Happy w/Press Coverage in Your Area?

With the rain and cold postponing the ball games this week, we need something to chew on.... So.... Just curious how the newspaper and TV covers fastpitch in the different areas of the state and are you happy? Would we ever be happy?

In Asheville, the Asheville Citizen Times, in my opinion, has increased coverage of softball and most prep sports significantly over the past 2 years. It used to be articles on football, basketball and baseball.. plus box scores for softball...if we were lucky. Softball used to get 3-4 articles per YEAR at best. Then it was only the top guns, Enka and Owen... and only when they were playing each other, plus a time or two in the playoffs. Now, ACT covers baseball, mixed in with a little of everything....soccer, softball, golf, track...etc.

This year they have increased the coverage to about one, sometimes two softball articles per week, with a weekly honor roll, a verbal summary of games on some days, plus the box scores. That, in my opinion, (although I bet I'm going to get some tomatoes thrown at me) is worth a 'sitting' ovation for ACT. My biggest complaint would be that they are too focused on the teams atop the 3A and 4A conference. This year if I'm not mistaken, they have only covered games which include Enka, TCR, North Buncombe or Reynolds. I believe they have totally left out the Western Highlands 2A teams such as Owen, Pisgah or West Henderson.

So, is ACT doing a fair volume of fastpitch games considering all the other prep sports? And... is it reasonable business and good for sales to only cover the top conference teams or would ACT sell more papers if they covered a little bit of everyone until the end of the season? Should the paper cover games which have no bearing on the conference title? And last, but more importantly, why aren't they covering 2A games yet? Are we giving them notice? I suspect some Owen supporters have called and let ACT know about the big games to no avail.

Does it sell papers to give better coverage of all prep sports? I gotta believe it does. If I know, my child or a friend's child has a chance of being in the paper on any given day, whether its football, softball or tennis, I'm buying.

And finally ... local TV. My momma always said don't say anything if you don't have anything good to say. Softball doesn't get on the radar screen in WNC until the 1st round of the playoffs...maybe. I guess we are supposed to be thankful. NOT. Girls basketball gets great TV sports coverage. Why not softball? At least give us the scores? WLOS TV coverage sucks. Sorry Mom.

Cosmo Hawk

 

Interesting subject and I agree with your assessment of media coverage provided to most of us. I believe we have witnessed a great deal of progress over the last few years and feel the media we are using now is more effective....... minus the action shots and provides a statewide audience and beyond. Here is my take(Grade) on the local newspapers and local TV coverage:

Charlotte Observer readers (my daily) are lucky to have One article of more than 2 paragraphs, per week, but do provide daily boxscores from reporting teams and normally list games to be played. They could do more, so..... C

Daily Courier (Rutherford County) does an outstanding job in my opinion, (my friends there may throw tomatoes at me as well)! Two or three time a week, a photo or two and a well written account of the game plus the boxscore appears in their newspaper! Obiviously a priority to them and got to remember only 3 hs in a small county. They still get .......... B

Gaston Gazette (Gastonia/KingsMtn) does a daily two paragraph article on local team results(if reported)plus boxscores and will mix it up with other spring sports for a Feature(Photo and nice write-up).........soo maybe two or three a season plus the good playoff coverage! I will leave farther comments to my friends from Gastonia and Kings Mtn area....greenwave1, I give them ....................B-

Hickory Record, from what I have read over the years is probably the worst in our area..........................softball4ever may add or disagree? IMO......................D

Shelby Star is on the same press as the Hickory Record.....................................................................D

TV Coverage with what 4 stations in Charlotte and local TV to boot...........One maybe two a year and some playoff coverage and then only the top teams are shown. I think this media has improved over the years as the sport as gained popularity and the audience demanding more coverage. With the NCHSAA deciding to publish a weekly poll, perhaps, all-state players being named in May and more and more talented programs establishing themselves in the "media's eyes"; coverage by the TV and newspapers will contiune to expand. By no means am I satisified or content, so we must maintain communications with all media outlets, its directors and staff to ensure the girls recieve proper exposure and recognition for their athletic experience and accomplishments. Charlotte, Gastonia, Rock Hill, Shelby and Hickory area TV with 3 plus stations and a huge market..........C

