Mega Thread The Media Thread

[footyfix]

Ive said it before, the West Australian media are nothing but bullies masquerading as journalists.
It’s a disgrace

 

[mustlovepurple]

Those 2 morons on 6pr are actually doing sumichs case more harm than good now,if he had any brains at all,he would tell them to stfu...the are destroying any future jobs and doing him a great disservice...and im not a sumich fan.

On Nokia 7.1 using BigFooty.com mobile app

 

[ImperialPurple]

If the Dockers want to be an AFL 'powerhouse' they should look down the road (and not at the Eagles)

Fremantle's president Dale Alcock has an ambitious plan for the Dockers to become an AFL juggernaut, and while it may be achievable, the club will need to change more than its coach and CEO, writes Clint Thomas.

www.abc.net.au

Media saying that Freo should engage media more, using the Wildcats as an example. The increased fan engagement (particularly kids) I get, particularly when they're playing interstate. But to say that Freo need to be more accessible to a media environment such as what Freo lives in is a bit rich without the media environment meeting Freo half way.

Yeah it's an interesting conundrum. Bridget Lacy's mum is a friend of mine. The whole family are staunch, die-hard Freo supporters. When Bridget was working for The Worst, she became a bit disenchanted with Freo, speaking from the POV as a journo. Apparently, Freo were very difficult to deal with, wouldn't give much access to players or coaching staff, would cancel appointments at the last minute, wouldn't return calls, were pretty stingy in providing players for school visits, community events etc etc... Where as the weags were the exact opposite - always very accommodating, always happy to speak with the media, lots of community engagement blah, blah, blah.

Clearly the weags will always have the media mostly on their side, as the media targets the largest audience they can, so clearly that's the bluenyellas. Which kind of means, they don't have to work as hard to get them on board. Yet they are the club that is always readily available - maybe they are because they know they'll be positively received by the (mostly) hacks working in the industry.

Now, is Freo's reluctance to engage with the media because we always get a raw deal - a clear anti-Freo bias - and it doesn't matter how we go about it, we will always get that ant-Freo bias, OR does the secrecy and difficulty-to-deal-with nature of the club mean the media have less to work with, feel like their noses have been put out of joint, and so the anti-Freo sentiment is increased?

I think that no matter what the club does, the negative reporting / witch hunting will continue, and perhaps the club goes into media shut down because of this. BUT, perhaps if they were more available to the media and put out more feel-good avenues into schools and the community, then the media might (just might) soften a bit. But being near-on impossible to deal with isn't going to endear them to the people/outlets who are writing in the public arena - and therefore influencing public opinion - about Fremantle as a club that deserves respect.

Catch 22 / two-way street. I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on this. (PS, this is not heresay, this is straight from the mouth of a Freo supporting journo who worked for The Worst).

 

[summerthebat]

I am fairly sure there was a distinct moment a few years ago when the club made a conscious decision to withdraw from the unconditional media participation that was expected from them.

It was on the back of a sequence of poor representations of the club/players (which I can't recall) which encouraged Fremantle to control the release of it's own media. The only proof of this I have is a recollection of media dingbats on Twitter, like Tim Gossage sledging the club for its approach saying that it was robbing Fremantle fans of content... but nearly every Fremantle fan at the time responding to him were happy with the club taking control of its own narrative.

 

[Shoeless Joe]

Those 2 morons on 6pr are actually doing sumichs case more harm than good now,if he had any brains at all,he would tell them to stfu...the are destroying any future jobs and doing him a great disservice...and im not a sumich fan.

On Nokia 7.1 using BigFooty.com mobile app

What are they saying? Are they saying anything about him that we didnt already know...

 

[summerthebat]

My opinion on it,

I live in Sydney now, so I'm spared a lot of the trash that's disseminated by the 7/West media partnership and I'll get all my Fremantle related content from the Fremantle app or the AFL website.

Fundamentally I agree with the club not engaging/playing the game 7/West want as long as there is a balanced & fluid source of news/information to offset it.

So ideally I'm happy with it, but practically the club does not do enough to satisfy me, so occasionally I'm drawn into putrid 7/West opinion pieces.

 

[ImperialPurple]

I am fairly sure there was a distinct moment a few years ago when the club made a conscious decision to withdraw from the unconditional media participation that was expected from them.

It was on the back of a sequence of poor representations of the club/players (which I can't recall) which encouraged Fremantle to control the release of it's own media. The only proof of this I have is a recollection of media dingbats on Twitter, like Tim Gossage sledging the club for its approach saying that it was robbing Fremantle fans of content... but nearly every Fremantle fan at the time responding to him were happy with the club taking control of its own narrative.

