Blogs with Balls

Sports Media Weekly No. 123- Greg Wyshynski, Puck Daddy Blog, Yahoo Sports

We run the gamut of topics on this week’s edition of Sports Media Weekly.

Ken Fang of Fang’s Bites and I lead-off by talking about the extension issued by NASCAR to Fox Sports to continue to telecast Sprint Cup races through the year 2022.  We discuss the online aspects of the $2.4 billion deal, and whether ESPN, Turner, and/or perhaps NBC Sports Network may be in play for the remainder of the package when it comes up for bid.

We keep it with auto racing as we discuss the news that NBC has attained the rights to Formula One racing beginning next year.

Ken and I then discuss the NFL/MLB double header Joe Buck pulled for Fox this past Sunday.

We move to sports radio as Dan Patrick announced today that the simulcast of his weekday radio program will no longer be telecast on Fox Sports Net.  Perhaps a move to NBC Sports Network?  Ken seems to think so.

We wrap-up our news briefly (and I mean briefly) talking about next year’s Steelers/Vikings contest in London and the announcement that Beyonce will perform at halftime of Super Bowl XLVII.

Our guest this week is timely.  We speak with Greg Wyshynski, author of the Puck Daddy blog at Yahoo Sports.  We talk to Greg about the news today of headway potentially being made in the NHL lockout.  Greg also fills us in what he’s been writing about without the NHL, his thoughts of ESPN’s coverage of the KHL, and his recent participation at Blogs with Balls 5 in Toronto.

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Sports Media Weekly Podcast No. 71- Kyle Bunch, Blogs With Balls

After a week off Ken Fang of Fang’s Bites and I are back for another edition of the Sports Media Weekly Podcast.

This week Ken and I look at ESPN’s extension to continue to telecast Monday Night Football through the year 2021 and the implications it may have for CBS, FOX, NBC, cable subscribers, and ESPN itself.

We also look at how the changing landscape of college sports conferences will have on television rights, specifically the Big East, which will soon lose Syracuse and Pitt to the ACC.

And we take a look at the new studio sports line-up over at Versus, as it continues to put up programming to compete with ESPN.

Our guest this week is Kyle Bunch, one of the organizers for this week’s Blogs with Balls conference in New York City.  Kyle talks about what the conference has evolved as it enters its fourth edition.  He also goes over the line-up at this year’s event and how the perception of blogs has changed in the last few years.

Ken and I will be at the conference and will have a complete wrap-up next week.

Sports Media Weekly Podcast #5- Glenn Moore, Sports Media 360 Conference

Sports Media WeeklyTime for another edition of the Sports Media Weekly Podcast.

No news this week, just a guest.  Ken Fang of Fang’s Bites joins me to interview Glenn Moore, organizer of the upcoming Sports Media 360 Conference slated for Cleveland, OH October 23-25th.

Glenn gives us a preview of the conference, as well as his opinion on why he established this conference off the heels of the Blogs with Balls conferences held in New York in June and Las Vegas this week…

Blogs With Balls Video- Jonathan Tannenwald, Philly.com

Another member of the mainstream media at the Blogs with Balls conference was Jonathan Tannenwald of Philly.com.  Here is our conversation on what he hoped to get out of the conference…

Tannenwald had quite a bit more to say about the conference at Philly.com.  Here is his review of the conference.  Here are Q&A’s with organizers Chris Lucas and Dan Poiva of HHR Media.  And one with Deadspin editor AJ Daulerio.

That’s all the video we have from Blogs with Balls.  Overall it was a wonderful opportunity to network with other bloggers and to learn from those who have been successful in making writing online their passion and profession.  It was well worth the trip.

Blogs With Balls Video- Neil Best, Newsday

Members of the mainstream media did have a presence at the Blogs with Ball conference. One of the columnists who understands the role of sports bloggers is Neil Best, sports media columnist for Newsday. Here’s our talk…

It’s apparent that Neil understands the evolving trends in technology and sports reporting and has done his best to adapt to them. He’s one of the good guys. Thanks again Neil!

