Salon on Final Four media

http://www.salon.com/2012/04/15/backstage_at_the_final_four/singleton/

Brian Weinberg writes a quote-heavy story on the media, primarily the writers, at the Final Four. Among those interviewed: Matt Jones, Pat Forde, Gregg Doyel, Seth Davis, Pete Thamel, Jerry Palm, Marlen Garcia, Mark Blaudschun.

There are some very interesting parts and others that are obvious to anyone in the industry. The part about Lesley Visser's interactions with Davis was peculiar. I've never met her, though.

 

Fuck Matt Jones. I've said it before, I'll say it again.

 

Loved this story. Wish I'd written it. In fact, I did want to write a "backstage" F4 story this year, but nobody bit. Wasn't going to focus on the media though. Damn. Should have known that was the angle that would capture someone's fancy.

 

Instead you settled for freaking awesome bracket analysis that was gold, my friend. Gold. So there's that.

 

Thanks, but like a typical media guy, I always think about what I didn't do! Nothing says I couldn't have done both!

That said, will you be my agent?

 

I also love this story.
Yet I don't know what it means.
I'm the sports editor of a Big 12 daily.
I run a small department. I write columns. I cover beats: the big university and preps.
I've met and worked alongside many of the people quoted in this story.
Of course, it's only happened when the school I cover takes me there.
I tweet a little. I have a journalist's page on Facebook.
I used to blog.

I think maybe I should blog more. But I'm still print, so who would I be blogging for? Maybe I should blog only for me, yet use what little cache I have as editor/columnist/beat guy for years and years and years and try to leverage it for more hits and followers.
But to what end.

(Mostly, I think I'm really insightful and really smart about what I cover, I think it's always been my strength, but where does that fit in our new journalism world)

These are existential questions.
I will appreciate any thoughtful answers.

 

Matt Jones was the emcee for the Kentucky's recent trophy tour with Calipari.

He is less "media" and more PR.

 

Enjoyed the story. But guessing ages, even in a casual story like this, is lazy. Don't tell me he's in maybe his 40s or 50s, ask him his freaking age. Otherwise, popcorn reading.

 

This bored me to tears. Sorry. Don't understand who outside our industry would find it remotely interesting.

Some writers at the FF are like this! Others are like this! Seth Davis is quite the flirt!

Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

 

I liked it more than that, just thought it was too long.

 

I was wondering about that myself. I found it interesting, but other than hardcore fans of the individual writers profiled, who would really care enough to read this?

 

7,500 words! I read, but agree that readers outside the industry probably don't care that much.