Some thoughts on the MSU Media

MSUDC11

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Aug 23, 2012
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There has been a ton of taking what the GP/247 crew has reported and running with it from our fans in recent weeks. And more often than not the guy that they have zeroed in on hasn’t ended up being the hire. Judge, Sark, now Newberry. There was some reporting on Leach being in the mix but not nearly as much as these other guys.

I think the fans are partly to blame for it all, and Steve and Paul probably haven’t helped matters a ton. They’ve been awfully confident about some guys that ended up not getting hired. There’s certainly been some jumping the gun. They would probably argue that they never said anything was a done deal, which is technically correct. But saying you’re “99% sure” is still putting a lot of confidence in what you’re saying.

The other thing I’ll say is the fact that they are the only media source that is generating any information on these searches says a lot about our media corps as a whole. I realize we don’t have just a ton of people covering us, but surely 247 isn’t the only place that can get information out there. All the information I’ve seen from other media has just been regurgitating what Steve and Paul have reported until the University officially reports something.

Perhaps the 247 crew is just the most “plugged in” around these parts. And perhaps the traditional print and radio media has a higher burden of proof than the internet guys. But it’s bothered me how 247’s reporting has been considered the gospel truth by many this month and more often than not they’ve missed the mark. And that’s really the only source of reporting we’ve had from local media until after the fact.

Part of me wonders if the Mike Bonner thing with Cohen has something to do with it. Bonner had a scoop, reported on it, Keenum and Salter blasted him for it, and then he ended up being right all along. I can see why guys wouldn’t really want to go through that. MSU coverage pays the bills and they don’t want to do anything to risk making MSU mad.

Just some general musings I’ve had. It just seems odd to me that so many people are sitting on the edge of their seats to see what one website has to say (myself included at times). And I don’t mean to necessarily bash 247 here, I am a subscriber to their content and think they have some good writers and reporters for the most part. But what about our other media guys?
 
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MSUDawg25

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Jan 21, 2010
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It’s just the nature of media in 2020. Better to be wrong first than it is to be correct last.

There was no news to report, but people were demanding some kind of news. So they just kinda guessed.
 

RiverCityDawg

All-American
Dec 30, 2009
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You make some good points. I think GP247 are just reporting what they hear as the status at the time then it gets circulated by social media and it gets portrayed like they are making "this is for sure happening" guarantees. Sometimes things fall though, or there is a different angle their source didn't have.

And yeah the others on the beat outside of the GP247 crew literally bring nothing to the table in so far as sourced information. Sometimes they will say afterwards "my sources had been saying this was going to happen", which is nice and convenient, but by in large they don't have new info to add. I seriously think most of them could do their jobs from a state away. With all games on TV we don't really need traditional media to tell us what happened. If they aren't getting information that only boots on the ground could get, I'm not sure what value they add.
 

maroonmania

All-Conference
Feb 23, 2008
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Well, in fairness on the reporting wrt the DC hiring, if its true that Newberry went to Key West and interviewed and then came to campus for a follow up interview. To go that far with it is very odd to not take the job if he was actually offered. Normally both parties are highly interested for things to get that far along so, if he indeed isn't coming, that was an unusual turn of events for sure.
 

MSUDC11

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Aug 23, 2012
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Well, in fairness on the reporting wrt the DC hiring, if its true that Newberry went to Key West and interviewed and then came to campus for a follow up interview. To go that far with it is very odd to not take the job if he was actually offered. Normally both parties are highly interested for things to get that far along so, if he indeed isn't coming, that was an unusual turn of events for sure.

You’re correct about that. I think Steve had good reason to believe what he was reporting. I guess my question is why has Steve (and his 247 colleagues in some instances) really been the only one with any kind of reporting on it?
 

philduckworth

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Feb 20, 2015
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I think when Genespage and 247 were separate entities, the reporting was better. They had a healthy competition against each other that was good for the subscribers of both websites. There is no competition now.

It was the national media that broke the news of the Mike Leach hire so apparently our university isn't giving them any scoops or throwing them any bones.
 

