When the SID doesn't call you back

[Hammer Pants]

I almost always call the SID first, as a courtesy and as a way of saying, "Hey, I tried to go through you..."

But if the SID doesn't answer or call you back, and you need something in a hurry, you do what you have to do.

 

[awriter]

Call the athletic director's assistant and explain the assistant coach isn't calling you back. I'll bet my bottom dollar that she/he will immediately blabber to the AD, it will get back to the assistant coach and your phone will be ringing.

Sorry, but an AD or assistant AD at a major school isn't going to give a ****. The way to go here is to keep hounding the SID and definitely call the football office.

Also, King Creole: Is there anyone at the school you cover who still keeps in touch with the coach and might be able to help you get in touch?

 

[Tom Petty]

king - did you call the SID or an assistant SID?

 

[Smallpotatoes]

If the SID is not doing their job and getting back in touch with you, don't wait for them. You tried to go by their rules, and they didn't follow through. That's on them, not you.

I say this as an SID (and former reporter).

Just curious, given the workload and number of interview requests you might have, do you have to triage them in some way, giving priority to some papers and reporters and having others take a number and get in line?
If that's the way you do it, does it really have to be done that way?

 

[Mira]

My course of action was in the instance the SID completely blows a reporter off.

 

[Stone Cane]

Joe Paterno's number is in the phone book as well, but I can't think of anyone who ever has called him at home.

I've called the guy at home a few times. So have a few of the reporters on my staff -- news and sports alike. Trying to convince the staff this guy is a source we should not be afraid to call. Most of the time, Sue Paterno picks up the phone (usually canning tomatoes). She generally won't let reporters through to Joe, but she's almost always polite.

We've done the same with assistant coaches and players, too -- especially since the sports information department can take months to grant an interview. When the SID calls to *****, we simply reply "Sorry, your rules don't govern us." They can be upset, but they can't argue against that.

good for you

i find it hard to imagine any sports info office shows more disregard for the media than Penn State's

 

[kingcreole]

king - did you call the SID or an assistant SID?

I told the secretary or whoever answered what story I wanted to do and who I needed to speak with about arranging it. I believe I was transferred to the SID's voice mail.

I've waited too long - normally I don't wait two hours for return calls. Calling this dude in his office in a few minutes ...

 

[Idaho]

this has nothing to do with your SID, but I'm just happy if the one I work with can get an accurate roster and final box score together.

It's Game 13 (including exhibitions) and we still don't have a media guide and the minutes on the box from last night's game were all messed up because they had a guy who scored four points, had two steals, two rebounds and an assist with zero minutes.

I haven't bothered working through him for an interview in more than a year. He once told me to call coach soandso myself instead of bugging him.

Now, aside from messing up the final box, his biggest asset to us on press row is to order the pregame pizza.

 

[wickedwritah]

Joe Paterno's number is in the phone book as well, but I can't think of anyone who ever has called him at home.

I've called the guy at home a few times. So have a few of the reporters on my staff -- news and sports alike. Trying to convince the staff this guy is a source we should not be afraid to call. Most of the time, Sue Paterno picks up the phone (usually canning tomatoes). She generally won't let reporters through to Joe, but she's almost always polite.

We've done the same with assistant coaches and players, too -- especially since the sports information department can take months to grant an interview. When the SID calls to *****, we simply reply "Sorry, your rules don't govern us." They can be upset, but they can't argue against that.

good for you

i find it hard to imagine any sports info office shows more disregard for the media than Penn State's

I'm glad, house, that you folks do it. I saw too many folks in State College fear picking up the phone and calling him.

 

[Seahawk]

To try and answer your question Smallpotato, we treat any media request we get the same way, which is to work to help the reporter get the interview they are looking for.

Having been on the other side of it, I know how frustrating it is to not receive consideration or communication. Basically, my goal is to show someone else the courtesy I would want if I was the one making a request.

