While listening to the radio today I heard something that has been a pet peeve of mine for a number of years. The story itself isn't a big one, but its where the information originated from that gets me.

According to Fox Sports Ken Rosenthal, Kevin Youkilis was going to sign a one year deal with the New York Yankees. Opinions may vary as to the importance of the news and what it means to the White Sox-whom he most recently played for-but, what gets me is that the local radio and tv people here in the city he played for are not the ones breaking that information. I cannot remember the last time a story involving a team from Chicago was attributed to either WSCR, WMVP or Comcast Sportsnet Chicago. These are the major sports stations in Chicago and yet news involving players or situations regarding the teams seems to be coming from Fox Sports, USA Today, Tribune or Sun Times reporters...but not from the stations whose job it is to cover the local teams. I should say that I think Bruce Levine has reported a few things that hit the news wires, but other than he no one for the city's three outlets is breaking or being credited with news about the teams.

Reporters are to develop and work sources so that they can get information and break stories. Beat calls are supposed to be made every day. Reporters go to practice facilities every day to talk to players and coaches, but who of the three stations I mentioned is digging for stories or news. I had the chance to speak with Brad Biggs one day and I watched him work his cell phone. He was on top of things going on and excused himself to make a call when something came across. He is a reporter. He does what one is supposed to do in that job. What are the guys at SCR, MVP and Comcast doing?

As I said, the Youkilis story, in the grand scheme of things, is not big news. But I would think that the sports stations from the city he last played in would be tracking it better and would be the ones to get that information first. Heck, the team's flagship station gave credit to Rosenthal. Shouldn't SCR have been the one to report it and have credit given to them? While the crutch excuse is that stations don't have the resources in terms of staff I say that's wrong. I worked at a small station that was located in Waukegan and covered Lake County and the Kenosha area. The news department was myself and one other guy, and we were rarely together as I worked mornings and he had afternoons. We made our calls and followed leads to get stories...and it was just the two of us. The stations in town have producers, interns and the reporters themselves who could be making contact with each of the teams in Chicago. I know it's football/basketball season and most of the attention is to the Bears and Bulls. However, there are people who could be working the baseball teams in town to find out what's going on. They seem overly reliant on the newspaper people to get the information first, then report on it after it hits.

Sports directors should be frustrated when their station's on air people are talking about other reporters tweeting out information that their guys should be on top of. "Brad Biggs just tweeted...Mark Gonzalez tweets..." Where are the sports stations guys and why are they not breaking stories?

Beat reporters seem to only be there to gather soundbytes now.

_________________
Kid Cairo's Boers & Bernstein YouTube Channel

Kid Cairo: 2013 March Madness Tournament Winner!

"Cowabunga? Cowa fucking piece of dog shit! This game is diarrhea coming out of my dick!"

Just skimmed through. That wall of words, but if I am correct the local media is soft as shit n virtually. Useless? Agreed.

_________________

Zach has broken news recently. Also, Bruce Levine on ESPN 1000 for Cubs/Sox is good with that too.

It could be that the sources are leaking info to the national guys more so that it will be a bigger story?

_________________

Have to disagree, Chip.

The Score breaks more secret stories that they can't tell you about than any outlet in the country.

_________________
You know me like that.

And then once it breaks, they will say that they knew about it already.

_________________

Noticed this a lot lately, too. LaCanfora scoops the beat guys on Bears stories all the time.

BS, Panther. You said he was done for season (possibly career), and he came back 2 weeks later. Stay on Biggie's shit list if you want....

_________________

When you got called on it , it was 'hey, I am not saying it, some guy I know told me....I don't know anything"

Then a neck injury and all of a sudden you are "Hey, I told you so"

Dropping everyday

_________________
"That's what the internet is for. Slandering others anonymously." Banky
“Been that way since one monkey looked at the sun and told the other monkey ‘He said for you to give me your fuckin’ share.’”

Sometimes the job of a reporter is to save the world from General Zod

I remember last year Mac's producer Jay Zawaski (sp?) breaking the Tazer concussion sorry. Score promos chirped the next 3 days nonstop they broke it.

