Seattle Times bans their sports reporters from local TV and radio

[Kolchak]

This is a tweet from a KJR 950 A.M. radio host:

SeattleSportsNet.com is the first to report on it here.

It sounds like Frank Blethen has a glass jaw and can't handle any criticism from the other media outlets, so starting Sept. 5, no more Times reporters on the local TV and radio stations.

I suppose if there's enough backlash, they still have time to change their mind and act like it never happened.

 

[Alma]

You know what? It looks bad, but it's smart. I mean, it's not smart, how they did it - and, let's be clear here, there is no glass jaw like a radio host scorned - but it can help in the long run.

Writers have been giving away some of their best material on the radio for free for years. It has never made sense.

 

[DanOregon]

It isn't like the radio hosts can't just open the paper and steal the material anyway. I don't buy the exposure thing. Radio needs sportswriters for content more than newspapers need people to realize "Hey - there is a newspaper in town?" And when the radio people rip off the newspaper content anyway (hopefully by crediting them) it would have the same effect as if the reporter appeared on the show.
Is it ALL TV and radio? Even out of town places?

 

[LongTimeListener]

Wait. Is this a ban from all TV and radio? Or just from this radio station?

ETA: OK the tweet in the OP didn't make that clear but now I clicked through and read the story.

If it's really because Blethen can't handle criticism, that's weak. But this ...

Citing “competing forms of media” as the reason behind the embargo, the Times seems willing to sacrifice much-needed exposure for… ego, perhaps?

is flaming bull**** that has been served for decades now. Somebody show me how a media company has ever made one cent from having its reporters go on other media outlets.

I don't have much problem with this decision. My only quibble would be if these gigs were paid and the Times has now in effect reduced its reporters' income.

Also, talk radio hosts are the biggest ****ing meatheads in the world, and any discussion with them is likely to make the reporter sound worse.

 

[Kolchak]

There's been no official statement. It sounds like all the local radio and TV stations, but I can't change the title.

 

[TheSportsPredictor]

This will stop the radio station from criticizing them.

 

[DanOregon]

This might be a dumb question, but does radio still pay some guests to come on? I remember when a guest would receive a gift certificate to a local clothier or auto shop. I know Brady makes some nice pocket change for his weekly appearances during Westwood one broadcasts and some others get paid by the sponsor of a segment, but shoot if I was going to do a weekly hit on a radio show - yeah, I'd want some walking around money.


PS - An I Heart Radio station has no business giving a newspaper crud about its financial situation.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/...edia-edges-closer-to-bankruptcy-with-2q-loss/

 

[Riptide]

There's been no official statement. It sounds like all the local radio and TV stations, but I can't change the title.

Yes, you can edit the thread title in the first few days. Look for the tiny drop-down menu in the upper right of the OP.

 

[Kolchak]

Yes, you can edit the thread title in the first few days. Look for the tiny drop-down menu in the upper right of the OP.

Found it. Thanks! Was only looking through the regular thread edit option.

 

[justgladtobehere]

In Boston if a writer shows up in studio for an hour or two, he gets a few hundred bucks. I don't think they get **** for an interview during a segment.

Glenn Ordway used to do an afternoon show with rotating guest hosts. They got paid and we're introduced to listeners who hadn't heard of them (ProJo types) or gained more prominence in the market.

I don't think the writers doing just interviews are undermining their original product. They usually come on to talk about something they already wrote. They either flesh it out or, if it's more an opinion piece, they defend it. It's still promotion for the writers. If I hear a guy on the radio, I might look for his future work on that topic.

 

[CD Boogie]

Only moronic reporters are giving up their material for free. You rehash what you've written, you don't give them fresh material. Anyone who doesn't recognize the value of exposure -- not to mention learning to speak in a public forum, where brevity and thinking on your feet is key -- is making a mistake IMHO.

 

[I Should Coco]

This might be a dumb question, but does radio still pay some guests to come on? I remember when a guest would receive a gift certificate to a local clothier or auto shop. I know Brady makes some nice pocket change for his weekly appearances during Westwood one broadcasts and some others get paid by the sponsor of a segment, but shoot if I was going to do a weekly hit on a radio show - yeah, I'd want some walking around money.


PS - An I Heart Radio station has no business giving a newspaper crud about its financial situation.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/...edia-edges-closer-to-bankruptcy-with-2q-loss/

I'll cry as many tears for I Hate Radio's demise as I did for Blockbuster Video's. Ruthless bastards that have destroyed community/local radio stations for a long time. Now maybe it's their turn.

 

[JC]

This might be a dumb question, but does radio still pay some guests to come on? I remember when a guest would receive a gift certificate to a local clothier or auto shop. I know Brady makes some nice pocket change for his weekly appearances during Westwood one broadcasts and some others get paid by the sponsor of a segment, but shoot if I was going to do a weekly hit on a radio show - yeah, I'd want some walking around money.


PS - An I Heart Radio station has no business giving a newspaper crud about its financial situation.
http://www.staradvertiser.com/2017/...edia-edges-closer-to-bankruptcy-with-2q-loss/

Of course they are paid.

 

[KeyboardKing]

Only moronic reporters are giving up their material for free. You rehash what you've written, you don't give them fresh material. Anyone who doesn't recognize the value of exposure -- not to mention learning to speak in a public forum, where brevity and thinking on your feet is key -- is making a mistake IMHO.

That's rich coming from a guy who brags about stealing content.

 

[CD Boogie]

That's rich coming from a guy who brags about stealing content.

You got a real hard on for me, huh? Six total posts and basically all of them addressed to me about jailbreaking an Amazon firestick. Is that you, Bezos? Did I **** your girlfriend or something? Throw you into a locker back in the late 80s? I'm picturing Steve Buscemi in Billy Madison. Go stalk someone else, ya spineless ****.

 

[tapintoamerica]

When Kornheiser was still on Dan Snyder's radio station a couple years ago, he'd have Feinstein on, the station would sell a sponsor for the appearance and the station wouldn't pay Feinstein. Eventually, he stopped calling in for free, and he was right. If they're going to make money that can be directly tied to you and they aren't willing to cut you in, you should walk out of self respect if nothing else.

 

[WriteThinking]

I don't have much problem with this ban at all. It is competing, conflicting business interest, and work places in other industries make such determinations and disallow such things all the time.

And now, the newspaper reporters will be focused on their newspaper work. That can't be a bad thing, for the newspaper, at least.

 

[Kolchak]

Spin time. Before people got ahold of this story, the Seattle Times was saying they don't want their reporters appearing on competing forms of media. Now that the story is out, they say it's just KJR 950 they don't want their reporters to appear on.

The scuttlebutt that they're doing this because the radio station called them out on their arena stance still remains though.

Updated story on SeattleSportsNet.com.

 

[LongTimeListener]

LOL. It's either that or the jackhole blog site got the first story wrong.

This is what the jackhole wrote in a follow-up. By singling out one entity and labeling their commentary as “off-color” and “sexist,” the newspaper could be trending into libelous territory.

That's ****ing idiotic and coming from someone with a real hard-on about the paper.

Seattle Times bans its sportswriters from appearing on local radio station KJR (updated)

 

[Kolchak]

Don't know if this has anything to do with it or if it's just a big coincidence, but KJR 950's morning host Mitch Levy was one of 110 men arrested in a prostitution sting.