Wilmington Star News Takes Shot at NC State Media Relations

Chuck Amato’s weekly Monday press conference created a lot of controversy. A reporter kindly sent SFN comments shortly after the PC was over to post on the web. In fact it was one of the main reasons the SFN server blew up.

If you click on the link above you will see that NC State SID Annabelle Vaughan tried to give ground rules for the press conference. We thought that was a mistake from the start. Why couldn’t Amato just say “no comment” if he didn’t want to answer certain questions? Why did he need Ms. Vaughan to play Mommy?

Another quick note. Last week James Henderson posted on PackPride.com that NC State informed him that PackPride was to stop posting video clips from basketball games on the internet. These were video clips that a PackPride photographer took at the game. He went on to post that Wolfpack Sports Marketing had exculsive rights to do this.

Say what?

So you are telling me that if the N&O or WRAL wanted to take video clips they couldn’t post them on their website?

You can click here for a recent entry that consolidates some criticisms of Wolfpack Sports Marketing and NCSU Sports Information Department.

Instead of beating the competition by creativity and better content. It almost seems like gopack.com sucks so bad that their only shot is to limit access to what certain media members can cover. Thank goodness that they don’t have the power to limit the coverage of their competition at comparable ‘official’ sites at other ACC Schools — almost ALL of which have had media guides available for download to their fans for years. Not NC State!! That would require a little work! (See this entry from 2005)

Back to Monday’s press conference. The Wilmington Star News wrote a small editoral about the Monday press conference. See below:

After its football team lost another game, the third in a row to rival North Carolina, N.C. State athletic officials asked sportswriters not to ask one of the most obvious questions: What’s the future of the coach?

If they did ask such a question, writers were told, the press conference would be ended. Eventually that’s what happened, according to Star-News Correspondent Andrew Jones.

N.C. State teaches many lessons. Free speech apparently is not among them.

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24 Responses to Wilmington Star News Takes Shot at NC State Media Relations

  1. Coach Lee Fowler 11/23/2006 at 7:16 PM #

    I had the (mis)privilege of working in the NC State SID’s office as a student. Let me tell you from first hand experience that it is an utter joke.

  2. GoldenChain 11/23/2006 at 7:55 PM #

    This press conference was so wrong on so many levels!
    First, it was just the WRONG way to handle the speculation about CtC and added to it rather than defuse it.

    If someone asked me, “So coach is there anything to the rumors that you’re going to be fired after Saturday’s game?”
    I would have said, “Well you know, we’ve done a lot of positive things this season and there is certainly reason to be optimistic for next season given the redshirts that we’ve saved from this year plus the talent we have coming in. We aren’t happy with our results in the W/L column by any means but we have concrete reasons optimistic for the future.
    I’m focused on Saturday’s big game with ECU, those other issues are for Lee Fowler and the Chancellor to sort out and I have no control over them.”
    Then if any more questions were asked I’d say “hey, I already addressed that.”
    That is certainly the dignified, professional, and traditional way such things have been handled.
    The fact that he wouldn’t talk about it makes me think a decision has been made and they’re afraid that it will ‘come out’ prematurely ( as if anyone would be bothered by that).

  3. bTHEredterror 11/23/2006 at 8:08 PM #

    Not only is it cowardly and pretentious (and maybe facist?) to dictate to the media what topics to discuss, it has the effect of exacerbating the commentary. Why would you avoid the opportunity to quell the controversy? Why lend credence to the speculation by reacting defensively.
    The issue with the rights to pictures is just foolish spite. They take revenge on the “friendly” media because of comments made by bloggers like me, thus limiting their own exposure and creating enemies in the media. Not to mention dismissing the rank in file fanatic that just wants to see the Pack in its rightful place, as a competitive athletics program. Shortsighted to say the least. I have come to the conclusion they want fans more like the populace of Cuba. Waving flags and holding pictures of Fowler, oblivious to the reality of the situation, or worse yet afraid to comment for fear of retribution.