Wizard.sixpack

Freshman
Sep 15, 2009
6,511
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They have ALOT of pressure on them and no answer ever seems to be good enough to satisfy some. I mean it is constantly "P,S,R What is your gut feeling on who we hire?" "Any updates?" I am convinced that some on that board are on there all day constantly hitting refresh to get new information.
 

HD6

Sophomore
Apr 8, 2003
10,019
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Traditional print media can't write stories about what they are hearing, they have to have confirmation before they can go with a story. Sites like 247 can be more lax with that.
 

philduckworth

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Feb 20, 2015
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Hate to say it, but the Ole Miss site is much more organized. I like how Yancy starts a new thread every morning and updates his first post throughout the day as he gets new info.

Also, I've been saying for years, they need 2 and only 2 premium message boards. One board for MSU sports and one board strictly for recruiting. It's kind of an unorganized mess over there. I just can't make myself read through 9 pages of terrible posts just to see a post from Steve or Paul. Much easier to just ask IYOK/Pnut what's going on.
 

Wizard.sixpack

Freshman
Sep 15, 2009
6,511
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One idiot started another thread the other day titled TBUCK...and there was one on the same page titled the same caps and all. He claimed it was new information...It does get really frustrating. Some people just go there and post something without even looking through the board to see if there is a subject already about it which leads to 3 or 4 threads about the same thing.
 

RocketDawg

All-Conference
Oct 21, 2011
20,206
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Well, in fairness on the reporting wrt the DC hiring, if its true that Newberry went to Key West and interviewed and then came to campus for a follow up interview. To go that far with it is very odd to not take the job if he was actually offered. Normally both parties are highly interested for things to get that far along so, if he indeed isn't coming, that was an unusual turn of events for sure.

Maybe he didn't like the campus when he got here, or at least the remoteness compared to the DC area. And, it could be that he likes working with the high quality students he gets at the Naval Academy. Assuming the service academies have the same entrance requirements for athletes (or at least nearly the same), then it's easy to see such a point compared to most other schools. Academy students are by definition disciplined or they wouldn't be there.
 

GTAdawg

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Sep 11, 2010
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For those that pay for MSU content; do you feel like you get better/more information on MSU related material than you cane get from SPS, Twitter, etc.?
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
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Personally, I don't want to hear rumors, rumblings, word is, my source says, etc. That crap together w/ them being proven wrong eventually just tells me they don't know jack shat and makes them look really dumb. I wouldn't even pay their $1 special rate right now to hear conjecture and speculation.
 

MSUDC11

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Aug 23, 2012
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For those that pay for MSU content; do you feel like you get better/more information on MSU related material than you cane get from SPS, Twitter, etc.?

The problem is a lot of that stuff gets copied from pay sites and posted here. So you see it anyway. I do find the discussion to be more down the middle here than on other sites. This site has been tame the last few weeks compared to GP. It is now mostly one extreme or the other over there, either MSU can do no wrong or we are on the verge of imploding.
 
Jul 25, 2014
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There has been a ton of taking what the GP/247 crew has reported and running with it from our fans in recent weeks. And more often than not the guy that they have zeroed in on hasn’t ended up being the hire. Judge, Sark, now Newberry. There was some reporting on Leach being in the mix but not nearly as much as these other guys.

I think the fans are partly to blame for it all, and Steve and Paul probably haven’t helped matters a ton. They’ve been awfully confident about some guys that ended up not getting hired. There’s certainly been some jumping the gun. They would probably argue that they never said anything was a done deal, which is technically correct. But saying you’re “99% sure” is still putting a lot of confidence in what you’re saying.

The other thing I’ll say is the fact that they are the only media source that is generating any information on these searches says a lot about our media corps as a whole. I realize we don’t have just a ton of people covering us, but surely 247 isn’t the only place that can get information out there. All the information I’ve seen from other media has just been regurgitating what Steve and Paul have reported until the University officially reports something.

Perhaps the 247 crew is just the most “plugged in” around these parts. And perhaps the traditional print and radio media has a higher burden of proof than the internet guys. But it’s bothered me how 247’s reporting has been considered the gospel truth by many this month and more often than not they’ve missed the mark. And that’s really the only source of reporting we’ve had from local media until after the fact.