Yeah - I remember this now. But I also agree with your opinion in your second response. They needed to withdraw for self-preservation, but maybe they've gone too far, and need to start providing some more meaningful info that gives supporters, and the general public, a more positive insight into the club in general. PLUS - get players into schools! Getting them young is what will fuel the next generation of Freo supporters, not have all the kids in WA just drifting towards WC because that's who they're seeing all the time. So from that pov, I do agree that they need to look at the Wildcats model and engage with kids through school visits everywhere and anywhere, including during the off-season (not during their breaks obviously).

 

[wild side]

I remember it too, i liked it!!
do it again, as we the consumers have a lot more power than we used too, we can jump ship (to another portal) very easily on the net

 

[raffrox]

Yeah it's an interesting conundrum. Bridget Lacy's mum is a friend of mine. The whole family are staunch, die-hard Freo supporters. When Bridget was working for The Worst, she became a bit disenchanted with Freo, speaking from the POV as a journo. Apparently, Freo were very difficult to deal with, wouldn't give much access to players or coaching staff, would cancel appointments at the last minute, wouldn't return calls, were pretty stingy in providing players for school visits, community events etc etc... Where as the weags were the exact opposite - always very accommodating, always happy to speak with the media, lots of community engagement blah, blah, blah.

Clearly the weags will always have the media mostly on their side, as the media targets the largest audience they can, so clearly that's the bluenyellas. Which kind of means, they don't have to work as hard to get them on board. Yet they are the club that is always readily available - maybe they are because they know they'll be positively received by the (mostly) hacks working in the industry.

Now, is Freo's reluctance to engage with the media because we always get a raw deal - a clear anti-Freo bias - and it doesn't matter how we go about it, we will always get that ant-Freo bias, OR does the secrecy and difficulty-to-deal-with nature of the club mean the media have less to work with, feel like their noses have been put out of joint, and so the anti-Freo sentiment is increased?

I think that no matter what the club does, the negative reporting / witch hunting will continue, and perhaps the club goes into media shut down because of this. BUT, perhaps if they were more available to the media and put out more feel-good avenues into schools and the community, then the media might (just might) soften a bit. But being near-on impossible to deal with isn't going to endear them to the people/outlets who are writing in the public arena - and therefore influencing public opinion - about Fremantle as a club that deserves respect.

Catch 22 / two-way street. I'd be interested to hear others' opinions on this. (PS, this is not heresay, this is straight from the mouth of a Freo supporting journo who worked for The Worst).

Post of the year for this thread.

It's what I've always thought about us and the media. We get a terrible run but then we make it even worse by how we deal with the media.

These days you can't just disengage from the media otherwise you are largely at the mercy of whatever they want to write about you. When you are talking about securing/keeping sponsors and memberships and possibly even what other players think of your club and whether they'd want o go there we can't sit back. No excuses and no whinging. Just gotta find a solution.

We have to get better at this. If Dale Alcock wants us to be a powerhouse then he better see what he can do with our current media department. They are on par with our S&C team at the moment. The way we currently deal with the media and the way they deal with us is embarrassing. On both sides.

 

[arsesmart]

Casting the mind back to the end of last year and the very beginnings of this Freo were one of, if not the, most active clubs in the AFL media landscape. Lots on here noticed it. Lots of positive stories (particularly after all the negative interpretation and spin put on how Freo went about the trade period).

It seemed to me then WC looked over with a jealous eye and started swamping the WA media and AFL.com with stories themselves and then the big Vic clubs began dominating the media oxygen on the "national" stage.

In the AFL media world Freo has to work twice as hard to get a positive balance sheet (pre/during-Lyon and likely post too), WC will always be willing to continue their whiteanting and it doesn't take much for a Freo-negative shizenstorm be whipped up either.

 

[Scham]

I can understand our sentiment towards the media but unfortunately you have to be smart and suck it up.

The reports of us not allowing players access to public events is very concerning though and equally as dumb. We should be trying to do double what the WC players do to build our brand and supporter base.

Media/PR/Marketing needs a shake up too by the sounds of it. How the * did Rosich let it get this bad!

 

[salim malik]

There is always players available for the Starlight foundation, players for schools and hospital visits. Country visits etc . There is the weekly coach and player press conferences. Fyfe ,the coaches on 7 news. Ballas on the radio. Coaches pre game on the ABC. What more do you want apart from bending over to placate the West and PR ln their hate fest.

 

[summerthebat]

I know the players are generally quite good with the kids at Starlight in terms of availability and standard presentation.

The only player I've heard of that was quite poor with the kids was Matt De Boer, believe it or not.

 

[malpaso]

So let me get this right. A freo supporting journo that once worked at the West was/is complaining about Freo and their bad media department/strategies.

In order to correct 'this' Freo should become more like the Eagles. No Thanks...

 

[footyfix]

I know the players are generally quite good with the kids at Starlight in terms of availability and standard presentation.

