Old Media Disconnect from Reality

[Hawk90]

Old Media's Disconnect from Reality

I just re-read Rick Brown's article. http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...ntz-fatigue-whether-coach-wants-win/20530525/ Once again, the old media pokes at the message boards: "Dissatisfaction seems to be growing inside the fan base, beyond anonymous message board rants." He isn't alone in his jabs at the message boards. But I think that he is missing the point.

I have not heard a good word spoken about the Iowa football program for months, at work, around town. It seems the message board posters tend to be avid fans, true. But right now I think they are more representative of the Iowa fan base than the callers on Dolph's call-in show. "Hey coach, what did you and Mary have for Thanksgiving Dinner?" Am I way off base? Or has the fanbase reached a tipping point?

 

[INTIMIDATORHawk]

As I left Kinnick after the Nebraska loss, I can honestly say I've never heard such a negative tone from Hawk fans. I've been to a LOT of games at Kinnick, and the mood of the fans has definitely turned.

KF lost a lot of his "loyalists" this year.

 

[1977Hawkeye]

I'm starting to think that things are not too far behind with the basketball program, unless Fran can get this season turned around and the team makes the NCAA Tournament. Another NIT won't do anything to improve the fan base's mood, either.

 

[hawkdrummer1]

I love the idea that the "anonymous message boards" are somehow assumed to be illegitimate. On the contrary...I think you get the most honest opinions here you will anywhere. Anonymity isn't always a bad thing.

Columnists don't dare cut their own heads off. Writers play hard ball a lot more with pro sports, but in college...and especially with Iowa... these guys know where there bread is buttered.

 

[Hawk90]

I love the idea that the "anonymous message boards" are somehow assumed to be illegitimate. On the contrary...I think you get the most honest opinions here you will anywhere. Anonymity isn't always a bad thing.

Columnists don't dare cut their own heads off. Writers play hard ball a lot more with pro sports, but in college...and especially with Iowa... these guys know where there bread is buttered.

God forbid that they pull their press credentials and access to free food.

 

[uihawk82]

I agree that average level headed hawk fans are really getting tired of stale/unexciting offense and losing to poor teams. I have to say I cannot remember a year under KF when the hawks did not really have a complete game. Even the 2nd half of jNW blowout the offense went back to head in the sand.

2012 had a very complete tough wins against MSU and Minny to start the Big 10.

 

[trj]

As I left Kinnick after the Nebraska loss, I can honestly say I've never heard such a negative tone from Hawk fans. I've been to a LOT of games at Kinnick, and the mood of the fans has definitely turned.

KF lost a lot of his "loyalists" this year.

That is a biggie......KF's job security slowly starts to erode.

 

[Cory]

I agree that average level headed hawk fans are really getting tired of stale/unexciting offense and losing to poor teams. I have to say I cannot remember a year under KF when the hawks did not really have a complete game. Even the 2nd half of jNW blowout the offense went back to head in the sand.

2012 had a very complete tough wins against MSU and Minny to start the Big 10.

The MSU game was far from complete. It set offensive football back two decades.

 

[NCHawker]

God forbid that they pull their press credentials and access to free food.

It's bigger than the reporter's courage here. The reporter works for a company. The reporters' job is to provide coverage for their employer. If they go get themselves fired from Iowa they are likely also going to get their employer fired from covering Iowa too. Not something any media outlet wants.

There's a bit more to it than how macho the reporter is.

 

[tm3308]

Re: Old Media's Disconnect from Reality

I just re-read Rick Brown's article. http://www.hawkcentral.com/story/sp...ntz-fatigue-whether-coach-wants-win/20530525/ Once again, the old media pokes at the message boards: "Dissatisfaction seems to be growing inside the fan base, beyond anonymous message board rants." He isn't alone in his jabs at the message boards. But I think that he is missing the point.

I have not heard a good word spoken about the Iowa football program for months, at work, around town. It seems the message board posters tend to be avid fans, true. But right now I think they are more representative of the Iowa fan base than the callers on Dolph's call-in show. "Hey coach, what did you and Mary have for Thanksgiving Dinner?" Am I way off base? Or has the fanbase reached a tipping point?