Thanks for an interesting topic and lets hope for some sunshine so we can get back on the field. Contiune to keep this board informed on WNC Softball and you dedication to our female athletes! Sorry for such a HUGE post.......................................D-

 

I would have to disagree with the Asheville paper. I mean Reynolds beat Alexander Central and I didn't see a word mentioned about it. I mean they broke a seven year conference winning streak. Give'em some press.





GOD BLESS AMERICA AND HER TROOPS

 

Has it been that long?

Reynolds and AC in the same conference since 1996, boy if so, time isssssss flying? I know ACR took Crest's spot when they dropped CHS to 3A.....but I have a real good feeling it hasn't been that long? Someone will post it before I Find my notes and date!!!!!!

 

CFBALL I THINK FP SUPER IS CORRECT EAST BURKE WAS ONLY TEAM TO BEAT ACHS IN A REGULAR SEASON FASTPITCH GAME. THAT WAS IN 1996 OR 97.

 

FP Super.........my bad! I misunderstood initially and thanks to homerun for refreshing my memory but You Did!!! It was worthy of a nice writeup and not to mention TV coverage.

 

I would have liked to have read something about the game as well. I only found out and reconfirmed that Alexander returned the favor a few days later by reading a post in this board rocks. FPSuper, if you are a Reynolds fan post some game highlights for us. I wrote a couple of posts from two games that Reynolds played but I am at the Enka games and can only write about those few games that I am able to attend when Enka is not playing. A couple of Reynolds players are on my traveling team and they are very very good. Dana Burton and Janelle Trifon.
Good Luck to Reynolds and I await the rematch game with them after spring break.

 

News coverage

In the mountains, we have two papers that cover softball - c.times/Times-News. Times-news usually does a preview for softball and baseball and has ever year that I have been involved with softball. The parents/athletes all look forward to this. This year they only did baseball - using excuses for not doing softball. The preview usually covers both basseball and softball together. Basically, they took a step backwards letting the girls know once again that they're not worhty. Several parents have called and complained, but to no prevail. That was not right.

The Asheville paper covered a game between West/Owen - big game - 9innings- The paper came out with maybe 5 sentences.
This paper is not very friendly to Coaches calling games in either. They want games called in at their convience- like right after the game. They have upset a few coaches with their attitudes. Basically, we could be satisfied with the coverage, but really its not that good.

 

Press Coverage

I have always been dissapointed in the coverage of softball by the press. I quit buying the Charlotte Observer and Hickory Daily record a couple years ago because of their lack of coverage of high school sports in general. Both of these papers basically cover national sports that you can see through TV coverage. I buy a paper to get more local news.
I will say that our local paper the Lenoir News Topic does a very good job covering high school sports. Their coverage of softball has been excelent in years past but has droped off some this year. They still have a small article on every game but not the detailed coverage they have had in the past. When baseball and softball play the baseball coverage will be half a page and softball will be 1 or 2 paragraphs. These girls work just as hard as the boys and should get just as much coverage. If the papers think that not as many people care about softball like they do baseball they are wrong. One example: This year at the first South Caldwell Home game the softball ticket sales was more than the home baseball and soccer game sales were combined. All three games were being held at the same time. Still both of those games had bigger articles in the next days paper.
Still the Lenoir paper does give softball some coverage and that is better than none at all.

 

CF BALL If you remember Crest left the NW4A after the 2001 season. I believe your daughter started for that team then left for E. Rut., AC Reynolds first season in the NW4A was last season. I agree with scfan the Lenior Newstopic is one of the better papers concerning high schoolsports.


There website is www.newstopic.net



Like most of you the Charlotte Disturber stinks



GOD BLESS AMERICA AND HER TROOPS KNOCK IT DOWN