tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-52147555059134968022009-11-23T20:14:28.677-05:00News, Information and Commentary on the Sports Media IndustryChristopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.comBlogger1325125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-91934787074314824262009-11-21T15:21:00.003-05:002009-11-21T15:52:42.091-05:00

Sometimes I have to disagree with Ken Fang of Fang's Bites, who yesterday said the sports media was focusing on a nothing story of ESPN's Bill Simmons being banned from Twitter for two weeks because he crossed a line on Twitter. But there really is a story here. This past August, ESPN instituted what many considered to be a horrible policy giving ground rules for how their employees used social

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-42418844109230260182009-11-21T14:49:00.000-05:002009-11-21T14:49:15.001-05:00

Week eleven of the 2009 National Football League season is here, and the byes are done for the year. The big news this week was the Chicago Bears denying NBC Sports and Bob Costas prime time interviews for Football Night in America. CBS Sports has the doubleheader this week, which means all the crews are working. The Jim Nantz lead A-Team has the New York Jets (4-5) at the New England Patriots (

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-24974920410166913602009-11-20T16:22:00.002-05:002009-11-23T20:14:28.686-05:00

It was a Monday morning shortly after the Ann Arbor News announced it was shutting down print operations. On Ann Arbor radio station WTKA-AM, host John Bacon was on the air. Inside the studio with him was Sports Illustrated media writer Richard Dietsch. Deitsch was at Michigan participating in an almost year long fellowship program. The two were discussing the sports news vacuum that the closing

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-78211839387811710842009-11-20T09:54:00.007-05:002009-11-23T20:13:04.641-05:00

Tomorrow. the Ohio State Buckeyes travel to Ann Arbor for their annual love-in with the University of Michigan Wolverines. Although the game does not have the national impact is has in years gone by, it is still the "big game" for the schools and their respective fan bases. As such, the media from the two states will be there in force to cover the game. And sitting beside them in the press box

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-85286642285246048062009-11-19T21:27:00.000-05:002009-11-19T21:27:19.939-05:00

Uga VII, the most recent mascot for the University of Georgia Bulldogs, passed away today after less than 2 full seasons in the job. When ESPN College Football Gameday rolled into Athens in September 2008, Uga, also known as "Loran's Best", made an appearance on the show. Here is a slideshow from that appearance.

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-89875432191155651772009-11-19T17:36:00.001-05:002009-11-19T22:22:42.744-05:00

The Atlanta Journal Constitution is reporting that Uga VII, the University of Georgia mascot since August 2008, has died of a heart attack. UGA VII, also known as "Loran's Best" is pictured below with Kirk Herbstreit during ESPN Game Day's visit to Athens last fall.

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-87748316992458069902009-11-19T14:52:00.001-05:002009-11-19T14:58:37.576-05:00

Some months ago, the Southeastern Conference launched a Twitter feed and started promoting content on their web site and on their Facebook page. The only problem is that they failed to include links, so followers had to guess where the content was located. This is not an isolated incident as ESPN's Joe Schad was guilty of the same "crime" today. So we will use him as an example of how to properly

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-20304454143463474642009-11-19T09:38:00.003-05:002009-11-19T10:22:37.746-05:00

Back in our November 4, 2009 edition of "Sports Media Best Practices", we talked about "Understanding Twitter Lists So You Can Leverage Them." One of the downsides discussed was what looked like the inability to add yourself to your own twitter lists. But there is a sort of non-intuitive way to do it. In this article, we will talk about why you want to add yourself to your own lists, and how to

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-17674160988954947672009-11-18T09:30:00.003-05:002009-11-18T09:30:00.847-05:00

Seth Davis really scared me yesterday with this tweet: "Siena was down 14 to a good Northeastern team with 7 minutes to play in first half, came back to win by 6. Now you understand my man-crush." Now Siena (2-0, 0-0 MAAC) is a good team and head of the class in the MAAC, but Northeastern (0-1, 0-0 Colonial)? I don't know if a typical MAAC-style come from behind win is man-crush worthy. Rider

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-19835581445445017202009-11-17T12:35:00.001-05:002009-11-17T12:37:14.582-05:00

Late last week I noticed an addition to the ESPN.com web site menu. It was a drop down with direct links to blogs and the Ombudsman column. This looked like welcome addition as it has always been painful finding a direct link to the ombudsman column on the site. Ken Fang of Fang's Bites linked to Eric Fisher's Sports Business Daily article about the new addition to the site yesterday.

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-2579594966563956732009-11-16T14:05:00.002-05:002009-11-17T00:11:54.062-05:00

This weekend was a rough one for men's basketball teams in the Western Division of the Southeastern Conference (SEC). On Friday night, Rider (1-0, 0-0 MAAC) upset then 19th ranked Mississippi State (0-1, 0-0 SEC) 88-74, knocking them out of the Top 25. The nest day, defending Ivy League Champ Cornell (1-0, 0-0 Ivy League) upended Alabama (0-1, 0-0 SEC) 71-67. Added in this mix was Auburn scoring

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-36146755772334249772009-11-16T12:41:00.001-05:002009-11-16T12:42:32.902-05:00

Every week we watch college football and other games on various network outlets. But just how many people does it take to bring the game to your television screen? Here is a group shot of the ESPN crew that supports the Mark Jones and Bob Davie called broadcasts.  2009/Eye on Sports Media There are 32 people in this group shot taken before this past Saturday's Auburn - Georgia broadcast on

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-68512853668652340002009-11-16T12:05:00.003-05:002009-11-19T09:44:19.240-05:00

