Do you have to wait behind in-house interviews?

[big green wahoo]

Covering a college beat. Head coach immediately grants an interview to the host school's in-house, online broadcaster after every home game. Coach then goes and talks to the team. Comes back out 15-20 minutes later to grant me an interview.

These are night games. My deadline isn't blown by this set-up but it doesn't help. If the coach is composed enough and has time enough for the in-house interview, why should I have to wait?

Anyone else deal with a similar problem?

 

[MileHigh]

Because you're not writing his check.

It's most likely in his contract that he talks to the flagship station/national outlet/in-house site. Then there's the cooling-off period.

Is this common? I would say most certainly.

 

[albert77]

I don't know how common this is, but one college I'm aware of pipes the coach's postgame on-air interview over the coliseum PA, so other reporters can piggyback quotes if need be. You may not get the quote for a specific question you want, but if you're just looking for generic Coach Joe Blow said comments on deadline, they're more than adequate.

 

[boxingnut4324]

Covering a college beat. Head coach immediately grants an interview to the host school's in-house, online broadcaster after every home game. Coach then goes and talks to the team. Comes back out 15-20 minutes later to grant me an interview.

These are night games. My deadline isn't blown by this set-up but it doesn't help. If the coach is composed enough and has time enough for the in-house interview, why should I have to wait?

Anyone else deal with a similar problem?

Agree with Mile High. I covered the hoops team at a D1 school for three years as a student. After every game coach did a quick hit with local radio, cool down period, and then the postgame presser. It wasn't always conducive to a stress-free story but everyone knew that's how it was.

 

[da man]

This was the case when I covered college beats long ago, and it's still the case with every single college basketball team I cover as a freelancer.

Because the interviews are usually done at the press table, though, if you're on a really tight deadline you can sometimes stand behind them and pick up some quotes -- as Albert noted above you won't always get what you want, but you might get what you need.

Wait... Outing alert: albert77 is Mick Jagger.

If you're a beat guy and work with the coach and program regularly, you should probably talk to the SID before doing that to keep from unnecessarily ruffling feathers. Chances are there wouldn't be a problem with that.

 

[Mark2010]

All of the above. Coaches usually get paid to do the team's own station interview live as soon as the game ends. Seems like other electronic media have priority on the field/court and such and the print press gets the leftovers half an hour later.

And, like someone else mentioned, it's considered fair game to steal quotes from one of those if you're tight for time. Although, honestly, I've never gotten anything really juicy from them. More like "I'm proud of our team's effort....."

 

[NancyLou]

I've never gotten any life-changing quotes from a coach or player after a game so I'd go ahead and wait. Sometimes I wouldn't, just stand there and grab some quotes from other interviews going on.

I'd also bring with me a pen and tablet to get started on the article so I could insert quotes later. Thus, I could get to the newsroom later that night, type it out real fast, add the quotes and be done with it.

 

[boundforboston]

Agree with what's been said above. Talk with SID or radio station if you could record coach's interview but say you won't interrupt. You could ask the radio station to ask a question about the fourth quarter rally or impressions of a player, if you have a good relationship with the radio station. Don't think that should be a problem.

 

[Starman]

Covering a college beat. Head coach immediately grants an interview to the host school's in-house, online broadcaster after every home game. Coach then goes and talks to the team. Comes back out 15-20 minutes later to grant me an interview.

These are night games. My deadline isn't blown by this set-up but it doesn't help. If the coach is composed enough and has time enough for the in-house interview, why should I have to wait?

Anyone else deal with a similar problem?

Won't be too long before all head coaches grant interviews ONLY to the house organs -- the league websites and the individual sites of the teams themselves and their 'official media partners' -- and only after those pom-pom shakers are satisfied will anyone else be let in.

In 5 years I can see general media only given access to coaches and players 2 hours or so after the game, just as they're leaving the arena. (And of course you can guess how enthusiastic most coaches and players are going to be about those interviews.)

People writing deadline stories right after the game (if they're let in the building at all) will either have to go quoteless or use canned quotes handed out by the home team PR/SID staff: "Coach Schmoe told HomeTeam.Com...."

 

[Michael_ Gee]

Rights holders have rights. If other media outlets wanted to retaliate by dropping coverage, they might have some leverage. But of course American media in all fields has degenerated to supplicants seeking blessings from those they cover.

 

[Machine Head]

A little sideways here, but who took broadcasts in-house first? Produced the product and then put the rights to air up for bid.

I think the Brewers did around 1988-1990?

Am I off on that?

 

[Double J]

Rights holders have rights.

Well, I'm all broken up about that man's rights.

Sorry. Just seemed like the thing to do. :D

 

[TripleBeatExpress]

I've had in-house reporters ask the first few questions but my particular college coach goes from the field to the locker room to the media room in about 10 minutes span.