Part of me wonders if the Mike Bonner thing with Cohen has something to do with it. Bonner had a scoop, reported on it, Keenum and Salter blasted him for it, and then he ended up being right all along. I can see why guys wouldn’t really want to go through that. MSU coverage pays the bills and they don’t want to do anything to risk making MSU mad.

Just some general musings I’ve had. It just seems odd to me that so many people are sitting on the edge of their seats to see what one website has to say (myself included at times). And I don’t mean to necessarily bash 247 here, I am a subscriber to their content and think they have some good writers and reporters for the most part. But what about our other media guys?


They didn't know crap on the coaching search. There were people VERY high up in the Athletic Dept. that didn't even know it was Leach until an hour or so before the announcement.

It's all speculation, and amazingly, people pay for it
 

Trojanbulldog19

All-American
Aug 25, 2014
10,143
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yeah. i think the 247 guys tote the water but at same time spew a lot of crap information to sell subscription.

CL is usually the one that gives us the most crap on stuff, but at the same time the CL was really the only one that would hold Jo's feet to the fire on his performance.

We blasted Bonner when he was right and that was a bad look.

Another thing is our beat writers are mostly all pretty big friends and a fraternity of sorts which is understandable because they are all in the same booth together a lot. At the same time though, there doesn't seem to be much competition. It seems like they all source the same source or use each other for information and it's usually the 247. Not many of them are digging very hard to get scoops or it doesn't sound like it. We don't like that sort of thing when it's an arrest or something like that but when it comes to coaching hires fires we want it. Just the nature of the beast.
 

Len2003

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May 13, 2018
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You don't want leaks from your athletic department. It's good that no one knew about Leach until the end.
 

Bulldogg31

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Dec 9, 2013
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I think in many cases the local media can do as much harm as good. Never forget that one of the main reasons Saban is at Bama is because a reporter spillled the beans that Bama had hired RichRod.

When news got back to the WV folks they rallied the troops and wrote RichRod a big fat check to stay with the Mountaineers. When RichRod backed out Bama got back on the phone with Saban.

In hindsight I suppose it worked out pretty well for the Bama folks (***), but for a minute there the “media” really screwed things up.
 

Todd4State

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
17,411
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They didn't know crap on the coaching search. There were people VERY high up in the Athletic Dept. that didn't even know it was Leach until an hour or so before the announcement.

It's all speculation, and amazingly, people pay for it

A lot of the higher ups in the AD probably didn't believe it up until the last hour.

I know I didn't until national media people started tweeting it.

At any rate Leach obviously likes to do business in Key West. That has to make it more difficult to get info.

I remember Gene seeing a pitching coach candidate at Harvey's with Cohen one time. Pretty sure he knew that would happen too.
 
Jan 1, 2020
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For those that pay for MSU content; do you feel like you get better/more information on MSU related material than you cane get from SPS, Twitter, etc.?

No. You get the same BS. It might be worth it for a few months in recruiting before signing day most years but commitments are released on Twitter before Gene’s Page anyway. The other 9-10 months is a complete and total waste. I like Paul and Robbie ok but I can’t stand Jean and Rosebowl so I finally left a few months ago because it’s not worth it. I don’t care about the same lame recruiting articles they write with lead in questions. Same old stuff. “What schools are recruiting you the hardest?” “What’s your relationship like with fill in the blank coach?”
 

Wizard.sixpack

Freshman
Sep 15, 2009
6,511
58
48
well there is no muppet giving us insider information but it is worth the cost. Especially since they have so many $pecials going on all the time.
 

was21

Senior
May 29, 2007
10,011
637
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Actually RR pulled out because Paul Finebaum started a anti RR agenda because his wife had big hair and was country looking like tammy whynot
 

Wizard.sixpack

Freshman
Sep 15, 2009
6,511
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just be glad there is nothing called Skuttle-Butt anymore...or is there? Idk. I am not a fan of that word at all.
 

shotgunDawg

Redshirt
Nov 13, 2011
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They have ALOT of pressure on them and no answer ever seems to be good enough to satisfy some. I mean it is constantly "P,S,R What is your gut feeling on who we hire?" "Any updates?" I am convinced that some on that board are on there all day constantly hitting refresh to get new information.