While listening to a bit of Mac and Spiegs while they talked to Laurence Holmes, Mac said that they were getting word that Gould was officially put on IR. Laurence was talking to the guys from Halas Hall and didn't have it. Mac didn't give credit to where it came from, but my guess is that if it was from, say, Zack, then he would have given credit to him or any other SCR guy who got it. Since no mention of one of their guys getting the story (i.e. Zack just texted that Gould is on IR) was made, I guess they weren't the ones to let Mac know it happened.

It could be that they do want the national attention and could be forwarding on the info. Still, as a reporter, you have to work your sources. Levine is a pro a doing his job and covers the baseball beat for both sides of town very well. He has broken some stories and has a good working relationship with those on his beat. That said, what about everyone else? Why can't they do the same?

Spmack, what story did Zack break? I wouldn't count the sideline reporter stuff because that is his job as he is right there amongst them. He can hear for himself what's being said. What about that which he has to tap into sources to get?

Our local radio and TV guys never break stories. Our newspaper guys break stories every now and then, but not that much. National guys always scoop our locals on like 95% of the stories. Especially when it comes to the Bears.

Larry - Is all about trying to be friends with Bears players. It's very important to him that they all love him for some reason. His time at Halas Hall is spent jock sniffing.

Zack - His main job is to protect the wishbone C at all cost. He'll never break a story that the Bears don't want out. He has the stories a lot of times. But he gets a pay check from the Bears. He'll wait for somebody else to break it before he comments on it.

JD - Don't listen to ESPN 1000 that much. I think I would have heard if he broke a story. So I doubt it. When I hear him, it's basically nothingness in his Bears reports.

TV People - Get the stupid sound bites. Do the 2 minute report. Look good on TV. Go home.

Brad Biggs - Best out city has on the Bears beat. Wants to get a story and looks for stories. TV and Radio people don't want to stick their neck out.

I definitely think that statement is considerably more accurate than it is not.

_________________
Power is always in the hands of the masses of men. What oppresses the masses is their own ignorance, their own short-sighted selfishness.
- Henry George

The only person in this city that says Larry is a good Bears reporter is Larry.

Zack will even refute stories that others break in order to protect the Bears. Zack agrees with Lovie. It's not proper to break stories without Lovie telling you first.

This always makes me laugh. Which one is it, guys? I know it's not terribly important, but it makes me laugh.


John Mullin ‏@CSNMoonMullin
Brandon Marshall: "Alshon Jeffery is a beast. He's going to be a Pro Bowl receiver some day."

Jeff Dickerson ‏@ESPNChiBears
Brandon Marshall says Alshon Jeffery "will be a Pro Bowl receiver, sooner than later."

Bernstein seems to think that Holmes is the person who asks tough questions out at Halas Hall to Lovie Smith.

Of course. That's what years of kissing Bersntein's ass gets him. Praise from the king. Bernstein doesn't mean it. He's paying back Larry for his adoration of him. That's exacly why Larry sucks B&B's collective dick.

I lulz'd

_________________

I posted the same thoughts on a Chicago media board and a number of people had differing opinions about the topic. Most thought that I was overthinking things, but, as I tried to state, it was in who reported the Youkilis information that made me start thinking about the local guys here and what they do. One argument was that since it was football season everyone is putting their efforts into covering the Bears. That being said, then how come no breaking news comes from one of those outlets. Here is the response I sent back:

I appreciate the comments back. Again, I realize that the Youkilis story is not a big deal. It just made me think about something I've wondered about for a while. I do understand that agents may look to a Gammons or Rosenthal, but that means that some people have to work a little harder and try angles that others may not. Levine gets credited with a good deal of baseball news out of Chicago...but that's because he does his job and he does it well. He works the phones, emails, tweets...whatever is necessary. He has cultivated relationships and has been able to make them work to his advantage.

The Youkilis example is far from the best. But, it was something that got me thinking about stories coming out and who's getting that information. Again, I know it is not big news. It's just how the story was reported (Ken Rosenthal is reporting...)that made me think about when the local guys who cover the stories actually broke big news.

Here's an example of why I question the work of people at the stations. When the Kerry Wood news came out people in town started running with something that Dan Bernstein talked about on the air. He said that he was probably headded to the Cubs broadcasting booth because according to people he knows Wood was not going to just be a guy who shows up at events to represent the organization. Local news guys used it on air like this was some sort of "inside" information. Then, when Brenly left, the talk started up again that he may be the guy. Look how that all turned out. How is it that no one seemed to be on top of this? It seemed like some lazy reporting.

