New Cincy coach criticizes Enquirer, others, for not staffing Big East media day

Brian Kelly unhappy with the Enquirer staffing Big East football media day with a stringer:

<blockquote>KELLY CRITICAL OF COVERAGE: First-year Cincinnati coach Brian Kelly created a buzz with an unusual media day debut. Instead of promoting his team and his players, Kelly spent most of his time criticizing Cincinnati print and electronic media outlets for not staffing the event.

Kelly refused to answer questions about his team or his offensive philosophy when asked by the freelancer hired by The Enquirer to cover media day. He also criticized former Bearcats coach Mark Dantonio for not pushing for more media coverage during his tenure from 2004-06.

"Mark, if he had to do it all over again, might have fought a little bit harder," Kelly said. "So, I'm not going to make the same mistake. We're going to make it clear that if you want to review the movie, you've got to go see it. If you're going to be a credible source of information, you need to be around those that are in the know.

"Don't tell me you don't have the budget. Don't tell me that you're on vacation. You're either in or you're out as a credible source."
</blockquote>

Have to say I'm pleasantly surprised he even noticed.

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070718/SPT0101/707180356/1064/SPT

 

Having been around Brian at one of his previous stops, I can honestly say this does not surprise me one bit.

But you know what? Good for him. Yes, it's Big East media day... some people might say what's the big deal? Here it is, just like Brian spelled it out. If you're going to cover the team, be there. Having a freelancer based in Rhode Island who won't even see Cincinnati 99 percent of the time doesn't cut it.

If more coaches like Brian stood up to media and demanded better coverage, people might listen. The Cincy beat is one of the Enquirer's biggest beats (more so for hoops, I know), so if they're going to send a stringer to media day...

And no, I'm not Brian or anyone connected with the Enquirer's competition. Have a good day.

 

While Kelly should have answered the questions he was asked, I don't disagree with anything he said. It's bogus that Cincinnati's lead newspaper couldn't send its beat reporter to media day.

"If you're going to be a credible source of information, you need to be around those that are in the know. Don't tell me you don't have the budget. Don't tell me that you're on vacation. You're either in or you're out as a credible source."

That's great stuff. While there are certainly some coaches out there who don't want to have anything at all to do with the media, I think most of them would prefer to have people on their beat who are informed. I spend every minute possible around the people I cover. I don't miss a practice. I try to make every speaking engagement, every booster event, conference meetings, etc. During the offseason, I show up on campus randomly just to see who's around. It builds trust.

It seems odd, but the more you know, the more people are willing to tell you.

 

No, no, no. If there isn't news value to an event -- a staged, controlled, just-for-the-exposure event -- there is no reason a newspaper can't legitimately make this kind of judgement. Go to Newport, R.I. for a stinking media day? Don't blame them at all for not doing so.

If the coach weren't just grandstanding, he'd follow through and make sure the SID didn't credential the Enquirer this season, since it's not a credible source of information. But I'm sure the school administration wouldn't like that much. What a pompous butt.

 

Having time in a casual setting to build a relationship with your first-year football coach is far more valuable than any news that might come out of that event.

 

Correct. And I would suggest doing so sitting around his office on any slow afternoon.

 

Kelly shouldn't have popped off about one paper in that setting. However, he is absolutely right that there is no excuse for the Enquirer not staffing this event. YOU GOTTA BE THERE. You don't know what will happen. You can call it a controlled setting, but is it really? Kelly criticizing the previous coach is NEWS. How can a stringer be versed on what happened in Cincy with Dantonio? What if some other coach popped off about something else.
I always approached media day as a means to get a solid, trend type of feature with lots of quotes and opinions from coaches and conference officials. And, a bit of background info on the teams.
Media day is definitely worthwhile. The Enquirer blew it.
Maybe Kelly can get a second job as publisher of the Post (before it folds) ... show 'em how to do it.

 

The question is will Kelly be just as open and chatty with the Enquirer's beat person? I mean, will he blow off tough questions with cliche or will he be just as credible of a source. If I was the Cinci beat reporter, I would make sure to put that quote out to him early and often. He can't call out the paper and then not be willing to take all their questions later in my opinion.

 

Re: New Cincy coach criticizes Enquirer, others, for not staffing Big East media

I agree that a paper needs to be at media day (though, if ours weren't in our own backyard this year, I'm not sure we'd be going, due to budget constraints).

I'm just not sure it's a coach's job to tell us how to do ours.

Of course, there's plenty of irony in that statement, given that we often waste a lot of ink telling coaches how to do theirs.

All in all: I think this guy is spot on in his comments. But he didn't have to be a dick about it. Also, in my estimation, when you're at the bottom of the totem pole fighting for coverage, pissing off the only newspaper in town doesn't seem to be a very good way of getting it.

 

How is he a pompous butt or a dick for pointing out the truth, as uncomfortable as it might be?
The Big East is coming off its best season ever with five bowl wins, some Heisman Trophy candidates and Cincy has a brand-new coach, so a fairly compelling local story line.
Instead, to save some bucks, the paper took a safe risk by hiring a stringer since when can anyone remember the last time a coach called out a paper for lack of coverage, and the coach was right?
What do you think the reaction would be in SEC country, if a major Southern paper skipped Birmingham and hired a stringer instead for media days?
You'll have to imagine, because it would never happen.

 

Well imagine how pissed he's going to be when the enquirer doesn't go on the road for a game or something. That's happened in the past.

And Jay, this is a market thing. There are big Southeast papers that don't go on the road for hoops - Orlando didn't always staff Florida hoops on the road this year. That's something Cincy would never do.

 

Re: New Cincy coach criticizes Enquirer, others, for not staffing Big East media

While it's nice for a coach to argue that reporters should have the budget to cover media day, I'm going to guess Kelly is more concerned that the Enquirer didn't send anybody because Cincinnati is a rinky-dink program, and is saving their money to send someone to Big Ten media day to cover the team most of its readers care about -- Ohio State. I can't imagine the Enquirer is going to lose that many readers because the Cincinnati Bearcats football coach won't talk. The Enquirer will send a stringer to Cincinnati HOME games before it cuts off anything related to Ohio State.