You might want to read that for a third time. He directly acknowledges that the discontent has spread past just the message board crowd, which (like it or not) is typically more on the fringe than the average fan, making their opinions easier to dismiss. Whether you think he was taking a jab at the anonymous message board crowd or not, he definitely didn't miss the real point.

 

[tm3308]

It's bigger than the reporter's courage here. The reporter works for a company. The reporters' job is to provide coverage for their employer. If they go get themselves fired from Iowa they are likely also going to get their employer fired from covering Iowa too. Not something any media outlet wants.

There's a bit more to it than how macho the reporter is.

Yeah, the free food is one thing (Michigan definitely put out a nice spread for the 2012 football game, and the Big Ten tournament food was nice), but losing access would be a gigantic deal. You can't do your job without access, so without access, you probably don't have a job.

 

[Hawk90]

I doubt that even Kirk and Gary are not dumb enough to send a DM Register, or even a CR Gazette reporter packing.

 

[uihawk82]

The MSU game was far from complete. It set offensive football back two decades.

You have to look at the defense the hawks were playing that day, my son was at that game and he said it was rainy and windy.

the hawks were going up against a really tough defense and yeah they didnt score 42 points but they also didnt turn the ball over 5 times ,

They won the game, the defense played great, they offense was solid. You have to look at the whole picture.

 

[tm3308]

I doubt that even Kirk and Gary are not dumb enough to send a DM Register, or even a CR Gazette reporter packing.

They might not yank their creds and send them packing, but they can be pretty uncooperative and make the job a helluva lot tougher.

 

[SmokeTownHawk]

I doubt that even Kirk and Gary are not dumb enough to send a DM Register, or even a CR Gazette reporter packing.

I can still remember when Hayden got Ron Gonder kicked off WMT broadcasts. That was all that was needed to make the evil media little more than corporate toadies.

 

[ColoradoHAWKEYE]

I doubt that even Kirk and Gary are not dumb enough to send a DM Register, or even a CR Gazette reporter packing.

Exactly this....Iowa needs the DMR and Gazette more than those papers need "access". Internally, the reporters might face there own job security, but the papers as a whole are not going to be denied because they happen to opine and call out the University, a dept, a coach, or an admin member.

Now in reality, unless it's really bad (Penn St bad), they are not going to make storms...but it sure wouldn't hurt if they made some of these recent ripples into a wave or two! That can and should happen.

 

[gohawkz]

They might not yank their creds and send them packing, but they can be pretty uncooperative and make the job a helluva lot tougher.

If there were real media here then the coaching staff would be the ones feeling the heat if they blackballed people. Someone should tell the coaches in tough markets like New York that all you have to do is stop talking to people who dare question you.

 

[jo12208]

They might not yank their creds and send them packing, but they can be pretty uncooperative and make the job a helluva lot tougher.

The media in most college towns are not journalists. They are nothing more than PR people and *** kissers.

 

[homes]

The anonymous message boards have become the critical arm of a college athletic department. Over the top sometimes? No doubt. But there's a lot of very wise and credible criticism offered up on these pages and others. Maybe the media members have to protect themselves for purposes of access, but as I understand it, there are reporters and there are opinion writers. The reporters are the ones who need access, the opinion writers do not. Given smaller and smaller budgets in local media outlets, there's likely not room for both, so those that work there are asked to wear both hats, a tough (and unfair) balance for them to try to achieve.

 

[toddhawkwi]

I can still remember when Hayden got Ron Gonder kicked off WMT broadcasts. That was all that was needed to make the evil media little more than corporate toadies.

OK I'll bite here... I have no idea what this references. I've always had the utmost respect for Ron Gonder and felt that he and Mike Reilly were on a COMPLETELY different level than Brooks or Zabel in every way. When Frosty Mitchell bought the station and put himself in the booth their broadcasts became a SICK joke far worse than listening to Zabel and trying to have a clue what was actually going on. What happened here?
Todd Wenndt