The days of broadcast networks owning their own fleet of mobile production units. A long time ago, they outsourced this capital equipment. But there is a downside to that. When CBS Sports, Fox Sports, and ESPN are covering games, people walking by the truck "compounds" do not know, or may not know, who they are. So how does a sports network overcome the lack of branding? The answer is actually

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-88683758588100994172009-11-16T11:43:00.001-05:002009-11-19T09:44:45.010-05:00

Nothing was published this weekend as I was a bit busy. Saturday afternoon/evening was spent working the Auburn University - University of Georgia football game. Yesterday I was cloistered away in a chilly, dark room with a bug. No, not the H1N1/Swine flu, but with the equipment, called the bug, that generates the scores and stats that appear at the top of your screen during a game. While I was

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-36348445610382936722009-11-13T12:49:00.001-05:002009-11-13T12:50:45.304-05:00

Tomorrow on CBS College Sports, the 4th-ranked Horned Frogs of TCU (9-0, 5-0 Mountain West) host 16-ranked Utah (8-1, 5-0 Mountain West) at Amon G. Carter Stadium in Fort Worth (TX) in a game with huge national implications. It is a safe bet that CBS College Sports has never had a game of this magnitude. Atlanta Tom Hart will be calling the play by play, Aaron Taylor has the analysis, and Lauren

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-59050977498253866422009-11-13T10:41:00.000-05:002009-11-13T10:41:13.718-05:00

After taking a bye week ourselves last week (i.e. not posting the week 9 assignments), we are back with the week ten broadcast assignments for the 2009 National Football League season. Of course, because of the timing, we are not including last night's NFL Network game between da Bears and the 49ers. We think Jay Cutler wishes nobody knew the game was on the schedule. Fox Sports has the

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-24533641637322090972009-11-12T11:26:00.001-05:002009-11-12T11:28:16.910-05:00

For this Yankee (or as they say in the South - Damn Yankee), the start of the college football season in Athens, Georgia never really feels like football season. Until recently, the early games at Sanford Stadium were against no-name teams and started at 1:00 in the afternoon, in 95 degree temperatures, and no shade. It was a far cry from youthful September afternoons going to games at at Michie

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-4795273460506321182009-11-11T11:14:00.000-05:002009-11-11T11:14:10.993-05:00

ESPN announced today that it has entered into an agreement with Spring Editora, a leading Brazil-based magazine publisher, to launch Revista ESPN, a monthly, Portuguese-language version of ESPN The Magazine. The new publication will be built around locally relevant editorial content customized by Spring Editora, to satisfy the interests of Brazilian sports fans. Revista ESPN will have cover

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-59856316304919251862009-11-11T11:08:00.001-05:002009-11-11T11:16:06.670-05:00

O Brasil vai ganhar uma versão própria da revista ESPN. No próximo dia 10, a Spring Editora lançará a primeira edição brasileira da publicação, que chega às bancas com tiragem de 50 mil exemplares, periodicidade mensal, circulação nacional, e traz como reportagem de capa um perfil exclusivo do Pelé, considerado o “atleta do século”. Note: The English language version of this release is available

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-1409901162496576682009-11-10T10:12:00.001-05:002009-11-10T10:14:22.404-05:00

Victor Hugo is credited with once opining that "Forty is the old age of youth, fifty is the youth of old age." I do not know if this applies in the case of ESPN anchor Linda Cohn, who turns 50 today. After all, her Facebook status reads: "Listening to Foreigner w/o Lou Grahm on Howard Stern Show singing acoustic. "Feels Like the First Time". Good way to begin birthday!" I hope to feel

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-4737195763123098642009-11-10T09:47:00.001-05:002009-11-10T09:49:02.361-05:00

One of the more innovative web development interfaces that has come along in recent years is AJAX (Asynchronous JavaScript and XML). The use of AJAX allows web developers to dynamically change content on a web page without having to refresh the entire page in a web browser. There are divisions in the the web developer community on the downsides of using AJAX from a usability standpoint. So with

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-47072022500498989402009-11-09T08:30:00.003-05:002009-11-09T08:30:01.076-05:00

The 2009 - 2010 College Basketball season kicks off tonight, ESPNU has three games including Isiah Thomas's collegiate coaching debut against North Carolina and Syracuse trying to rebound from their exhibition loss to cross-town Division II rival Le Moyne College. The Big Ten Network tips off with Alcorn State visiting The Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. You can find the full

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-56349862817646756462009-11-07T14:11:00.004-05:002009-11-07T14:16:41.580-05:00

ESPN has built a fairly impressive web platform. Like others, I do not particularly care for the new userface too much. But I do love ESPN360.com to catch games I cannot otherwise see. I do not, however, like bait and switch tactics. I do not like being told to go to ESPN360 to watch a game they KNOW I cannot see because of blackout restrictions. Here I sit, taking a break from outside yard

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-15983594403942729562009-11-07T09:58:00.001-05:002009-11-07T14:48:33.620-05:00

Athens, GA (Nov 7, 2009) - The following is the first cut of the 2009 - 2010 Women's College Basketball Television Broadcast Schedule. This is the companion to the 2009 - 2010 Men's College Basketball Television Broadcast Schedule published on October 28, 2009. Note that this schedule is based on the best available information at the time of initial data validation, as provided by the schools,

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214755505913496802.post-19913791447704853292009-11-06T15:19:00.001-05:002009-11-06T15:19:22.725-05:00

The 2009 - 2010 Men's College Basketball TV Schedule Database has been updated to include the full slate of Mountain West Conference games. Take a gander and if you see any teams and/or games missing, be sure to let us know! The women are coming soon, I promise!

Christopher Byrnehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02918413523036595356noreply@blogger.com0