  4. packpigskinfan23 11/23/2006 at 8:27 PM #

    I understand compeletely everyones feelings about the whole situation… and I agree completely with you, but I have this horrible feeling(yes… feeling, cause I really know NOTHING) that this is what is happening:

    Chuck was most likely told that he either beats ECU or he packs his bags. That would explain the meetings, that would explain Chucks rollercoaster(akward TV show, strange PC, and apparently confident radio show from what I heard) like attitude this week.

    now we all dont understand why they would fire him, and not tell anyone… THAT would be stupid. but if the above was told to him it would be HORRIBLE for that to leak…. of course our whole Athletic/Media department screws everything up… so… whatever.

  5. Woof Wolf 11/23/2006 at 8:45 PM #

    “THAT would be stupid…”

    I totally agree. That’s why I feel so good.

  6. old13 11/23/2006 at 9:18 PM #

    May I trade in my NCSU degree for a Clemson or VT or GaTech or . . . degree! I’m so tired of being embarrassed and insulted by the supposely “professional” NCSU administration.

  7. highstick 11/23/2006 at 10:31 PM #

    I’ve tried the “trade in” too, without sucess at this point. I even went to grad school at ECU, but hate the SOB’s!

  8. NCSU84 11/24/2006 at 1:24 AM #

    I think the REAL reason the NCSU administration did not want Chucky to address quesions regarding his tenure is simple – they did not want Chucky to say someting inappropriate. For example, remember the statement after the Akron game ‘they admit non-qualifiers’. The NCSU admin pobably did not want any other babble or foolish comments at this sensitive time. Chuck will have his chance to speak once he is the ex-headcoach.

  9. 98st8 11/24/2006 at 1:40 AM #

    We are making a much bigger deal out of this “no comment” press conference than needs to be made.

    SFN: I think that you are putting the blame on the wrong side. THEY are making a much bigger deal out of something that could have been a “no comment” press conference than needed to be made. This is obvious by the articles now written in the main stream media. How often do you see this?

    There was so much speculation and wild rumors after the Carolina game that they wanted a relatively quiet week. That was absolutely accomplished. There has been nothing for us to talk about all week. This has been handled much better than the coaching search over the summer… leaks, rumors, speculation and second guessing everything that Lee was doing or not doing.

    Chuck will be dismissed this weekend I believe…and I think that the administration has learned lessons from the summer problems.

    I watched “CHICKEN LITTLE” today with my two girls…the chicken kept saying “the sky is falling, the sky is falling”. I thought.. he must be an NC STATE fan.

    Everything will work out just fine… you’ll see

  10. Woof Wolf 11/24/2006 at 7:36 AM #

    “CHICKEN LITTLE” was right. The sky has been falling for three years. It has been speeding downward faster and faster for the last six weeks. I don’t know how you and Lee missed it, but it hit the ground with a big SPLATT on Saturday.

  11. NCSUownzJoo 11/24/2006 at 8:55 AM #

    SFN: There is no reason for you to waste your time typing these types of comments here. A Word About the Blog that would be beneficial for you.

  12. vtpackfan 11/24/2006 at 8:55 AM #

    …”and I think that the administration has learned lessons from the summer problems.”

    How could Sidney Lowe bailing out his alma mater constitute a lesson learned? Unless you mean no more internal leaks, flight trackings, and make shift consulting teams. Perhaps Lee Fowler is a long descendant Templar Knight and deciphering the code speak will many more resources we have to offer. IMHO, Chuck stays unless big donors pull off coup.

  13. vtpackfan 11/24/2006 at 9:04 AM #

    “all I ever see or hear from this website is how bad NC State sucks.”

    Some may not share your view, that is ok. Not enough to conclude that this website runs as an extreme opponnet to the University in general.

