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WMUlaxer97 Offline
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Post: #1
Media coverage
This is a topic that I had posted to the WMU group and would appreciate input from the CMU & EMU fanbases. This is from my original thread and the response follows:

(07-30-2017 12:46 AM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:
The reality of the business is that print newspapers are dying, their online editions are carrying the burden and also suffering. Large sports media outlets are also hemorrhaging business and laying off quality writers. I gave up on local TV stations to deliver quality coverage, even in my local market, Detroit, every story is condensed into 30 seconds to a minute at the most.

I recently learned of a website, theathletic.com, that is charging a fee of $40 annually for local sports content. No ads, banners, links to other sites, in fact it took a bit of effort to find an email address. Just sports journalism for Chicago, Detroit, Toronto & Cleveland, thus far. They cover all 4 Detroit Majors + UofM & MSU. I have not subscribed but decided to write to them requesting additional coverage for MAC & Horizon league. The following is from that email to: support@theathletic.com. If you feel compelled to do so I would encourage others to do the same. Maybe we can convince this company to do something that nobody but maybe the BC Enq is willing to do. Or you can continue to complain on this BBS which nobody else will ever see.


To The Athletic,

The quality of sports coverage and journalism has decreased in recent years and continues to do so. Detroit sports and the major in-state universities (MSU & UofM) will never lose coverage as the demand for that is never waning. But the smaller schools are badly affected by this trend. We as fans realize that there is a move toward a la carte coverage, mainly through writers posting on social media, websites, blogs, etc. The reasons for such due to the evolving business is apparent.

We recognize a need still for a centralized source of information. Many of my fellow alums are dissatisfied with the local coverage that our teams at Western Michigan University are getting in print, online and via television stations in and around the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Grand Rapids area. Despite the fact this is a top 50 media market it has continued to be neglected. I'm sure that the other alums of MAC and Horizon league teams from the state of Michigan feel the same way. I would recommend that you assign a journalist to cover these conferences that have large followings and have had recent successes in several sports.

I will reach out to these fan bases so that you can better gauge the demand since this may be a difficult request for your company to fulfill. Hopefully you will get adequate feedback and expand coverage in the state of Michigan.


Sincerely,

Response from The Athletic:

Alex Mather (The Athletic)
Jul 30, 22:59 PDT
Thanks for the note, we do plan on assigning some folks to some of the smaller schools this fall. Would love more input as it comes in to you.

Alex
Alex Mather
08-05-2017 11:43 PM
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Ken Barna Offline
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Post: #2
RE: Media coverage
Dear WMUlaxer97,
Over twenty-five years ago, a group of journalists started a newspaper called the MAC Bulletin. It was devoted to covering all MAC sports, and was nice to read about the MAC and what was going on with it. I subscribed immediately, and it was published for about two years as a weekly paper. It then went out of business, because they couldn't get enough subscribers. My point being, here was a bulletin devoted to MAC fans and there was little interest. Unfortunately that is the way it will always be. I remember a report on U-M's football crowds a few years ago that stated of the 100,000 fans at their games, only 35,000 were actual alums. In order to have any fan base your team must win most of the time, and then you will draw the others to your stadium that have not been affiliated with your university.
A footnote to the MAC Bulletin. When they crashed, they begged for someone to pick up the publication, and of course there were no takers.
08-07-2017 10:39 AM
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TheWoodenNickle Offline
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Post: #3
RE: Media coverage
(08-05-2017 11:43 PM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:  This is a topic that I had posted to the WMU group and would appreciate input from the CMU & EMU fanbases. This is from my original thread and the response follows:

(07-30-2017 12:46 AM)WMUlaxer97 Wrote:
The reality of the business is that print newspapers are dying, their online editions are carrying the burden and also suffering. Large sports media outlets are also hemorrhaging business and laying off quality writers. I gave up on local TV stations to deliver quality coverage, even in my local market, Detroit, every story is condensed into 30 seconds to a minute at the most.

