South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

[filbert]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

Scoring the Argus' coverage of area colleges' football games this weekend (based on articles posted to the web):

#1: USF, 927 words by Matt Zimmer, who included extensive coach and player comments in his story.
#2: USD, 890 words by Mick Garry, who included extensive coach and player comments in his story.
#3: SDSU, 417 words by Stu Whitney, with no coach or player comments of any kind in the story. Actually, there's no clear indication in the story that Stu attended the game at all, really.
#4: Augie, 231 words, by the infamous "staff and wire reports."

Attendance of the games:
#1: SDSU, 12,332
#2: USD, 10,500
#3: USF, 5,000 (at Orange City, IA)
#4: Augie, 4,500 (at Duluth)

[CatchEmAll]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

There are local sports writers in some of these smaller towns, correct? I realize there is not always a newspaper in every city, but usually there is one that covers some of these outlying areas. Maybe someone with a jouralistic background can speak to this, but realistically couldn't the Argus pay some of these smaller paper writers to cover the events and report for the Argus (and their local paper) so that there could be more in depth coverage where required. Maybe it's a conflict of interest for the Brookings Register sports reporter to provide the Argus with an article, but doesn't that all under "staff and wire reports".

Not that I care one bit because I don't read the Argus, just tossing out my 2 cents.

[JackJD]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I had a long comment but have decided to delete it and replace it with the following:

I don't read the Argus but I note that night games are hard to cover in a morning newspaper and the new is untimely when printed on the following day.

12,332 people on Saturday didn't have to read the Argus.

Don't let the media get you down.

Go Jacks.

[filbert]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

Oh, they're not getting me down. Much the opposite in fact, I quite enjoy "covering" the performance of the Argus from my own unique and quite biased point of view.

And, a point I've made elsewhere, if you're a news organization that has events of interest to your clients/customers/readers/listeners/watchers, which routinely end at approximately 10 pm, and your news deadline doesn't allow you to cover those events properly--the problem is not with the event, it is with your deadline.

[jackrabit1]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

Funny thing about that.

This summer, I was having some difficulty getting our amatuer baseball teams to call in scores to the station. Especially when they'd show up in the arduous liar and no message to us.

So I sent out a mass e-mail... the gist of it was that we would make sure they were covered in our broadcasts, wheras the Arduous would only put them in "if they had enough space".

The cooperation improved.

[jackmd]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

No quotes, crummy story, AP could have done a better job then Stu. TV coverage was a little better.

[jackrabit1]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

What burns my backside is that the story seemed like it was a press release sent out by the athletic department (no offense to Jason, I think he's a good writer). Stu musta took it and added his own snarky comments to make it sound like it was his story.

"Escaped" the Bears? Buddy, we led that game from begining to end; the only time they scored was when we were up by three scores!

But that's Stu... can't report a straight, unbiased story on SDSU... He has to go for the jugular... as well as be lazy and phone it in.

[jackmd]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

as well as be lazy and phone it in.

Thats exactly what he did, phoned it in. I'm sure the "deadline" issue would be his excuse if asked directly. Either that or he would just smirk and say tough, deal with it. I get the feeling he is just that self-centered.

[filbert]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I wouldn't be surprised if he phoned it in from home after listening to it via WNAX, which is what I alleged previously:

Actually, there's no clear indication in the story that Stu attended the game at all, really.

If Stu was at the game, you can't tell it from the copy that made it into the web story. So, if he's reporting off the radio broadcast, he's a lazy writer, or if he was actually at the game, he's a bad writer. Not sure which one reflects more poorly on him.

[Haldersham]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

The Sunday print version had the SDSU-UCA game story on the front page and it was by Stu Whitney. I could not tell if he was at the game or not. I was surprised that it got in the paper. I think we needed that new beat writer that will cover SDSU sports yesterday or even the day before. Once he is on board maybe things will improve. As sarcastic as Stu is at times, I dont think he could hold on to his job with a defined and obvious bias. I trust Randell Beck as a publisher. Maybe Beck is the guy that we should appeal too. Letters to the editor being short and to the point seem to make the print version. Those that are long and detailed seem to be ignored.

Also the new Argus web page is very hard to follow.

[jackmd]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I cancelled my subscription last week, its just a terrible paper right now. I know why they made the changes they made, it just doesn't appeal to me. If I hear that there is a good article I'll grab a copy from HyVee or find it online. No more Stu, no more Mick, no more Matt, no problem. Kind of like dropping Craig and Mike, no harm to me. I just wish I could hear Chopper and Scotty down here in Yankton.

[UWMandSDSU]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I was reading the the article of the SDSU-UCA game last Sunday in the Argus. As I was reading it a USD fan noticed the front page and was extremely upset that USD wasn't on the front page because of their last minute drive. I told him SDSU should always be on the front page. His statement was USD is "South Dakota's Team". I just laughed and said "Whatever".

