alt="LA Kings Insider with Rich Hammond" />Just got back from the meeting with NHL deputy commissioner Bill Daly. Bettman was a no-show, although his attendance had not been set in stone from the beginning. Frankly, this was better. Daly, in my opinion, is a better communicator and does a good job of clearly stating the league’s view, whether or not you agree with what he says.
Most of the conversation was off the record, although nothing shocking or ground-breaking was said. I did get a chance to ask an on-the-record question. I thought it would be interesting to get his take on my new job, and the idea that unfiltered reporting would appear on a team- (and league-)sponsored website. The fact that I’m posting the answer here can be seen as a) interesting or b) self-serving, so I hope you see it as more of the former and less of the latter.
Question: My situation is one in which the Kings have hired me to provide unfiltered coverage of the team, just as I would have for the newspaper. Knowing that there will be some stories and issues that won’t put the team or the league in the best light, do you have any thoughts about a job such as this one?
DALY: “I think there’s been an evolution of thought on that. Obviously, as a league, we’re interested in having people cover our sport and being able to communicate and offer content, around our sport, to our fans, both existing fans and new fans. I think we recognize, and have come to recognize over time, that an important element of that is independence in reporting. I think it builds to the credibility of coverage and, as a league, I think we’re generally supportive of independence in reporting.”
yeah well …I suppose if I were THAT articulate I could be a big time commissioner of what se hoossit league guy …
blah!
oh .. great comment though!
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At least Bettman wasn’t there to take your meal money.
Rich,
Since I and probably most of us are not journalists, how is it decided what would be on and off the record?
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Rich, I must say that an unbiased (unfiltered) point of view is always great to read. To date, my favorite game report has been the one you did after the Phoenix game. The team had a horrible showing and you told it like it was. As a die hard Kings fan, I considered it insulting to have to read a sugar coated story after our team had a bad game. Go Kings!
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Very well stated Mr. Daly…it will bad press is still good press, especially for the NHL
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Is “independent reporting” really nothing but a myth?
Newspapers have always been a rich man’s haven (Hearst et al) having incredible control over mostly political content and commentary. Today’s media moguls (Murdoch et al) haven’t changed things much.
Wealthy people (and/or corporations) must use the media to increase their wealth, power and influence.
Papers not owned by wealthy individuals are still sensitive to advertisers and other outside “influences.”
I think we are seeing the effects of a transition from newspapers to electronic content (PC, mobile, etc.) and Rich and Kings management are trailblazers.
But as objective as Rich is (and is allowed to be), let’s not pretend that he is (or ever truly was even in his previous role with editors and others) truly independent.
This is not a knock on Rich, just the way things are and have always been.
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Betty didn’t show? Not surprising since he hasn’t shown up since…Well, never.
I concur with this quote, “I think it builds to the credibility of coverage…”
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‘State’ sponsored news can be like the BBC or like the good ol’ Iraqi ‘Information’ Minister. Ultimately, the ‘State’ decides which way it will be.
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I think that you are just the first of many people in your position across the NHL.
As a long time fan of both the KINGS and the NHL, this is the only time that I feel like I am getting the inside view of this road trip. With your posts and the posting and twitter postings from Joe Caligiuri, I have learn a great deal about the NHL and what goes into and happens on the NHL raod trip.
Thanks
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I believe it was this past weekend on HNiC where they did a piece on new technologies, the internet, blogging and social networking and how those things are effecting the league and players.
Of course, not a word of mention regarding this blog, and what I assume is a pretty unique situation with a team hiring a blogger to independently (if possible) cover the team. Seems like it would have added something to their story, but I suppose you’re out of luck getting noticed unless you were covering a Canadian team.
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The stakeholders that media companies are ultimately responsible to are their readers / viewers / listeners – their end customers. That’s ultimately where the money comes from.
Rich’s employer may have changed, but his end customers haven’t. The value he provides to the LA Kings and the NHL stems from his credibility, and they will do well to remember that if they are ever tempted to sway or muzzle him in a short-sighted effort for PR damage control.
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Choralone, you just said it perfectly. Thanks.
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Good time for that question and I’m glad the league understands the benefit to sponsored unbiased reporting. Quite frankly, I’m not sure it would work in other sports markets. The other three (Baseball, Basketball, Footbal) have such primadonnas as players that their sensitivity levels couldn’t handle the unbiased reporting should it happen. Hockey players (and organizations for that matter) are a different breed, much more humble and know how to accept honest criticism.
The other three can;t handle the unsponsored version of unbiased reporting, how many would complain if their respective leagues were paying for it?
Now in reference to your A vs B question Rich:
A- It is interesting.
B- It’s only self-serving if it doesn’t need to be mentioned. You’re a new (and hopefully) emerging medium. Honest reporting would dictate, in this case, that you talk about yourself.
Besides, I wouldn’t care if it truly was self-serving to a point as long as overall it serves a greater purpose than your own. To me, that’s the case here.
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I think that is a question only applies to the non traditional Hockey Markets like ours.
Where we fans are starving for original content about our team. Especially in Los Angeles, where the Lakers pre-season practice will get more notice than King’s current 4 game win streak.
I am sure in Canada and the North East US, there are so many entities covering the local hockey teams, there will not be a lack of hockey news, whether good or bad for the team/league.
I think the smart teams, not just NHL teams, will follow Kings lead and hire their own beat writers, to feed their fans, and provide contents that differs from the AP feed.
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I’m glad you asked this. I was very curious about the league’s thoughts on it.
It shows the dinosaurs are realizing the potential of the internet and that the true power of it comes from being the source of honest information.
The more you fight against the fact that anyone can/will discover the truth of any situation the more it hurts you and your organization.
Going along with it shows you’re authentic and sincere. People can connect with that and find something to be loyal to in that.
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“The value he provides to the LA Kings and the NHL stems from his credibility, and they will do well to remember that if they are ever tempted to sway or muzzle him in a short-sighted effort for PR damage control.”
This brings up the heart of the matter. How will this newly forged relationship, that is currently in the honeymoon phase, survive once the novelty has worn away?
The questions that this new position raises are vast and profound from my perspective. As well as highly fascinating. What happens if Rich finds out damaging information about the Kings? What if he suspects he is being kept in the dark about a certain closely guarded issue within the organization? Or many issues for that matter? There must be insane compartmentalizing of info within such a corporate monster.
The light is currently shinning so dimly on the Kings league-wide that there is really nothing to lose as far as the Kings organization goes. Things will get much more interesting once we have some success and more attention is paid to us.
There is no doubt in my mind that there will come a time when something potentially damaging will be learned or discovered and Rich will question whether or not he should report it.
This is the fatal flaw of the plan to stay independent. You are hired knowing there may be a time you become a whistle-blower. That is bizarre to me.
As for PR, damage control and being short-sided… one would be a fool to think they won’t play hardball if need be.
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Rich- I think what would be an interesting test is to ponder what would it have been like if you were in this position during the final Sean Avery year w/ LA or during the Roenick time when he was “hurt”.
Do the players see you as a reporter and someone they can spin their side of a story or as working for management? Onetest I could see coming up this year is the Frolov contract situation. If Frolov has a stellar year and Dean is jerking him around on the contract is Fro going to vent to you the same he would if you were working for a newspaper.
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What is the point of having a mostly off-the-record interview with him? How does that help the reader?
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Well, Brian, if you review this post and the previous one, I never said that the intention of the meeting was for an interview. I specifically referred to it as a meeting or a conversation, because I didn’t know if it would be on or off the record. To answer your question in general, off-the-record interviews can help, down the road, a writer provide context to stories he or she might write about a related topic. Thanks for the question.
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