Updated 7/05
MEDIA COVERAGE: EVENTS
Kansas Athletics recognizes the importance and benefit of comprehensive print and electronic media coverage of its 18 intercollegiate sports programs. The Media Relations Office is responsible for providing appropriate assistance to legitimate media representatives who cover the University’s sports programs so that they can perform their duties in a professional and timely manner.
The Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations, in conjunction with the Associate Director of Athletics/External Affairs, is responsible for establishing guidelines for media coverage of intercollegiate athletic events.
Event Staffing
The Assistant Athletics Director/Media Relations is responsible for the coordination of staff coverage for all varsity events (home and away), as well as for assigning sufficient staff to meet the publicity needs of each program on a seasonal basis.
Staff members may be assigned primary responsibility for specific sport(s) (i.e. soccer, football, etc.) as well as receive individual coverage assignments, as they occur. Staff responsibilities related to event management may include, but are not limited to, the following:
- Reporting and recording results of events;
- Issuing press credentials to approved members of the media;
- Coordinating and monitoring activities in the press box and along the sidelines;
- Orientating security to media procedures; and
- Providing appropriate information and support services to any visiting team’s Media Relations Office.
The Media Relations Office staffs both home and away contests for men’s and women’s basketball, and football. Arrangements for the reporting of scores for all sports are made on an event-by-event basis. The Head Coach is responsible for reporting all scores and highlights immediately following the conclusion of a competition that is not staffed by Media Relations Office personnel. The Media Relations Office is then responsible for releasing the results to approved media outlets.
Working Press Credentials
The Media Relations Office is responsible for issuing press credentials (e.g. sidelines passes) to approved members of the media (print and electronic). Press credential requests are prioritized by the Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations, in conjunction with the Associate Director of Athletics/External Affairs.
Press credentials are only issued to individuals serving in an assigned working capacity for a legitimate news organization. Legitimate media agencies are considered to be one of the following:
- Newspapers, periodicals, radio and television stations regularly covering University of Kansas sports;
- Media representatives approved by the visiting Sports Information Director;
- Agencies affiliated with the University of Kansas;
- Representatives of television and radio networks/stations granted the right to televise or broadcast contests on a national or regional basis;
- National media agencies (print and electronic) covering a specific story on the University of Kansas athletics; and
- Media outlets within the region who do not regularly cover University of Kansas athletics (subject to availability).
Season media passes are issued to established “beat” reporters and photographers on a sport-by-sport basis.
Credential requests for individual games are to be submitted to the Media Relations Office, in writing on official letterhead, at least two (2) weeks in advance of the specific contest. Upon receipt and approval of the application, credentials are either held at the “Will Call” window or at the designated media entrance.
Coverage of Events
The Assistant Director of Athletics/Media Relations is responsible for establishing and distributing rules and guidelines which assist in controlling and maintaining order on the playing field and in the designated media area.
- Media SeatingOnly working media members are granted credentials and allowed access to designated media areas at various athletic events. An assigned seating chart is developed by the Assistant Athletics Director/Media Relations to insure orderly press box operations and assign prioritized seating, based on the media outlet’s importance and size.
- Sideline and Floor PassesDuring any athletic contest, only photographers and television personnel with proper credentials will be allowed on the sidelines in football and soccer or on the floor for basketball. All other members of the media must operate from the designated media area.
- Away GamesThe Media Relations Office is responsible for obtaining working press credentials for members of print and electronic news outlets from the Kansas region who regularly follow University of Kansas teams on the road.
- EnforcementAll media representatives are required to display proper credentials at all times during an event. Security personnel are authorized to remove any individual without proper credentials from a restricted media area.
Post Game Coverage
The designated Media Relations Office staff member assigned to the event coordinates post-game coverage of all home events. Post-game responsibilities include providing official statistics, arranging interviews with players and coaches, and providing general assistance to the media, as well as transmitting information to specified news agencies. Every effort is made to comply with the policies and requests of the individual Head Coaches.
Generally, post-game interviews begin after the traditional ten (10) minute “cooling off” period. Media representatives are permitted in the locker rooms at the discretion of the Head Coach.
Recordkeeping
It is the responsibility of the Media Relations Office to record, compile and maintain statistical and highlight data on all intercollegiate events. Additionally, final scores and statistics are reported to the Conference and the NCAA, as appropriate.
The Office maintains complete files on individual lettermen, as well as a daily “clip file” on Kansas Athletics. The student-athlete file contains a publicity questionnaire concerning past history, athletic and academic achievements, and personal information. These files are updated with statistics, photographs, feature articles and other materials as they become available.
It is against Kansas Athletics policy to reveal any non-public, personal information to the media without the prior consent of the student-athlete. (See Policy 707B, Media Coverage: Interviews, Media Conference and Media Releases, for further information on releasing information on student-athletes to the public.)
Athletic Archives
At the end of each sport’s season, archival data of a historical interest is retained and kept in the Media Relations Office or, upon request of the Associate Athletic Director/External Affairs, in the University’s archives. Additional, comprehensive sport brochure files are maintained by the Media Relations staff.