News orgs reporting on themselves

[DanOregon]

It's been mentioned on other threads that while news orgs have no problem reporting on massive layoffs from the auto industry, the local manufacturing plant or a retailer closing its doors, it seems to have a blind spot, when it comes to what's going on under its own roof.

While not a layoff story, I found this story on ESPN.com pretty amusing (see the sentence I put in bold).

The Bowl Championship Series games could be moving to cable television as early as 2010,according to media reports.
The Walt Disney Co., the parent company of ESPN, is among the bidders for the five BCS games -- and according to reports in USA Today and SportsBusiness Daily, the company has bid about $25 million per year more than its closest competitor for the new BCS deal.
Fox's four-year deal with the BCS ends after the 2009 season. If Disney's bid for the new deal is accepted, then the BCS games and the national championship would be aired on ESPN starting in 2010, according to USA Today.
"We've had good meetings and discussion to this point," BCS coordinator and Atlantic Coast Conference commissioner John Swofford said Tuesday, according to USA Today. "The BCS is obviously an attractive television property, but we simply have not completed our process."
Conference commissioners and BCS TV negotiator Barry Frank have been meeting in Chicago with the networks since Sunday, USA Today reported.
SportsBusiness Daily reported that in bidding, Disney is offering about $125 million annually to air the games, while Fox is offering about $100 million annually. According to USA Today, several people with knowledge of the negotiations confirmed those figures.
ESPN did not immediately comment on the reports.
Fox currently pays about $82.5 million annually to air four of the five BCS games -- the Sugar, Orange and Fiesta bowls and the BCS National Championship Game. ABC, also an affiliate of Disney, currently has a separate deal to air the Rose Bowl.

My problem isn't that ESPN was "scooped" on the news, I doubt they were, but it seems pretty clear they wanted to keep this under wraps. I don't think ESPN puts the clamp on the info if the cable company in question was TBS.

 

[GB-Hack]

I think it's understandable. Most stories newspapers run about layoffs happen after the fact, and ordinarily do have comment from the publisher or whoever.

Since negotiations are still ongoing, I wouldn't expect comment. They normally do have comment once the deal is completed, like here for the SEC deal struck a few months ago.

http://sports.espn.go.com/ncaa/news/story?id=3553033

 

[zebracoy]

The greatest issue I have with this is whether or not ESPN keeps promoting a push for a college playoff system as soon as this news catches on.

 

[GB-Hack]

The greatest issue I have with this is whether or not ESPN keeps promoting a push for a college playoff system as soon as this news catches on.

Oh, I think they do, because they'd want to televise that too.

But I can see why they would want this property back badly. By the way, as AQB asked on the other thread, why wouldn't they broadcast these on ABC?

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I just found out our paper might have to report on our press shutting down because of a new noise ordinance in town. :-\ If that happens you be damn sure our publisher will have some comment for the paper.

 

[GB-Hack]

I just found out our paper might have to report on our press shutting down because of a new noise ordinance in town. :-\ If that happens you be damn sure our publisher will have some comment for the paper.

Wow. That's crazy.

 

[DanOregon]

My point is if a news org can't be trusted to report fairly and accurately on itself, doesn't that harm it's credibility. I'll give credit that there wasn't a no comment attached to an ESPN employee.

 

[GB-Hack]

My point is if a news org can't be trusted to report fairly and accurately on itself, doesn't that harm it's credibility. I'll give credit that there wasn't a no comment attached to an ESPN employee.

The trouble, I think, with that is that ESPN isn't simply a news organization. And as such there is a certain fuzziness as to how the news operation and the television rights-holder arms co-exist.

 

[Jake_Taylor]

I just found out our paper might have to report on our press shutting down because of a new noise ordinance in town. :-\ If that happens you be damn sure our publisher will have some comment for the paper.

Wow. That's crazy.

Yeah, our publisher was out all day talking to county and town officials and it looks like we're going to stay up and running because the press was there long before all the houses that now surround it. But it would be really bad if they shut it down considering we print about seven other papers here.

 

[anonymousprick]

My point is if a news org can't be trusted to report fairly and accurately on itself, doesn't that harm it's credibility. I'll give credit that there wasn't a no comment attached to an ESPN employee.

Agreed. We demand accountibility from everyone else as part of our gigs; but when bad news hits us, it's usually "move along, nothing to see here." Doesn't do our credibility any favors.

 

[Sam Mills 51]

The fact that John Swofford has a hand in any of this should frighten anyone - and everyone - who likes college football.

 

[CM Punk]

It's been mentioned on other threads that while news orgs have no problem reporting on massive layoffs from the auto industry, the local manufacturing plant or a retailer closing its doors, it seems to have a blind spot, when it comes to what's going on under its own roof.

Good scoutin', coach.

 

[CitizenTino]

The greatest issue I have with this is whether or not ESPN keeps promoting a push for a college playoff system as soon as this news catches on.

Oh, I think they do, because they'd want to televise that too.

Absolutely not. When ABC had the BCS games, every year we had to hear John Saunders and the studio crew chirp the party line about how the BCS is working. The instant they lost the deal to Fox, the ESPN/ABC on-air talent did a complete 180.