 

[Just_An_SID]

I've had times when I've been so damn busy that it is hard to get all of the media requests done so I understand where you are coming from.

One of my pet peeves is relying on email to make a request because it is very easy to misplace an email request. Call the SID personally and make the request and make sure he/she knows your deadline. If the SID doesn't get it done, then you do what you gotta do.

 

[Flip Wilson]

this has nothing to do with your SID, but I'm just happy if the one I work with can get an accurate roster and final box score together.

It's Game 13 (including exhibitions) and we still don't have a media guide and the minutes on the box from last night's game were all messed up because they had a guy who scored four points, had two steals, two rebounds and an assist with zero minutes.

I haven't bothered working through him for an interview in more than a year. He once told me to call coach soandso myself instead of bugging him.

Now, aside from messing up the final box, his biggest asset to us on press row is to order the pregame pizza.

When I was SID-ing, media guides had to be ready in time for media day, a month or so before the season started. I can't imagine the hell I would have been put through had the guides not been ready 13 games into the season.

And I was very, very blessed to have a great table crew to do stats; I know how important that is.

And I also think I did the best job of feeding the media, stat crew, hangers-on when it came to pregame meals. We rarely had pizza; it was almost always a meat-and-potatoes kind of meal. One of the chefs at the arena where we played even used her mama's recipe for spaghetti a time or two. The media loved eating at our place.

And back to the original question: If the SID doesn't call you back, absolutely go around him/her. It's the SIDs job to handle media requests; if that person's not getting the job done, it's shouldn't keep you from doing yours.

 

[playthrough]

That's interesting you say that, Just_An_SID. I've dealt with so many reps who sound bothered at phone calls, brushing me off with a quick "send me an e-mail request and I'll see what I can do." I want to fire back with "believe me, I don't enjoy the phone much either, but some of my e-mails have this habit of going unanswered."

I like your style.

 

[bigugly]

I noticed on a Yahoo! person search there is only one person in this city with this particular name. If the SID doesn't call back and hook me up, is it kosher to go around the SID?

Yes it is!

 

[silentbob]

SIDs are getting worse in my opinion, and it's not really their fault. Seems coaches are getting more and more paranoid/strict with the media, which leaves the SID with little room to maneuver. That said, I wish they'd just come out and say, "I'd like to help ya, but the guy calling the shots is a jerk." Instead, they just dont call ya back.

 

[Seahawk]

SIDs are getting worse in my opinion, and it's not really their fault. Seems coaches are getting more and more paranoid/strict with the media, which leaves the SID with little room to maneuver. That said, I wish they'd just come out and say, "I'd like to help ya, but the guy calling the shots is a jerk." Instead, they just dont call ya back.

This is a growing problem. Too many SIDs, in my opinion, work for coaches, as opposed to with them. This becomes a real problem because many coaches don't understand how media works at all, which is the primary reason for a lot of the tension that comes up. I feel this is true at all levels.

One of the schools in our conference has a basketball coach that doesn't allow team stats to be posted on the Web site. Why this is acceptable, and why the coach has the clout to make that decision is beyond me.

 

[SixToe]

One of the schools in our conference has a basketball coach that doesn't allow team stats to be posted on the Web site.

That's silly, petty and small-minded.

"Work with coaches, not for them" is something that has been lost amid the power-hungry as salaries and supposed authority over all athletic domain continues to grow.

 

[forever_town]

I see these horror stories and I realize how good I have it with the school I cover.

 

[Just_An_SID]

And I realize how good I've had it over the years, working with some pretty good head coaches. The few bad ones that I've had, I have pretty much refused to drink the kool-aid and "work for them" because I've also had a pretty good string of AD's.

 

[Some Guy]

One of the schools in our conference has a basketball coach that doesn't allow team stats to be posted on the Web site.

That's silly, petty and small-minded.

It would also be against the rules of most every major conference, I'd reckon.