Iowa High School TV Dispute

[brentblum]

Pretty good summary here by the Des Moines Register:

http://www.desmoinesregister.com/st...d-signal-tv-package-good-iowa-preps/97570318/

I found it crazy that the IHSAA makes roughly $7 million per year and its CEO makes around 200k, yet they only make $60k in broadcast right's fees from the IHSSN and because of the right's fee, half the state can't watch the most important events.

Neither the IHSAA or the IHSSN look good at all in this. All this mess for $60k in right's fees?

What are your thoughts?

 

[NWICY]

They should have left all the high school sports on IPTV then the whole state can get it. Somehow Wi manages to get the entire state tournament televised in both girls and boys BB.
(at least a few years ago they did) Dude makes a quarter of a million dollars a year and can't get the sports out to the fans.

 

[stormchaser2014]

They should have left all the high school sports on IPTV then the whole state can get it. Somehow Wi manages to get the entire state tournament televised in both girls and boys BB.
(at least a few years ago they did) Dude makes a quarter of a million dollars a year and can't get the sports out to the fans.

All state tournaments are televised here I think.

 

[Gunnerclone]

GET A SHOT CLOCK.

 

[ArgentCy]

It was funny when the guy tried to tell Ross that doing this would increase availability of the content. Even though half of Iowa can't get CSN Chicago and IPN is free to pretty much the whole state. I would have thought they at least got a lot more money than 60k. What a joke.

 

[Desiigner]

GET A SHOT CLOCK.

Yes or at least during the playoffs

 

[cloneu]

Minnesota has their high school championships on a free local Minneapolis channel. Just extended the partnership with them through 2031. Don't know the type of money they make on this but it seems like something similar should be able to be in place with IPTV.

That channel also streams games online for minimal cost, $3 for one game, so anybody anywhere can watch.

http://www.mshsl.org/mshsl/news/45TVNewsRelease.pdf

 

[brentblum]

IPTV doesn't pay a rights fee for the girls association rights and wouldn't pay anything for the boys. BUT, it would be HD coverage for the entire state to watch. Is that worth 60-80k per year?

 

[NickTheGreat]

This whole ordeal stinks. The only people being hurt by this are the very people the organization is meant to serve.

Seems like the IHSAA is taking lessons from the NCAA

 

[cycloneworld]

Our CEO leads a $70 million company and makes similar money. And how they didn't realize this would be an issue is either extremely poor planning or outright incompetence.

 

[jkclone]

IPTV doesn't pay a rights fee for the girls association rights and wouldn't pay anything for the boys. BUT, it would be HD coverage for the entire state to watch. Is that worth 60-80k per year?

I don't really think this is a good deal but I think visibility outside of the state is ignored. I know I've watched other states tournaments when they've been on like this.

 

[cyclonesurveyor]

Online option would be ideal. As an out-of-stater, I would love to be able to stream and watch the state wrestling tournament.

 

[theshadow]

I don't really think this is a good deal but I think visibility outside of the state is ignored. I know I've watched other states tournaments when they've been on like this.

Other states have agreements with their FSN affiliates (MN/WI-FS North; IN/MO/KS-FS Midwest; TX-FS Southwest), so that content is available out-of-state as well. Unfortunately, Iowa doesn't have one overarching sports network affiliate.

 

[3GenClone]

Ken Krogman, owner and president of the IHSSN, declined multiple requests to speak to the Register for this article.

I'm not surprised by this at all. I freelanced for Ken's production house (Krogman and Associates) while I was a student at ISU and after I graduated. Ken used to run the in-house production for ISU live events, the Iowa Cubs, and the High School State tournaments. I thought it was great being hired on as a student and get paid to watch ISU games - but it turns out that the reason he hired students is because he could pay us about 1/3 of what a typical videographer made from events. He jumped on that IHSAA contract the second it became available and has been milking that contract for all it's worth.

 

[heyguy85]

You'll notice all the boys' tournaments are commercialized now. The girls tournaments are simply games and promoting the athletes/schools. The IAHSAA sold out and the IGHSAU kept the focus on the athletes. I feel bad for all the grandparents that won't see their grand children participating at the state tournament.
The radio station I get to be part of has paid $180 in the past to broadcast. This year it's $600...

 

[BikeSkiClone]

Doesn't the IHSSN deal also include a stipulation removing photographers from the floor (except for the two endlines) during the wrestling tournament? Under the disguise of "reducing crowding"? And also restricting media access (reporters) in general through limitations on their ability to cover matside so they have to watch streams through the media room plus new rules about interviews?

Can't find the original article I read about this, but this one from Perry outlines it a bit:
http://theperrynews.com/big-bucks-forcing-big-changes-to-coverage-of-state-wrestling-tourney/

One of the most drastic — and obvious to those who have attended a session — will be the removal of some 40 seats for daily newspapers along the east side of the mats. All of my friends in the daily markets will now find themselves in a newly-created “media center” off the floor. The old media room barely sufficed to house the huge number of media present, and now, with the dailies off the floor and a new room hardly larger, well . . .

There will also be, the media has been told, new “barriers” around the mats, behind which all photographers must remain. How much are you willing to bet IHSSN cameras are allowed inside these new barriers?

Going to significantly reduce the amount of coverage for all of the smallers newspapers that cover a county or small region of athletes at arguably the most popular and in-demand (ticket-wise) state tournament Iowa has. Two media credentials per paper? Gonna be tough to photograph and report on multiple mats for areas that send several athletes. The floor was way more crowded when the event was held at Vets w/ the bleachers on the floor, but now a TV company has the rights and kicks local media to the curb.

Wells Fargo:

Vets Auditorium:

 

[Tornado man]

Find it funny that no one blames Mediacom for not adding CSN Chicago to their lineup. I do.

 

[isukendall]

My solution regarding media access - get rid of the damn cheerleaders, make room for the media. SO annoying. I grew up in Nebraska, where they don't have cheerleaders at the state tournament, and I much preferred as a wrestler and a spectator.

 

[zarnold56]

Find it funny that no one blames Mediacom for not adding CSN Chicago to their lineup. I do.

With all the people dropping cable/dish, I assume most companies are doing everything to not increase costs if they can.

 

[Judoka]

Find it funny that no one blames Mediacom for not adding CSN Chicago to their lineup. I do.

There's a cost to add channels to the lineup and a lot of people are dropping cable specifically because of the cost of subsidizing sports channels they don't watch.

Though I'd guess that CSN Chicago was hoping to use this as leverage to do just what you're asking to have happen.