The only player I've heard of that was quite poor with the kids was Matt De Boer, believe it or not.

No, I don’t believe it.

 

[summerthebat]

George isn't at home

 

[raffrox]

So let me get this right. A freo supporting journo that once worked at the West was/is complaining about Freo and their bad media department/strategies.

In order to correct 'this' Freo should become more like the Eagles. No Thanks...

What happens if sometimes being more like the Eagles = being more like a professional football club?

Should we not do it just because the Eagles do it?

The only way this club is going to get anywhere is if we dont do exactly what we've always done.

 

[malpaso]

What happens if sometimes being more like the Eagles = being more like a professional football club?

Should we not do it just because the Eagles do it?

The only way this club is going to get anywhere is if we dont do exactly what we've always done.

Yeah agree with that. I probably could have said it better however what I meant was it sounds like good old fashioned media types just complaining because they don't get what they want when they want it. I don't see how that is the FFC being unprofessional.

 

[ImperialPurple]

Yeah agree with that. I probably could have said it better however what I meant was it sounds like good old fashioned media types just complaining because they don't get what they want when they want it. I don't see how that is the FFC being unprofessional.

Bridget was under 30 (not an old-fashioned media type), and just talking about her experiences dealing with both WA clubs. She would have liked to be able put a more positive spin on Freo stuff where she could but wasn't getting a lot to work with, where as the bluenyellas gave their time far more readily so they were easier to report on. I guess that's my point in a nutshell.

 

[BlueE]

Post of the year for this thread.

It's what I've always thought about us and the media. We get a terrible run but then we make it even worse by how we deal with the media.

These days you can't just disengage from the media otherwise you are largely at the mercy of whatever they want to write about you. When you are talking about securing/keeping sponsors and memberships and possibly even what other players think of your club and whether they'd want o go there we can't sit back. No excuses and no whinging. Just gotta find a solution.

We have to get better at this. If Dale Alcock wants us to be a powerhouse then he better see what he can do with our current media department. They are on par with our S&C team at the moment. The way we currently deal with the media and the way they deal with us is embarrassing. On both sides.

You're not largely at the mercy of whatever the Worst and Ch 7 write about you if our media dept started writing and filming and distributing more of our won interviews, games fun stuff etc.

When Peel played bin chicks in the WAFL at Peel the only way anyone could watch if they couldn't attend was by watching the WCE live stream. Don't know how many others watched but it's on you tube so accessible anywhere in the world and could be watched at any time. It's a smart move in conjunction with a Uni film dept that provided commentators, interviews, various propaganda at clips at half time. Even though it was a Peel home game and commentary was knowledgeable on both teams, all the extras were about WCE.

This is something that should be the minimum our media dept should be doing to support theri seconds and promote the Dockers.

Gives fans ability to watch every game either live or delayed, gives player's media experience, provides video capture of all Peel WAFL games for player analysis and provides a platform for interviews, information and other Dockers propaganda!

 

[Dale147]

Maybe a joke.... surely

AFL trades 2019: Geelong to seek three top 30 draft picks for Tim Kelly in potential trade back to WA

Revealed: Cats’ price for Tim Kelly and what they’ll do with the haul

www.foxsports.com.au

 

[Arcassius]

Maybe a joke.... surely

AFL trades 2019: Geelong to seek three top 30 draft picks for Tim Kelly in potential trade back to WA

Revealed: Cats’ price for Tim Kelly and what they’ll do with the haul

www.foxsports.com.au

Not a joke - west coast almost have the currency off the bat. They trade 14, 22, next year's first - they get Kelly and enter the draft at 32.

I would think it's more likely to be a done deal than not, and this is Geelong setting the expectations of its members

 

[blue shark]

When the shoe was on the other foot and Freo were on the move, there were plenty of positives.
Just give it time and when WC fall out of finals watch the media fans turn on Simpson.
Only way to fix things is to start improving on and off the field, and we have already made the move
away from the dictatorship regime, we have the facilities to be a family club.

 

[showemhowtorock]

I can understand our sentiment towards the media but unfortunately you have to be smart and suck it up.

The reports of us not allowing players access to public events is very concerning though and equally as dumb. We should be trying to do double what the WC players do to build our brand and supporter base.

Media/PR/Marketing needs a shake up too by the sounds of it. How the fu** did Rosich let it get this bad!

whats wrong with Media/PR/Marketing? i think they're fine!

 

[malpaso]

Bridget was under 30 (not an old-fashioned media type), and just talking about her experiences dealing with both WA clubs. She would have liked to be able put a more positive spin on Freo stuff where she could but wasn't getting a lot to work with, where as the bluenyellas gave their time far more readily so they were easier to report on. I guess that's my point in a nutshell.

So they spin negative instead? It's a moot argument. Report on what they know not what they don't know.