermined narrative, regardless of what happened or what a coach I player might say. Still a hell of a reporter, not interesting or really in tune enough to be a great columnist.

 We don't have any columnists who are good at being journalists.  We have reporters.  They need to stick to what they do well.  The best thing a guy like Lawless does is break news.  His opinions are boring.  Wiecek's opinions are even worse.  They are entitled and self-centered.  I can't recall a column of his where he doesn't make some kind of "woe is me" reference.  Horrible.  You can't suck at your job and complain about how much you suck at your job looking for sympathy.  Nobody wants to read that.

[Tracker]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

The problem for sports media in this town boils down to the difference between reporting and journalism.  Lawless, Tait, Penton are all great reporters.  Even Wiecek in the sports he's really into, curling and horse racing.  He's been brutal on other beats.  When Lawless got bumped up to the columnist role (journalism) he had to make everything fit a predetermined narrative, regardless of what happened or what a coach I player might say. Still a hell of a reporter, not interesting or really in tune enough to be a great columnist.

 We don't have any columnists who are good at being journalists.  We have reporters.  They need to stick to what they do well.  The best thing a guy like Lawless does is break news.  His opinions are boring.  Wiecek's opinions are even worse.  They are entitled and self-centered.  I can't recall a column of his where he doesn't make some kind of "woe is me" reference.  Horrible.  You can't suck at your job and complain about how much you suck at your job looking for sympathy.  Nobody wants to read that.

Speak for yourself. I enjoy wallowing in schadenfreude.

[Noeller]

1 hour ago, JuranBoldenRules said:

The problem for sports media in this town boils down to the difference between reporting and journalism.  Lawless, Tait, Penton are all great reporters.  Even Wiecek in the sports he's really into, curling and horse racing.  He's been brutal on other beats.  When Lawless got bumped up to the columnist role (journalism) he had to make everything fit a predetermined narrative, regardless of what happened or what a coach I player might say. Still a hell of a reporter, not interesting or really in tune enough to be a great columnist.

 We don't have any columnists who are good at being journalists.  We have reporters.  They need to stick to what they do well.  The best thing a guy like Lawless does is break news.  His opinions are boring.  Wiecek's opinions are even worse.  They are entitled and self-centered.  I can't recall a column of his where he doesn't make some kind of "woe is me" reference.  Horrible.  You can't suck at your job and complain about how much you suck at your job looking for sympathy.  Nobody wants to read that.

While I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your over-arching theme, it's important to note that reporting is still journalism........Journalism encompasses reporting and opinion pieces. 

[Atomic]

Sports reporting is a hobby, not a career.

[SpeedFlex27]

On ‎1‎/‎4‎/‎2017 at 1:26 PM, Noeller said:

While I'm not necessarily disagreeing with your over-arching theme, it's important to note that reporting is still journalism........Journalism encompasses reporting and opinion pieces. 

Any of the great Canadian modern era journalists have been laid off or forced to retire the past decade. I don't even read newspapers anymore.

[Eternal optimist]

The evolution of the internet has exponentially increased the amount of half-truths, misinformation and spin-doctoring in all facets of news outlets today. Look no further than the recent election to the south for a prime example of the devastating effects of a confused and misinformed public at large.

[17to85]

13 hours ago, Eternal optimist said:

The evolution of the internet has exponentially increased the amount of half-truths, misinformation and spin-doctoring in all facets of news outlets today. Look no further than the recent election to the south for a prime example of the devastating effects of a confused and misinformed public at large.

It's not that they were confused and misinformed, they were angry and feeling abandoned, always a dangerous mix for voters cause they're likely in that situation to go and do something stupid. 

[Noeller]

NOt to further derail this thread, but they were absolutely drastically misinformed on a lot of issues, because they were believing all the Facebook bullshit. People are so quick to believe things they see trending on their FB feed. A *LOT* of American voters got caught up in that nonsense.

[JohnnyOnTheSpot]

In the 80's John Ferguson yelled so much that they had his booth glassed off. All I remember the reporters saying about it then was that the language was blue and kids could hear it.

[TrueBlue]

On 1/2/2017 at 8:26 PM, Rich said:

Interesting article from Wiecek today.

http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/what-do-you-call-a-press-box-without-press-409363355.html

For those that can't get behind the paywall, apparently Chipman's box is within ear shot (in the middle) of the press box and he shouted something negative about the team during a game which one of the papers printed.

The next game, all print-media were banished to the edges of the press box.  Wiecek says Chipman feels anything overheard in the press box during the game should be off the record and their banishment is retaliation.

Who goes on to give other example from the NHL to NFL where media who don't promote the teams message are being punished by those teams in various ways including having their credentials revoked.

He talks about the trend of Sports teams hiring media in house to produce their own content and takes a shot at Ed Tait.

He has concern that eventually media that don't tow the company line will be blacklisted from the clubs they cover.

It is an interesting discussion.  One of the reasons I wanted to open this website is I thought it was important to have a strong alternative to the official forum that is "controlled" by the club.  Which is the very argument Wiecek makes.

On the other hand, the world has changed drastically in the last 20 years.  Where sports teams once NEEDED and relied on the media to reach their fans, the internet and social media has opened an avenue where they can reach their fans directly without the middle man.

With the recent departure of Kirk Penton from the Sun being the latest example, the writing is on the wall that print media's death is coming faster and faster each day (can you really blame Tait for leaving?). 

I know I rarely read any news print anymore and when I do I find it stale (it is information I typically already know from social media) and uninspiring

Curious what peoples thoughts are on this.  Does Wiecek have a valid point here or is it sour grapes on him being sent to the corner?  

If current trends continue, and the only people reporting on sports teams news (Bombers or Jets), are team employees (official website) and official broadcast partners (conflict of interest), are we as fans going to be missing any hard hitting revelations that the current media provide or used to provide?  

Is this simply a reflection of the evolution of the world and the media at large?  Can the average fans through social media and bloggers replace the hard questions the media were once able to ask?

 

Just chiming in here, but but how do we even know that it was negative, when we don't even know what was said?  The article doesn't say what Chipman said was derogatory in any way.  We are only assuming it was since it does go on to state that Chipman has been " vocal with his disappointment during games over the years", so we are all assuming it was negative, thus also buying into exactly what Wiecek is selling. 

[FrostyWinnipeg]

WBB also shuffled the media off to the corner.

I know some dont want to upset the man who brought the Jets back but meh on that. If Mark Chipman does not want people to hear him then he should not be yelling!