Comments on: ESPN Flexing Its Muscles…Again http://sportspr101.com/2009/07/21/espn-flexing-its-musclesagain/ A Public Relations Sports Blog Wed, 11 Jan 2012 07:39:40 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: World's Most Detailed Fortune Cookie http://sportspr101.com/2009/07/21/espn-flexing-its-musclesagain/comment-page-1/#comment-39 World's Most Detailed Fortune Cookie Tue, 21 Jul 2009 16:21:25 +0000 http://sportspr101.com/?p=224#comment-39 In 10 years, you will flip through the MLB-ESPN League Pass and hear "Manny being Manny"(in relation to sexual assault charges after he's retired) uttered on every station that you pass. You will then shoot yourself in the head. In 10 years, you will flip through the MLB-ESPN League Pass and hear “Manny being Manny”(in relation to sexual assault charges after he’s retired) uttered on every station that you pass. You will then shoot yourself in the head.

]]> By: Mike S http://sportspr101.com/2009/07/21/espn-flexing-its-musclesagain/comment-page-1/#comment-38 Mike S Tue, 21 Jul 2009 15:54:02 +0000 http://sportspr101.com/?p=224#comment-38 All good points Ted, but in some markets the added resources potentially could be a good thing. I can only speak about the Detroit market (not one ESPN is targeting I think), but in the last couple years local sports coverage has taken a big hit because of cost cuts in the local media. Especially in radio and the newspapers, big corporate owners (Gannett, Clear Channel just to name 2) have increasingly cut staff, reporters, and general breadth of coverage to cut costs. What is offered now is very generic and isn't that great. If ESPN Local would ever go into Detroit (a great sports town by the way) I think it would be viewed as filling voids rather than crushing the mom and pops. As for ESPN's ability to pull it off, I'm skeptical for they now are one of those big corporate entitys with huge pressure from the pencil pushers. There will be great temptation to replicate generic material across all their markets at the expense of a true local presence. All good points Ted, but in some markets the added resources potentially could be a good thing. I can only speak about the Detroit market (not one ESPN is targeting I think), but in the last couple years local sports coverage has taken a big hit because of cost cuts in the local media. Especially in radio and the newspapers, big corporate owners (Gannett, Clear Channel just to name 2) have increasingly cut staff, reporters, and general breadth of coverage to cut costs. What is offered now is very generic and isn’t that great. If ESPN Local would ever go into Detroit (a great sports town by the way) I think it would be viewed as filling voids rather than crushing the mom and pops.

As for ESPN’s ability to pull it off, I’m skeptical for they now are one of those big corporate entitys with huge pressure from the pencil pushers. There will be great temptation to replicate generic material across all their markets at the expense of a true local presence.

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