Blogs With Balls Video- Ken Fang, Fang’s Bites

Here is my interview from the Blogs with Balls Conference with Ken Fang of Fang’s Bites…

In terms of the lighting issues we faced, this interview was the best of the bunch. Thanks go out to the Blogs with Balls television crew who happened to be filming in the area and added the extra light.

Ken has become a good friend of SMJ. And what I said at the top of the clip is true. We both live in Rhode Island, less that 25 miles from each other. It’s probably not a stretch to say that the Ocean State has the highest number of sports media bloggers in relation to the size of their home state than anywhere in the country. Thanks again Ken!

Blogs With Balls Video- Peter King Opening

The organizers at the Blogs with Balls conference promoted the event by telling attendees that their opening speaker would be someone of note.  That lead speaker proved to be none other than Sports Illustrated’s Peter King.  He wasn’t at the event, but did pre-tape a greeting.

Here is my video of King’s prepared remarks…

Say what you want about Peter King, but give him credit for recognizing the work sports bloggers put forth.

Blogs With Balls Recap- With Video

I am so glad to have had the opportunity to attend the Blogs With Balls conference this past Saturday in New York.   It was great to have so many people within the sports blogging community together in one room.

I thought the conference itself was well planned and, overall, informative. But for those of us who closely follow the trends in new media and advances made by those in the sports blogging community, no new ground was uncovered.

The opinions of the panelists were refreshing, yet expected; we sports bloggers are doing some great work…we are the future…etc.

I was a bit disappointed in the final panel discussion entitled, “Why We Hate You…The Media’s Take.”   Here were the panelists:

Jeff Pearlman, Author, SI.com Columnist
Amy K. Nelson, ESPN
Dan Steinberg, The Washington Post’s D.C. Sports Bog
Jeff Pyatt, Real Clear Sports
Bethlehem Shoals, Free Darko, The Sporting Blog
Mike Hall, NESN
MODERATOR: Dan Levy, On the DL Podcast

The panelists did provide a lively discussion, but as you look at the list of panelists, only Jeff Pearlman and Amy Nelson have spent their entire career in the mainstream media.  The others on the panel may have had MSM experience, but also possess a working knowledge of blogs.  It would have been more beneficial if the entire panel were made up of those in the establishment media, especially those critical of bloggers.

Heading into the conference I was disappointed by not having the ability to live blog from the site.  But it turned out to be  a welcomed relief not to have Internet access.  It afforded me more time to meet with people, share stories, and make new contacts.  It was nice to get away from the technology for a few hours.

I did take my video camera and was able to conduct interviews with some of the people in attendance at the conference.  That leads me to one other criticism…the conference was held in the basement of Stout NYC, a restaurant in Manhattan.  The atmosphere was superb, but the lighting was not suitable for video.   Most of our interviews were conducted in front of a dartboard illuminated by a spotlight.  So take that into consideration when viewing the videos.

My first video was not in front of the dartboard spotlight.  It was in a similarly dimly lit room which was used by event organizers as a holding area for the speakers.  It’s with Chris Lucas of HHR Media, the organizers of Blogs With Balls…

Check back as I will post more video interviews from the conference in the coming days.

UPDATE: SMJ at BwB

Just heard from the organizers of the Blogs with Balls conference and it looks like Internet access will be sporadic…so no live blogging for me tomorrow.

I will have my video camera and audio recorder, so let’s hope I can get some material to share with you next week.

Tweeting is being encouraged by the attendees.  If you will not be at the event, and want to follow on Twitter, you can do so at #blogswithballs.

I probably won’t be tweeting.  I need Internet access to do so.  Guess I’ll mainly be a spectator.  Too bad.  For a conference that is promoting new technologies and media, it would have been nice to be able to live blog from the site.  I surmise that the larger than expected crowd threw the organizers for a loop.  Next time let’s hope there is a larger, more media friendly venue.

Enjoy your weekend!