MEDIA WATCH: GUARDING MEDIA PROPERTY TOO JEALOUSLY

By Al Mattei

Founder, TopOfTheCircle.com

Want to see a clip of Vince Carter dunking over that 7-foot Frenchman in the Olympics? You can -- if you can see past the large superimposed courtesy logo with the NBC peacock, the Olympic rings, and the words "NBC SPORTS." Any news organization wanting to use the highlights of the Olympics must include this video watermark on any video highlight.

Want to see video highlights of your favorite NASCAR driver after the race is over on RPM 2Night? Want to see a panel discussion the next day with drivers discussing the highlights?You can't. The new agreement between NASCAR and its new broadcast partners has kept other news organizations from using race footage.

Want to see news and interviews surrounding the United States Grand Prix? You had better hope you tune into a channel which was able to get press credentials to the event; many news organizations were turned away at the door in 2000 by Formula One.

In this world of freer access to information, there are an increasing number of sports media properties whose dissemination of, and access to, information has become so closed as to resemble state secrets.

Much of this started with pay-per-view boxing telecasts, where video highlights were embargoed for days and sometimes weeks afterwards.

Still photography was used for a time, until some news organizations used several consecutive frames at key points in the bout, and turned them into, essentially, video footage.

In the PPV era of boxing, where access to information has been restricted, a decline in media interest in the sport has occurred. Very little boxing exists on the four major networks, and there is not much more on cable.

At the other end of the spectrum is the National Football League. It has pretty much offered unfettered access by news organizations to use footage of games. Heck, at one time, the NFL allowed both CBS and NBC to broadcast the first Super Bowl at the same time!

The NFL experimented with its own syndicated highlight package show in the 70s, in an attempt to drum up interest and exposure to the sport.

NFL Films and ABC have partnered for years when it comes to the use of footage. First, there were the filmed highlight packages for halftime of Monday Night Football -- a tremendous undertaking, when you think about the dozens of reels of film that had to be developed, printed, and shipped so that Howard Cosell could voice them over hours before the game.

More recently, NFL Films has had its own ESPN show, and has provided filmed highlights of a previous week where a single player is miked during a game. In 2000, that went a step further when a player, miked during a Monday Night game, had highlights broadcast during the game.

The NBA, fighting slumping ratings and attendance in the 2000-2001 season, has been doing a similar "all-access" approach, with reporters even being allowed into the referees' locker room just before tipoff.

Neither of these well-marketed leagues embargoes their video footage, and both (within reason) treat reporters very well.

But some heavy-handed tactics have occurred in recent years. NBC forced out some other U.S. broadcasters wishing to televise from Sydney in 2000.

In February 2001, ESPN returned six press passes to the NASCAR in protest of the regulations and access allowed Fox and NBC; whereas ESPN had full-time coverage of Speed Weeks up to 2000, the best it can do now is a single remote camera.

The lack of access may pose more than a public relations problem for the sanctioning bodies. A lack of access can turn into a lack of media interest. And as you well know, a lack of media interest translates into a lack of fan interest.

There was so little fan interest, for example, in the 1991 U.S. Grand Prix in Phoenix, that barely 10,000 people showed up for the race.

There has been so little media interest in boxing that events are limited to small ballrooms, overseas venues, or casinos. Major sports arenas do not have regular boxing cards anymore.

These are lessons that some sports organizations, and their rights holders, should bear in mind.

What do you think? Email us at topofthecircle@aol.com, and we'll try to print a random sampling of your opinions, as long as you are willing to give us your name and where you are from.