Interesting career change by friend/colleague Jeff White

Was that ever the case?

 

Congrats to Jeff and also to the university.

Love proactive thinking... something that, sadly, is pretty much a thing of the past in our industry.

 

Yes, very much so.

 

I suspect some of the media relations departments, especially ones at mid-major schools like I do, just copy what their beat writers do with their blogs, etc., and other ideas and do the same things themselves.

 

Good for JW. Possibly a better job, probably with better benefits, in a university town that's regular rated as a top-10 place to live, and he should be able to have a non-adversarial relationship with the people he "covers," which isn't always the case in a beat capacity.

Microville Tech, are you listening/watching/ready to emulate?

 

Many good points here, and I would like to add another one: this gives the university a level of control it doesn't with an independent publication.

If you're having issues with one of your athletic teams (such as players breaking the law), the university can control its writer, and what he/she presents to the public.

 

The Big 12 was mentioned earlier: The former Texas beat writer in San Antonio is now a writer for the university's Web site.

 

Is B.G. to Colorado at done deal? I'd heard that rumor recently, but is it a lock-solid fact now?

 

What do you mean by that?

 

Putting good coverage ideas out there, then seeing the department decide to do the same thing and pimp it up like they invented it. I guess everyone blogs and twitters now, but for a scrimmage, I posted live blog software for readers to see (again, we're not talking BCS school here with 15,000 at a scrimmage), and when I get there, voila, they've used the exact same software.

I could go on.

 

departments sure as shit are copying media entities out there in coverage. I know of an instance where a media member approached said university with a story and video idea, they told him no to it (access and what not was an issue), and 3 weeks later, the university did that exact report with video on its AD Web site!!