Tuesday, May 29, 2007

ottawasenators.com Stanley Cup press credentials: Ottawa Senators say bloggers need not apply.

As the Stanley Cup finals began Monday in Anaheim, Calif., between the Ottawa Senators and the Anaheim Ducks (Quick, could someone please tell the mainstream media?!), hockey folks find themselves stuck in that tired just-who-is-a-journalist argument again.

For a professional sport that often has to go begging for coverage, blogs should be a godsend. Forward-thinking media relations people like Nate Ewell, who just happens to work for Ted Leonsis's Washington Capitals, knows a good blog from a bad one and understands that the only bad coverage is no coverage at all.

But up in Ottawa, where you'd think the Senators' organization would be thrilled with all the coverage it can get for its first appearance in the finals, there seems to be some question as to whether those so-called "typo-ridden excuses for journalists" (I'm summarizing in anything but my own opinion) should be permitted in the press box to share hot dog and donuts with the mainstream hockey media.

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One of those dirty little bloggers, Martin Thornell, whose blog is aptly named Hockeydirt, writes about contacting Phil Legault (vice president of communications for the Senators) earlier in the season about the team's media credentials policy for bloggers. The Washington Capitals have been credentialing bloggers now for the better part of two years.

Legault, in making an argument against credentialing bloggers, pointed out the difference in markets between Metro D.C. and Ottawa, but also raised the issue of standards: "... regardless of number trained and professional media that attend Senators games and practices, our main concern revolves primarily around the standards set for bloggers. At present, there are none."

Hockeydirt said the Senators' policy was "fair and reasonable, but also very safe and even short-sighted. Teams in the Canadian markets where hockey is always the sports story and where the demand for press box access exceeds the available space have little choice but to be highly selective when granting press box access. On the other hand, every team in every market aims to attract new fans. By opening themselves up to coverage by bloggers, vloggers and podcasters, teams like the Senators have an opportunity to generate coverage from unique perspectives that will attract and appeal to new audiences."

Another excellent hockey blogger, Eric McErlain from Offwing Opinion, has a good entry about the ongoing debate over giving bloggers access to the press box -- including a link to a Sports Media Journal poll on the issue. McErlain, at Leonsis's request, created a set of guidelines for granting credentials to bloggers and other online correspondents -- the first such set of guidelines I'm aware of.

Given the lack of mainstream media coverage of the NHL in many markets, including metro-Washington D.C., bloggers and other online correspondents provide niche coverage that any league franchise should welcome.

Think not? Thirty-five years ago, when I was just getting started out in journalism at the South Bend (IN) Tribune, I would occasionally drive 90 miles to the old Chicago Stadium to cover the Black Hawks, who sold out every seat in those days. I literally had to beg the public relations director to grant me credentials (and the Tribune had a circulation of more than 120,000 in those days). I can still remember him saying, "What do we need you for?" Today, the Black Hawks are the worst-drawing team in the NHL. They could probably use a few bloggers -- let alone the South Bend Tribune!

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