I recently learned of a website, theathletic.com, that is charging a fee of $40 annually for local sports content. No ads, banners, links to other sites, in fact it took a bit of effort to find an email address. Just sports journalism for Chicago, Detroit, Toronto & Cleveland, thus far. They cover all 4 Detroit Majors + UofM & MSU. I have not subscribed but decided to write to them requesting additional coverage for MAC & Horizon league. The following is from that email to: support@theathletic.com. If you feel compelled to do so I would encourage others to do the same. Maybe we can convince this company to do something that nobody but maybe the BC Enq is willing to do. Or you can continue to complain on this BBS which nobody else will ever see.


To The Athletic,

The quality of sports coverage and journalism has decreased in recent years and continues to do so. Detroit sports and the major in-state universities (MSU & UofM) will never lose coverage as the demand for that is never waning. But the smaller schools are badly affected by this trend. We as fans realize that there is a move toward a la carte coverage, mainly through writers posting on social media, websites, blogs, etc. The reasons for such due to the evolving business is apparent.

We recognize a need still for a centralized source of information. Many of my fellow alums are dissatisfied with the local coverage that our teams at Western Michigan University are getting in print, online and via television stations in and around the Kalamazoo-Battle Creek-Grand Rapids area. Despite the fact this is a top 50 media market it has continued to be neglected. I'm sure that the other alums of MAC and Horizon league teams from the state of Michigan feel the same way. I would recommend that you assign a journalist to cover these conferences that have large followings and have had recent successes in several sports.

I will reach out to these fan bases so that you can better gauge the demand since this may be a difficult request for your company to fulfill. Hopefully you will get adequate feedback and expand coverage in the state of Michigan.


Sincerely,

Response from The Athletic:

Alex Mather (The Athletic)
Jul 30, 22:59 PDT
Thanks for the note, we do plan on assigning some folks to some of the smaller schools this fall. Would love more input as it comes in to you.

Alex
Alex Mather
Welcome to the world of MDead. We've not had regular coverage from them in years. For a brief time there was a guy covering EMU but he took a bigger job and was not replaced. MDead seems to only covers the non-B10 schools if there's a reporter willing to do it (my assumption is they get paid peanuts). The only thing they are concerned with is clicks and comments. They do not provide a service to their entire readership and in my opinion they are not a legitimate media outlet. In the rare occasion they do cover EMU they don't tell us fans anything we don't already know. Zero insight.

They also suck at covering HS sports.

It's a great opportunity for someone to start a publication that covers all MI colleges with each D1 school having their own beat reporter.
08-07-2017 11:30 AM
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emu steve Offline
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Post: #4
RE: Media coverage
I read this thread quickly and sorry if I make mistakes:

The Athletic is an online pay media site designed to give the readers more (and different) info than is available free from regular sources (e.g., Detnews, Freep, ESPN, etc.).

I don't believe it will simply repeat what one can read for free elsewhere.

I believe it will doing more stuff on say the Tigers' minor league teams and players. Maybe more coverage of the MAC, Horizon, GLIAC, etc.

If a media source is going to succeed it must distinguish itself; it needs to have its own niche. I think they know that...

That said, there isn't a niche big enough of simply MAC fans or Horizon or GLIAC fans, etc. They need their own niche 52 x 7.
(This post was last modified: 08-07-2017 12:03 PM by emu steve.)
08-07-2017 12:00 PM
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EagleTough Offline
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Post: #5
RE: Media coverage
Pathetically, this board is the best info you'll find about EMU football, including EMU itself.
08-07-2017 02:22 PM
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TheWoodenNickle Offline
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Post: #6
RE: Media coverage
(08-07-2017 02:22 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  Pathetically, this board is the best info you'll find about EMU football, including EMU itself.
Even more pathetic is that "reporters" have gotten stories from this board to write about. I don't recall the subject but that has happened before.
08-07-2017 02:45 PM
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emu steve Offline
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Post: #7
RE: Media coverage
(08-07-2017 02:22 PM)EagleTough Wrote:  Pathetically, this board is the best info you'll find about EMU football, including EMU itself.

That is true.

We can read the EMUEagles website as well as a reporter and we all seem to be able to dig up information be it from the Internet, sources, etc.

The days when reporters hung out in the press box, traveled with the team, etc. to glean whatever they could is gone (at EMU).
08-07-2017 02:56 PM
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