What some seem to be missing here is that their jobs are to cover the teams in this town and report on what is going on. Rosenthal is working all the teams in the majors...these stations have to cover just 2. The argument was brought up that since its football season everyone is putting their efforts into the Bears. Then, why hasn't the Score been the ones to break information about injuries or signings or who's being brought in for tryouts? They fall back on what the beat guys from the papers are doing, not what THEY should be doing. To add to the idea of all the efforts going into football season, what happens when baseball season rolls around and there is no competiton? The stations do have several people working the Cubs and Sox locker rooms, yet Levine is the only one who seems to get good information.

What I'm getting at is that it bothers me to hear the local stations constantly credit newspaper guys and national outlets for stories that they should be on top of. The Score and ESPN have guys covering the Bears everyday, but I can't recall the last time I heard one of the outlets be the first to report something on the team.

Brad Biggs does it again. Cutler with an MCL sprain.

Meanwhile, as Biggs was tweeting Culter's MCL injury, Larry had the following tweet: "I really, really, really, really like Lance and Peanut. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha."

chip, an old man once told me several hundred years ago, brevity be the soul of wit

_________________
O judgment! Thou art fled to brutish beasts,
And men have lost their reason.

RIP, WKRS

_________________

Good dolphin,

Sorry about the length of the rant. It comes from being a middle school teacher and being stuck in the mode of having to repeat instructions and things over and over again. I guess I wanted to make it clear.

I'll give you the answer, Chip

Newspapers: They have a standard and expectation that their beat reporters break stories. They compete with the other papers in their market. Beat writers breaking stories, for the Bears especially, sells papers.

Radio: No expectations on their beat guys to do anything other than get the stupid sound bites. PDs and GMs don't demand that they break stories. Radio stations main money makers are their daypart shows. Sound bites for these shows is all they need. Should the reporters take it upon themselves to break stories even though their bosses don't demand it? Sure. But the Larrys, JDs and Zachs of the world don't want to go the extra mile if they don't have to do it. Or they don't want to compromise their relationship with the team and have players not talk to them. Going to Lake Forrest is just standing around and socializing with other media members until the planned press conference happens. Get the sound bite. Go home. Then just go on the air and talk about the Bears the same way you or I do. "Bears need to run more." "Lovie screwed up time management." "This is a big game." Blah, blah, blah, blah. Nothingness. People on this board actually have more insight on the Bears.

I'm not sure how talk shows would exist without columnists to beat up on. Boers and Bernstein show usually devote the opening of their show to reacting to a something someone wrote.

Reporters on the station, Holmes comes to mind, seem more interested in being liked by the players, and these guys also became reporters (or analsysts) after producing a radio show - they don't have much (or any) background in reporting a story. Zaidman reports the news of the day, and I think does his job fine - he's criticized unfairly, in my opinion, for not being negative, but that's not his job. Now, I know Holmes would disagree - he thinks he has the inside scoop on everything, knows where all the skelton's are buried, and has used the analogy that he knows how the sausage is made, but if this is all true, he seems to keep it to himself at the expense of keeping relationships with Bear players.

You're absolutly right. Every reporter at newspapers went to school to be a reporter and are properly trained. Not Larry. Went from answering the phones and then Mitch told him he was the Bears reporter. I don't think he even has a broadcast journalism degree.

For the love of God, the Score had fuckin' Drinky covering the Cubs for a couple of months before they realized how horrible he was. Goff was a producer one day and the next day he became an NBA expert. Then, drunk on his new found power, Goff tweeted to Chicago that Lebron James was a Bull.

Only at the Score. A complete circus.

As far as scoops, I think the national writers just have better lines of communication with the agents. I'm assuming that most of the stories that break come in some fashion from an agent who wants something out there. I just don't think that Holmes sucking up to Charles Tillman or Lance Briggs is going to get him any real information other than a funny story that displays his 15 second laugh because these guys simply are going to be tight lipped on sharing actual information. If I were Holmes or one of these other reporters, I'd be more interested in having an "in" with a few of these agents.

Yes, at the Score, a simple way of elevating the status of a producer is to simply make them an "expert" of a team, when, in reality, they are nothing more than fans of a sport.