[JACKGUYII]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I think the Argus and the other Sioux Falls Media outlets deserve all the criticism they get on this site and more. I do however think we should expect more from the Brookings Register. This is a town of close to 20,000 people and I think the hometown newspaper could do more to expand their coverage of SDSU sports. To a certain extent the Argus is always going to have to balance coverage with other hometown and area schools. Like it or not the Minor League Sports do have a big following in Sioux Falls and they will continue to garner attention from the Media. What happens if Augie and USD move up to DI it will become even more difficult to separate ourselves from the Sports Entertainment Pack. I would like to see more out of the Media Outlets that have no excuse, but to cover the Jacks extensively like Dept Radio, WNAX and The Register. I realize SDSU is a State Asset, but I think the coverage in Sioux Falls and elsewhere as we continue to win and pull off some major upsets.

[filbert]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

I think the Argus and the other Sioux Falls Media outlets deserve all the criticism they get on this site and more. I do however think we should expect more from the Brookings Register. This is a town of close to 20,000 people and I think the hometown newspaper could do more to expand their coverage of SDSU sports. To a certain extent the Argus is always going to have to balance coverage with other hometown and area schools. Like it or not the Minor League Sports do have a big following in Sioux Falls and they will continue to garner attention from the Media. What happens if Augie and USD move up to DI it will become even more difficult to separate ourselves from the Sports Entertainment Pack. I would like to see more out of the Media Outlets that have no excuse, but to cover the Jacks extensively like Dept Radio, WNAX and The Register. I realize SDSU is a State Asset, but I think the coverage in Sioux Falls and elsewhere as we continue to win and pull off some major upsets.

My main criticism of the Register is that they seem to want to wait the better part of a week before posting articles to the web. If I could get in my car, drive six hours to Brookings, buy a Register, and drive six more hours back home and still read the article before it gets posted on their web site, that's pretty lame.

SDSU's broadcasting package isn't bad, but could be much better. It's really excellent that broadcasts (and webcasts) of all of the football and men's and women's basketball games, most (all?) volleyball matches, and selected baseball, softball, and other events (I mean it's REALLY great--I'm not sure how many other universities have three different radio stations doing their various sports). WNAX, KJJQ, and KBRK have really stepped up to provide pretty good overall radio broadcast coverage of SDSU athletic events.

But, the WNAX contract is IMHO a D-II contract. If I were King of the World (instead of a mere Global Moderator), SDSU would contract with Learfield Communications, Host, or any other of the specialty college athletics production companies and let them do proper D-I pre-game, game, post-game, and mid-week coaches show production. (Learfield does the Missouri and Kansas State productions, and lots more beside--the Mizzou and K-State broadcasts have a LOT of agricultural advertisers . . . I'm just sayin' . . . )

Anyway, those productions would then be marketed to the product to the statewide audience that SDSU has. I'd make every possible effort keep WNAX as the "flagship" station of the network, and have at a minimum, additional affiliate stations targeted for Brookings (preferably FM at least for basketball), Sioux Falls, Aberdeen, Pierre, Huron/Mitchell, Winner, Mobridge/Lemmon, Rapid City, and the Northern Hills. I'd maybe even try for a couple of southwest Minnesota radio affiliates in the Marshall-Pipestone-Worthington area.

I'd be working with the Mid-Con, Sioux Falls TV stations and local SD cable companies to have them possibly pick up some Mid-Con basketball games this season, and make sure that the Mid-Con would broadcast at least one game from Brookings next year. Ditto with the GWFC--even it it's not a game involving SDSU, we need to do what we can to promote our conferences.

I'd work with the new Argus/SDSU beat writer to have him do a weekly GWFC and Mid-Con conference update column as a part of his SDSU coverage.

There's lots to keep the SDSU promotions and sports information staffs busy overtime well into the future.

Hopefully SDSU's new Sioux Falls office is hard at work lining up sponsorships within the Sioux Falls business community that might be able to make happen some of the additonal coverage that we all want. That's where the rubber meets the road--you have to have businesses who are willing to buy advertising to put your sports on TV/Radio/cable.

Me? I got way more time and ideas than I have money to make them all happen. Still, it keeps me off the streets at night . . .

[jackrabbit1979]

Re: South Dakota media outlets are embarassing

FYI, I don't think it has been posted to their website (at least not yet Filbert ), but I have seen classified ads in the Register for the past few weeks advertising openings for I believe Sports Editor, Assistant Sports Editor, and Sports Reporter. I am sure they have had somebody in the Editor position but the wording in the other two make it seem as if they are new positions tailored to covering SDSU (I may be wrong). In fact, I think one of the opening statements was something to the effect of, "The Brookings Register is taking our sports department to the Division 1 Level, and are looking for quaility individuals..."

Sounds to me like good changes might be coming at the Register.