AZ Republic partners with state high school association ... thoughts?

[RecentAZgrad]

Hey guys, I'm curious what you think about this. The Arizona Republic just signed an "exclusive" deal to give their Web site more prep content directly from the AIA, which sanctions high schools in Arizona. Smart for them, I suppose, because all those hits will now go to them, but here's my question: Do you think this will make it harder for them to be objective now that they are technically a "partner" of the state's governing body?

I know, I know, it's only high schools, but still, I'm curious to get some thoughts on this.

(By the way, as added context, this comes in the midst of a big hoopla where the AIA put on its credential request form that newspapers have to agree not to sell pictures from state tournaments and championships, because, the AIA is claiming, they own them. The Republic was among those standing against that, but who knows what it will do now.)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 1, 2008
CONTACT:
Jennifer O’Donnell, Marketing Communication Planner
(602) 444-8079
jennifer.o’[email protected]
azcentral.com partners with the Arizona Interscholastic Association to provide
the most in-depth high school sports coverage in Arizona
Phoenix, Ariz. ---August 1, 2008 --- azcentral.com and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) today announced a
partnership that will make azcentral.com the state’s only site to feature every score and schedule for all Arizona high
school teams in each sport, providing the most comprehensive, updated coverage available.
azcentral.com will be powered by the AIA and offer:
• Schedules for games in all 21 sports sanctioned by the AIA
• Scores for all games in all sports for more than 250 high school statewide
• Standings for teams by region
• Power points to determine playoff seedings
• Playoff brackets updated throughout the tournaments
Plus, highschools.azcentral.com will continue to include the special coverage from The Arizona Republic and KPNX
Channel 12 News weekly high school football show Friday Night Fever. The site can be accessed directly through
highschools.azcentral.com and engages fans by featuring a “Student Athlete of the Week” and also includes the section
“Off Campus” which recognizes student athletes and their interests outside of sports, school spirit traditions, and much
more.
AIA Executive Director Harold Slemmer, Ed.D, said, “The AIA believes this unique and exciting partnership offers a
needed platform to serve the mission of the AIA and its member schools.” And Mike Coleman, vice president of digital
media at azcentral.com notes that, “Plenty of sites are trying to serve high school athletes and fans these days, but our
partnership with the AIA makes azcentral.com the only site that matters. We're extremely proud to now offer complete
scores, schedules and other information not just for football, but for every high school sport.”
In conjunction with this partnership, azcentral.com is redesigning highschools.azcentral.com to prominently display
enhanced scoreboards for high school games by region, division and conference as well as forums for fans to talk about
each sport.
###
azcentral.com is the official Web site of The Arizona Republic and 12 News. Ranked nationally as one of the most visited sites in the US, azcentral.com is also Arizona’s most visited local site, receiving more than 89 million page views and 12 million visits per month.
The Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) is a voluntary association of public and private high schools which was established by and is responsible to its members. The democratic governance of the AIA provides representation and input opportunities to all its member schools through their governing board members, administrators and teachers who serve on the Legislative Council, Executive Board and ad hoc committees. There are currently 264 member high schools with over 305,000 students under the AIA. The AIA was established in 1925 and is online at www.aiaonline.org.

 

[HackyMcHack]

A decade ago, the Republic did a fairly decent job of covering the entire state when it came to high schools. Then again, it was the only newspaper circulating in print statewide. Want a Tucson paper or the East Valley Tribune in Yuma? You'd have better luck finding the San Diego Union-Tribune.

 

[Angola!]

It doesn't seem fair to the rest of the media in the state.

Does this mean the AIA won't provide info to other papers?

azcentral.com and the Arizona Interscholastic Association (AIA) today announced a
partnership that will make azcentral.com the state’s only site to feature every score and schedule for all Arizona high
school teams in each sport, providing the most comprehensive, updated coverage available.

This seems like it is saying that no one else is allowed to have all the scores or something.

 

[Robby]

If other media outlets go to the site for scores and other information, are they getting PR information from the state association or taking information from a competitor's site?

 

[write then drink]

the star-ledger in New Jersey has been doing this for a decade. They are the title sponsor for all state championship high school athletic events in New Jersey.

It's an obvious conflict of interest. A few years ago, when the executive director of the state athletic association - NJSIAA - was run out of office for a variety of non-criminal but untoward things, the investigation was done (extremely well) by the bergen record, and the star-ledger never mentioned it.

How a newspaper can have such a cozy relationship with an organization it's supposed to be covering is beyond me.

 

[Angola!]

If other media outlets go to the site for scores and other information, are they getting PR information from the state association or taking information from a competitor's site?

Good question.

Do they have to attribute azcentral.com?

 

[novelist_wannabe]

the star-ledger in New Jersey has been doing this for a decade. They are the title sponsor for all state championship high school athletic events in New Jersey.

It's an obvious conflict of interest. A few years ago, when the executive director of the state athletic association - NJSIAA - was run out of office for a variety of non-criminal but untoward things, the investigation was done (extremely well) by the bergen record, and the star-ledger never mentioned it.

How a newspaper can have such a cozy relationship with an organization it's supposed to be covering is beyond me.

Being a sponsor is one thing; I'd guess the vast majority of pro stadiums have signage for the local major daily, and newspaper promotions departments routinely work out sponsorship deals with the teams we cover. The industry as a whole seems to think sponsorship is OK. An agreement where the paper has an exclusive content information arrangement as part of its news coverage crosses what was already kind of a blurry line. The AZ Republic is going to have to do an interesting editorial tap dance when controversy breaks out involving the AIA. One would like to think they'd be uninhibited, but I can't imagine they will.

 

[SixToe]

I believe there is a similar agreement in Alabama with al.com, the three Newhouse papers and the state association.

Would anyone ignore an agreement like this if it involved the Arizona Republic and the local public utility company? Doubtful. Why these agreements are ignored between the agencies and people covering them also is beyond me.

 

[Stitch]

Ethics only seems to matter when a newspapers points out ethical lapses at another paper.

If the East Valley Tribune made the deal, the Republic's editors would cry foul in a heartbeat.