At least people care.

Those guys are making a fortune right now.

No need to feel sorry for them.

I wonder how many subscribers they have?

15K?
 
Aug 22, 2012
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They didn't know crap on the coaching search. There were people VERY high up in the Athletic Dept. that didn't even know it was Leach until an hour or so before the announcement.
If this is accurate then I'm really proud of the way our marketing and media team as on the ball with their social media stuff on such short notice.
 

diggidydog

Redshirt
Mar 3, 2008
267
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I wish that Paul and Steve would lock their posts that are truly informational. Posters hijack those posts trying to be funny, arguing with one another or posting something to instigate like "where are all the _____ bashers now?" which ends up being a 9 page thread with Steve having two comments in it. That site is borderline unreadable for me but I still go there because, like the OP is insinuating, nobody else is talking about it or providing any information on it.
 

JoelTColeman

Junior
May 24, 2013
2,234
351
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Here’s why you don’t see as much from me. I can give you a very recent example. At 10:30 am the day Leach was hired, I was sitting at Bryan Airfield waiting on Leach. Would have bet everything I owned it was Leach. I said nothing. I can’t be wrong and report “Leach is coming today” if there’s even a 1% chance I’m wrong. 247, in that same situation, could have posted on the board “I’m at the airport and hearing it’s gonna be Leach.” If they’re right, they’re geniuses. If they’re wrong, they can say on a thread somewhere that they were passed bad info and it’s generally swept under the rug. There’s a higher burden of proof and I would say generally a higher level of credibility when you see it from news outlets. Because I know I try to have at least 2 if not 3 rock solid sources. On the Leach deal, that’s why I posted nothing - I knew it, but couldn’t find others to back up the info I had. I dare say I was the first media person in the world to know it was Leach, but I didn’t report it first because of the ever-so-slim chance it was wrong. In all honesty, I’m probably too conservative with things I know and report because I fear reporting bad info.
 

MSUDC11

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Aug 23, 2012
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Here’s why you don’t see as much from me. I can give you a very recent example. At 10:30 am the day Leach was hired, I was sitting at Bryan Airfield waiting on Leach. Would have bet everything I owned it was Leach. I said nothing. I can’t be wrong and report “Leach is coming today” if there’s even a 1% chance I’m wrong. 247, in that same situation, could have posted on the board “I’m at the airport and hearing it’s gonna be Leach.” If they’re right, they’re geniuses. If they’re wrong, they can say on a thread somewhere that they were passed bad info and it’s generally swept under the rug. There’s a higher burden of proof and I would say generally a higher level of credibility when you see it from news outlets. Because I know I try to have at least 2 if not 3 rock solid sources. On the Leach deal, that’s why I posted nothing - I knew it, but couldn’t find others to back up the info I had. I dare say I was the first media person in the world to know it was Leach, but I didn’t report it first because of the ever-so-slim chance it was wrong. In all honesty, I’m probably too conservative with things I know and report because I fear reporting bad info.

Appreciate your input Joel and I understand where you are coming from. That’s a very respectable approach and I would like to think I’d handle things the same way if I was in your shoes.

Someone else already hit on this in the thread, but it seems to be that answer to my question has less to do with the traditional media and more to do with the monopoly that 247 has in regard to reporting from internet sites on MSU. Them buying out Scout likely had much to do with that. And the fact that an MSU Rivals site has never worked doesn’t help either. They are the sole source of that kind of info right now.

Say what you want about the OM media, and most of it is justified, but their Rivals site is an alternative for their fans that we currently don’t have.
 

The Peeper

Heisman
Feb 26, 2008
16,821
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"I like how Yancy starts a new thread every morning and updates his first post throughout the day as he gets new info."

Seriously, you check Yancy's messages every morning and updates throughout the day, and "LIKE" it?
 
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