  14. NCSUownzJoo 11/24/2006 at 9:07 AM #

    Well correct me if i’m wrong but the last two posts alone this site has ripped the SID, the AD, the Coach, and the Institution. Right?

  15. vtpackfan 11/24/2006 at 9:24 AM #

    No one is being ripped unless it hits home. If someone tries to lay into me and go up oneside and down the other, but I find they clearly missed the boat then I don’t get to flustered over it, maybe annoyed. It might be my shortsightedness, or it may be they can’t comminicate effectively, but regardless it’s not too damaging unless it hits a nerve of insecurity.

  16. newswolf 11/24/2006 at 10:37 AM #

    How can you say the site “ripped” anyone. It seems to me that they were LINKNING to a major EDITORIAL in a local NEWSPAPER.

  17. NCSUownzJoo 11/24/2006 at 10:48 AM #

    because it’s not just a link to a newspaper, they also gave their own comments AGREEING with the editorial. Not to mention, the other post I referred to, i think it was 5 back on the main page, wasn’t an editorial but their opinion. Everybody has an opinion and thats fine. I was just pointing out that I think the criticisms of our coach, AD and school should be constructive instead of destructive. Thats all.

  18. StateFans 11/24/2006 at 10:56 AM #

    So…suggesting areas of improvement for the all facets of the program is NOT CONSTRUCTIVE?

    We must have an academic posting on the site. Certainly nobody posting from the real world.

  19. Cardiac95 11/24/2006 at 12:51 PM #

    I believe GoPack.com already has the market cornered as far as “Yes Media” goes.

  20. 98st8 11/24/2006 at 2:09 PM #

    Have you guys never seen a press conference where someone says there will be no questions answered regarding a certain subject????? This happens all the time at the White House PC. Whether it is a Rep or Dem in power, it happens quite frequently. If you follow politics as I do, the White House Press Secretary will often end a PC if it is not going in the direction as they want. THEY want to control the flow of information!!! This is the SMART thing to do. OUR GUYS WANT TO CONTROL THE FLOW OF INFORMATION. This is a very good thing to do especially after what happened this summer…i.e. No control over flow of information. I am just like you guys… I desperately want a new coach. Go Pack

  21. tractor57 11/24/2006 at 3:32 PM #

    Controlling the information flow is one thing but my problem is with the manner in which it was attempted. From my view, a simple statement fromAmato that he won’t comment on things out of his control and lets get back to football would make more sense in this situation.
    Me thinks the decision to end the PC came from powers above Amato – my guess is they were afraid of what he would say (we all know he NEVER says anything that could be construed in a bad light .

  22. highstick 11/24/2006 at 6:37 PM #

    From the Daily Progress in Charlottesville, VA:

    By Jerry Ratcliffe / [email protected] | 978-7251
    November 22, 2006

    Howling hurt ’Pack
    UNC defensive end Kentwan Balmer said that trash talking by N.C. State players before last week’s clash helped get the Tar Heels so fired up they couldn’t help but win.
    “Man, you should have heard them. We wanted to shut them up as fast as possible,” Balmer said. “They said they were going to smash us and send our coach packing. Just for them to say that put us up to another level. I was so fired up I was almost in tears.”
    Balmer said he couldn’t repeat some of the things N.C. State players said, but was sure of one thing:
    “I ain’t never seen nobody’s mouth win a football game,” said Balmer.
    He’s got that right.

    Sure sounds like this fellow might be a former UNC journalism student;;;;

  23. Gene 11/27/2006 at 2:09 PM #

    Another quick note. Last week James Henderson posted on PackPride.com that NC State informed him that PackPride was to stop posting video clips from basketball games on the internet. These were video clips that a PackPride photographer took at the game. He went on to post that Wolfpack Sports Marketing had exculsive rights to do this.

    From what I’ve seen, GoPack had its videos for free viewing until the Valpo game. They, along with the rest of the ACC, it seems, has set-up a subscritpion based or pay-as-you view service, for non-televised games, which it records.

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