College Sports Information Directors of America

We know these have been trying and uncertain times, but the FWAA-CoSIDA Committee will be available as possible issues arise before and during the season.

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Navigating Media Operations in This Uncertain Environment
by David Plati (Colorado), Shelly Poe (Auburn), Tim Tessalone (USC) and Doug Vance (CoSIDA)
 
The COVID-19 pandemic has created challenging waters for sports information personnel to navigate. And in waters, there is the octopus: when you thought you had everything possible covered, another tentacle comes to life.
 
Since May, a group of SIDs from throughout the nation has worked with colleagues from the FWAA to discuss possible solutions to these challenges. All parties understand that 2020 will be a season like no other when it comes to covering the game we all love. 
 
The collective goal between the SIDs and the media was to come up with reasonable solutions to issues pertaining to access and service that will best fall in line with the likely protocols and restrictions mandated for the safety of all involved; for instance, some senior members of the media have indicated they do not plan to travel and perhaps not even cover home games depending on how secure they feel about their own health or that of their families, while others from organizations facing budget concerns might be prohibited from traveling.
 
Colleges will have to follow many levels of policies and regulations, starting with those from state and local governments and health officials and also individual campus mandates. These will create limits on credentials and access for press boxes and sidelines.
 
The SID group has studied what the professional leagues are doing as they start to reopen when it comes to media operations; there are many consistencies as well as differences between how all are handling. The end goal is to make covering a game in person as safe as possible, along with covering a game remotely equally as productive. 
 
Below is a summary of what the discussions, including many “tentacles” to be aware of that will present challenges in game day (and week) operations. While the discussion originated about football, much can be applicable to some other sports as well. Solutions will vary from school-to-school, but should provide a good guideline for what needs to be considered:
 
Press Box

• Single-game vs. Season Credentials (for media): single-game will be easier to monitor who comes to each game, and provide contact tracing afterward if needed. Have credentials at will call at same location where media is subject to health checks (temperature and symptom checklists);
• Physical Spacing (press box, booths, other areas): at the 6-foot recommendation, most press boxes likely looking at 25% to 50% of normal capacity (which will likely include those not normally assigned a seat, such as attendants, techs, official stats for TV, etc.). After allowing for SID and digital staffs, stat crew, in-house PA and any attendants/techs, e.g., a quarter to a third would be reserved for visiting media and visiting team officials (to be decided by visiting SID), and the remainder would cover beat, local and national media (priority list developed by home SID; one of those seats should be earmarked for the Associated Press). Schools could develop wait lists when those seats are not all reserved in advance;
  • Depending on press box configurations, seating might need to be zigzagged between rows – Row one, use seat A, row two, use seat B, row three, use seat A – etc., to maximize distance between persons;
  • Some schools may use headsets to space out and/or relocate stat crews, social media to other campus buildings to view the game via monitors to maximize media opportunities; schools might consider using exterior PA only;
  • Media members prefer that more outlets be offered a seat rather than a few outlets utilizing multiple seats;
• Scouts (NFL/CFL, Bowl & Awards): will solely depend on how many seats you could reserve; waiting on some feedback from the NFL at this time, but if they won’t be allowed to be on the field, requests will surely be reduced. We do know our concerns have reached the NFL office. After discussions with general managers and player personnel directors, one recommendation is that NFL scouts be admitted on a one game per team for the season basis via a conference lottery (seats per game determined individually by school); would they have limited or any sideline access pregame during a designated window? If not, would they have access to field-level seats pregame to view warmups? Important to have them if possible for evaluation and recruiting purposes;
• Handouts (notes, statistics, quotes): as much digitally as possible would be best, distribution by E-mail in-game to limit spread of any contamination. Have a single point of distribution (maybe with a gloved attendant) to hand out everything and not to have stacks of guides, programs, notes or flipcards (if those are even provided);
• Flipcards: still are necessary (media want a physical copy; either still provide or give print-at-home/office option);
• Meals & Refreshments: consensus was no self-serve, likely all prepackaged; refreshments (bottled or canned) distributed by gloved attendant(s). FWAA members had no issues if we have to charge to recoup a little bit of lost revenue, and some stadiums may allow anyone attending to bring their own food.
• Restrooms: do you need an attendant solely to disinfect after each or a few uses?
• Windows: some media expressed concern about air circulation in those boxes that do not have the ability to open windows;
• Elevators: will slow access and departure with most elevators likely to be limited to 2-4 passengers (and that’s for a good-sized elevator) and with most not designated for media use only, look at developing designated arrival and departure times for the media.
• Masks & Sanitizers. Masks will almost assuredly be required everywhere; decide your protocol if someone shows without one: do you provide (or charge for) one, and how to turn non-mask wearers away. Provide numerous sanitizing stations;
• Peripheral Requests: will television still want an official stats person, or to save a body in the press box, assign to a working member of the stat crew;
• Media Booths: general opinion here was that physical spacing of 6-feet is near impossible, and some personal responsibility will need to be coordinated by radio and TV broadcasts crews; consider Plexiglas barriers between each seat (could be a cost issue); would TV booth, radio booths, replay booth, coaches booths be subject to spacing requirements or treated as self-contained areas?
• IT Staff. With the need for extensive assorted technology, having an IT rep in the press box becomes even more important than in the past;
• Open & Closing Times. Take into account that even with fewer media getting credentialed, that you open early enough to prevent lines from forming. If you have a closing time (which many haven’t had but now operations and health officials could require to have a fully empty stadium), advertise well in advance;
• Remain alert to ADA concerns.

