The unofficial online home for fans of the UAB Blazers. Part of Collegiate Sports Nation (CSN).

So now al.com is just going to run press releases written by those being covered as news stories? Now that's some fine journalism...

News media often simply run press releases on subjects they don't consider important.

I'm afraid he is right. Win games and put butts in the seats and we will get better coverage. Hard to argue for better coverage with poor attendance and people not clicking the articles they do out up and commenting.

Does not matter if you think it's fair or not "hits" on articles are a big way they judge if anyone is reading. Not something I made up. It came from a Snews employee.

Crenshaw is our beat writer but our days with great coverage are done. UAB has been relegated into the category of "other stuff" such as Barons Baseball, Samford, BSC, and Miles Athletics, and raccoons eating Dorritoes out of your hand in a city park.

FWIW The Snews wanted this to happen when Drew took over but he fought to keep UAB his main focus. You can thank Drew for our great coverage lately. Now kiss it goodbye.

Sounds like time for UABSports.com Irvine's role/contribution to increase...

Well one thing that keeps fighting us is posters and fans yelling about how the news doesn't cover UAB. When it does they don't click on the comments to reply or tell other posters don't waste their time replying.
I see the same people replying to UAB articles, and you can make whatever smart arse reply you want about them but at least they are commenting.
Winning and proper leadership solves these issues.

Exactly.

I treat it as an indication that al.com's resources & funds are severely limited, therefore get rid of covering stuff that isn't in the majority.

By doing so, it doesn't mean that al.com will start getting all kinds of funding as a result though.

You can click on articles all day & comment until the cows come home, it doesn't mean that what they are providing online is valuable to anything that makes a difference.

I suspect within the next year or two they will become a paid subscription site & guess what? All of the bammers & barners will have to pay to get their normal fix of "information".

A vast majority of the stuff that is placed on that site doesn't amount to jack squat.

You can tell that the "authors" and I use that term very loosely, are getting paid to get hit counts. Quality doesn't really matter.

Yes, we will field a team in football this coming year as well as basketball.

Coverage by al.com or lack of coverage will not change my opinion of them one bit.

They don't get paid by the hit counts. They draw a salary like the rest of us.

Still have to bring in the advertisers & advertisers like to see the hit counts & comments, even as ridiculous as they are.

Sure. You want to please your advertisers. They have to judge how well something is read. I agree that the writing is pretty bad these says.

If only there was a site dedicated to UAB coverage, run independently of the athletic department or a for-profit news company, that featured articles, videos, interviews, recaps, etc.

It would have to be funded by donors and supporters directly though...probably not enough advertising money to keep it afloat at first.

Ehh...who am I kidding? Something that like would never work.

Hasn't yet.

(06-01-2014 04:20 PM)Memphis Blazer Wrote:  Hasn't yet.

My point exactly.

It sucks, I miss real journalism. Which of course was under attack long before AL.com

The NEWS and AL.com have never had UAB sports as a major byline on their on-line sports page to click on. They had UA, AU, High school and others listed across the top of the page, but never UAB. Understandable for the Tuscaloosa NEWS or the Opelika NEWS, but for the B'HAM NEWS?