http://www.mediamoves.com/2012/10/iz…-deportes.html
But it’s an example of what all sports departments, local and national, have ahead of them.
Let’s face it.
Sports events are scheduled. They can easily be planned for. There’s no such thing as a surprise sporting event.
I used to work during the days when a network could only use highlights from a game they actually broadcast themselves. There was no "sharing". During my years in Detroit every station had to send a photog to shoot a game because it was the only way they could get video on their air to talk about the event. Then…the agreements. Inevitable. Everyone shared and everyone had the highlights. That’s life! The way of the world.
Look around at your own sports departments. How many actually have dedicated sports shooters? How often is it a news photog doing weekend duty that also shoots sports?
Yes, there are still a few. But MANY less than in the past and they are getting even fewer.
ESPN does a stellar job of covering sports. And for their hard work they deserve a lot of credit. Sharing agreements in all facets of news/spoorts coverage, once thought unthinkable, are now very common.
Think about how all the stations in Denver eagerly shared video and interviews after their local shooting tragedies. It went on for days! Yes, there were some logical reasons to do this but, those who can see the future need to admit it’s getting bleaker. These sharing agreements are never going to go away. They will increase in all facets of news coverage as the economy gets tighter and tighter.
The stations doing these agreements are very short sighted. Gosh, a competitor will have something they don’t have! Yep, that’s right! It’s called competition. And if they had the courage to really run their business the way they should they wouldn’t be as eager to share resources as often.
CNN is a good example of this "sharing" concept. They have so many agreements with so many stations it’s easy for them to get video from two or three stations in the same market of an event they find newsworthy. Yes, they’ll play an "embargo" game which affects a very small geographic are except…with cable and satellite services common, those embargoes mean nothing. People can still see it all and the local station loses out because of short sighted logic.
I bring all of this up merely to point out anyone who makes their paycheck shooting news or sports should consider their future. Where you work and what you do. Think long term. No, you don’t have control over who "shares" your product once you’ve turned it in to management but you do have control over where you live and work.
The days of assuming that, as long as you do a good job you’ll always be employed" have long been over.
Be agile. Be prepared. Be proactive in your thinking and career planning.
Otherwise…
I’m not trying to be a downer. I’m trying to help people continue to do what they love and still make a living doing what they like to do. Some will ignore the advice and others will think and plan. Positioning themselves to better continue their jobs while also supporting themselves and their families.
Some of those Univision folks who got laid off had every reason to think they’d have their jobs for years more. Now we’re seeing sharing and centralized story coverage on an even bigger scale. Not just local markets…but between international networks in different countries. It’s a trend which is going to continue to grow. 😉