 
Sidelines & Photo Decks

• It is likely that health officials will request a minimal number of people on the sidelines; while not yet announced, it is believed the NCAA will be expanding the team area on each sideline to at least the 15-yard lines. And often the first five yards outside the team areas in stadiums that have more confined sidelines are being utilized by trainers or managers. Expect minimal numbers of anyone outside of players, coaches, officials, chain crews and ball boys (cheerleaders, band and mascots are up in the air). Thus, there will be significantly less media access on the field, and likely no media going down to field level in the fourth quarter;
• All persons on sideline during game will have to be masked; pool photographers and videographers provided by the home team will likely supply most images. If photo/video personnel are allowed, consider a minimum of four staff/local photographers (one in each corner), two or three national (one assigned to the Associated Press, other(s) to USA Today, Getty, etc.). Local organizations may agree to rotate photographers among games, TV stations could share highlights, or plug in to an exterior video source (stadium vision board). School video reps (football, stadium vision, opponent, etc.) need to be accounted for as well and not in the SID/media counts. Photo “boxes” like those on a basketball court could be established at those different points on the sidelines and end zones. Home team should provide a student/GA photographer to assist visiting team with photo needs – pool photos and video highlights could be housed on CollegePressBox.com or on a conference FTP (and posted ASAP following the game, and if possible, in-game).
• Workroom/Vests. “Old school” armbands are better than vests (which must be disposable or sanitized); photographers likely can’t access press boxes, so materials, meals and refreshments need to be distributed from their workrooms;
• Photo Decks. Those who still utilize in some manner for multiple media outlets will have to do the same prioritization and possible pooling, depending on space limitations;
• An on-field SID representative for each team is essential for the usual concerns (e.g. confirm blocked kicks, fumble recoveries, liaison to field personnel, manage photographers, etc.);
• If games proceed with no fans, options could exist for additional photographer and videographer locations in the stands.

 
Interviews

• The expectation at this time is that there will be few if any in-person interviews, either pre- or postgame; factors in play include health officials limiting or restricting outside contact to simple logistics (e.g., moving media members to interview areas. Elevator access will be restricted and slow, media can’t depart early since they no longer will be allowed on the field at the 5-minute or so mark). At present, all pro leagues are doing almost all interviews virtually;
• The challenge here remains how schools will handle: Zoom, video conference (many already pipe into TV press boxes) and cell phone and how questions will be relayed from the media and not generic ones asked by the SID staff. The media’s top concern is that they have the opportunity to ask their own questions (features do exist on Zoom to make that possible);
• Simultaneous home and visitor post-game Zoom sessions; IT staff must be on hand at both to handle tech issues
• Recordings. Interviews (Zoom or otherwise) would be recorded and uploaded to normal school sites, a conference landing page, and to CollegePressBox.com, which has stated it would help increase access to materials; 
• Sidelines (TV & Radio). Will be subject to what each school can allow, but if permitted, determine “safe spots” for those to be conducted;
• Radio networks could have dry pairs in locker rooms with a microphone, with an SID attendant coordinating requests and the questions are asked from the booths;
• Referees may be interested in using a zoom setup for the pregame 100-minute meeting as well to avoid cross contamination;
• Weekly Press Conferences/Luncheons. For those who still host, in-person contact is also expected to be minimal or non-existent for the same reasons, officials want to limit contact in both directions to prevent the possible spread of COVID-19. The same likely will apply for interviews before and/or after practices;
• Many schools will travel less SID professionals; SIDs need to coordinate well in advance with their game ops and IT personnel on how they can help facilitate postgame interviews with the visiting team. Consider assigning a home SID to assist the visiting SID post-game.

 
Broadcast partners:

• ESPN/ABC, FOX and CBS will be doing more remote productions, with limited production personnel on site; even for prime time broadcasts, likely to request only half the number of regular credentials; serious concerns from networks on people traveling, staying in hotels, using rental cars, etc. – strong commitment to follow local regulations – they are using professional leagues as test cases (in some instances, they might have full back-up crews in town to swap out with any personnel who test positive or show symptoms;
• Will minimize the number of personnel on sideline, and all will use masks/PPE as indicated; guidelines must be created for access areas and perhaps additional credential categories;
• Will designate a “safe spot” for halftime/postgame interviews; team radio sideline personnel would need to have assigned “safe spot” as well;
• Same issues apply to their compounds, where they have their meals and restrooms.

 
Parking

• Always different at every location, a friendly reminder that if media are parked in a faraway lot, have proper sanitization plans if you are providing cart/shuttle rides to- and from (which are especially appreciated at night for those who have concerns walking alone to their vehicles).

 
General

• Any additional access would be appreciated by the media (e.g., short interviews via cell phone with assistant coaches or players who do not go to the postgame press sessions; one-on-one Zooms later in the day, the next morning with a star performer, etc.);
• A friendly reminder: we are here for the students; thus student media should be included in plans;
• While the professional leagues have issued many uniform policies, with more to come, many aren’t realistic in the college world.

 
Other challenges are sure to arise, but the above can provide some guidance for everyone in what we all need to be on top of as the season (hopefully) approaches.

SID Representatives: Access/Press Relations Committee Members: Dave Plati (Colorado, chair), Shelly Poe (Auburn), Doug Vance (CoSIDA); SID Group: Brett Daniels (CFP), Sue Edson (Syracuse), Jerry Emig (Ohio State), John Heisler (UCF), Mike Houck (Oklahoma), Tim Tessalone (USC), Donna Turner (Northern Illinois), Ted Gangi (collegepressbox.com). 
FWAA Media Representatives: Steve Richardson (executive director, chair), Doug Lesmerises (President/Cleveland.com), Heather Dinich (First VP/ESPN.com); David Ubben (Second VP/The Athletic); Mark Anderson (Las Vegas Review-Journal), Anthony Dasher (UGASports.com), John Hoover (SI Sooners), Ralph Russo (Associated Press), Dick Weiss (Blue Star Media), Jon Wilner (San Jose Mercury News).