NASCAR wire service debut

Curious if anyone has received any of TSN's stuff vis-a-vis the new NASCAR wire service that was supposed to start this weekend at Pocono. I'm wondering what your thoughts are on the content, delivery, etc.

 

Evidently, either nobody's seen it or nobody has a thought to offer.

 

Jayski says it will start at the Pepsi 400.

Someone I know, Greg Engle, is writing for the TSN service, FWIW. He started out doing his own web site.

 

Anyone know if they are using stringers, i.e. new writers? Or are they using established stringers/newspaper beat guys?

 

Hearing most papers are turning this down with NASCAR's heavy handed involved. Greg Engle? Googled his name and if the website he writes for is the caliber of writing they're going to add to the TSN mix, AP has nothing to worry about.

 

The husband of TSN's Lee Spencer is going to be doing a lot of this.

Am told it is strictly a six-month trial to see if and how it works.

 

Everyone on this board scoffed at this when I posted it during the Darlington race. I'll dig up that link to the previous post. This is just the beginning of how far heavy-handed NASCAR will go before controlling all stories that come out of the pits, press boxes, tracks, etc...

 

FOUND IT!


Posted on May 12, 2006

Another sign of the Apocalypse

Here's the latest rumor out of the Darlington Speedway pressbox.

NASCAR and The Sporting News are merging to form a end-all, be-all public relations/press organization for NASCAR coverage.

Local papers and national publications won't be credentialed for races in 2007. Only stories written by the Evil Alliance (and apparently footage of the race by national TV broadcast) will be sent to media organizations.

I don't know how far-fetched this is, but it's not the first time our reporter has heard this rumor. And not the first time a professional sport has limited local media outlets coverage.

 

No, I think everyone "scoffed" at your prediction that NASCAR would start revoking the credentials of all other media outlets.

 

HoosierLoser wrote:

This is just the beginning of how far heavy-handed NASCAR will go before controlling all stories that come out of the pits, press boxes, tracks, etc...
---------

Don't think so. NASCAR may want everyone to write nice things about it, but they're neither as dumb as the owners of the Kansas City Royals nor as haughty as the FIA, which limits coverage of F1 races to next to nobody, at least compared to the number wanting to get in.
Besides, the second NASCAR would say the NASCAR Press will be the sole writer, 43+ sponsors are going to hit the ceiling, then call Tony George's IRL.

 

I don't mind being scoffed at. Hell I've got a flaming bag over my head. But my earlier post is closer to reality than you might think.

Also, I never said revoke. I said they wouldn't distribute for the 2007 season. Revoke implies to take away as in they've already been passed out.

TSN is a six-month trial. If everything goes well for them during that trial period, just wait and see what happens at the start of the 2007 season.

 

I don't think it would happen because if there are no other papers there, where would Sporting News get their info?
Because I don't remember the last time the latter had anything new.