|
Media Relations Policies
ATHLETIC MEDIA RELATIONS The Athletic Media Relations Department is the university's link to the media and its coverage of Bobcat Athletics. Additionally, the department is charged with maintaining Texas State's athletic website, www.txstatebobcats.com, and the production of media guides for the various athletic programs. The media relations office is located in the Strahan Coliseum Administrative Annex, Room 126. CREDENTIALING Credentials for working media, including print and electronic (radio & television) media outlets are restricted in accordance with Texas State University, Southland Conference and NCAA rules and guidelines. It is the media relations office's intention to ensure proper, professional use is made of the space available to credentialed media. Credentials will be mailed to the requesting organization if time permits or sent to the visiting school's media relations director for distribution. Otherwise, all credentials will be made available at Media Will-Call. Credentials can be requested by emailing Ron Mears, Media Relations Director, at rmears@txstate.edu or by fax at (512) 245-2967. WEB SITES Fan-based Web sites containing at least one or more of the following: chat rooms, message boards, recruiting information, scouting reports and links to news sites, as well as other fan-based features shall not be issued credentials. Local and national organizations that maintain a news-based Web site in connection with their regular newspaper or magazine, as well as radio or television broadcast, shall be issued credentials on a game-by-game basis. Live, real-time updates will not be permitted. MEDIA SERVICES Pregame packages, including notes, statistics and programs, will be available to the media prior to an event. For football and basketball, periodic statistics will be made available during contests and final statistics will be available as soon as possible following an event. Members of the media may also request their media outlet be placed on a post-game fax list to receive statistics at the conclusion of an event. INTERVIEW POLICIES Texas State University's athletic department will make every effort to coordinate interviews between the media and its student-athletes and coaching staff. Dependent on practice schedules, student-athletes and coaches will be available prior to or at the conclusion of practice. Interviews can also be set up during the day when possible around the class schedule and meeting schedule of student-athletes and coaches. Following events, the sport's coach and selected student-athletes will be made available to answer questions from the media after a brief cooling off period. Media may request particular players for post-game interviews. Phone interviews with student-athletes and coaches can also be arranged around schedules and should be requested well in advance. No telephone interviews are permitted on game days. TELEPHONES Texas State University follows Southland Conference policies and procedures as they relate to providing phone lines for the official radio station of league opponents. As a courtesy, Texas State also makes those phone lines available to the official radio station of nonleague opponents at no charge. Additionally, there are a limited number of telephone lines available for use by the media to file post-game stories. Policies Specific to Football CREDENTIALING Media members covering visiting institutions are asked to request credentials through the school's media relations/sports information office to expedite their request as well as ensure distribution of credentials prior to the event. All other credentials will be available at Media Will-Call one hour prior to kickoff. Media Will-Call is located at Gate 1 of Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium. PRESS BOX Working press box credentials shall be issued to accredited newspapers, radio and television reporters only. Requests from other media sources shall be evaluated on a game-by-game basis. Credentials must be displayed prominently throughout the game, including pre- and post-game coverage. Credentials must be displayed at all times. Pregame interviews with players and/or coaches will not be permitted under any circumstance. PHOTOGRAPHY Sideline credentials will be issued only to accredited photographers and television reporters/camera operators on assignment. Freelance and amateur photographers not on assignment should contact the athletic media relations office well in advance for approval. All Southland Conference and NCAA rules shall be enforced regarding media representatives on the sidelines. Photographers are not permitted to shoot between the 25-yard lines. Texas State has a working area with phone lines and an Ethernet connection available for use in the End Zone Complex. For additional information or questions regarding still photography at Bobcat Stadium, contact the athletic media relations office or Don Anders in Texas State's Department of Marketing at (512) 245-2920. MEDIA SERVICES The press box of Texas State University's Bobcat Stadium is situated on the west side of the stadium. The press box is accessible from entrances on both the north and south sides as well as from an elevator behind the stadium. The Texas State athletic media relations staff will provide working media with game notes, season statistics, depth charts, flip cards, programs and media guides for both the 'Cats and the visiting team prior to the game. An official statistical package complete with individual and team statistics, play-by-play, scoring summary, end-of-quarter stats and defensive stats will be distributed following the game. "Quickie Stats" will be available at the end of each quarter and will also be distributed to the media during post-game interviews both for the Texas State post-game press conference in the end zone complex as well as for visiting team post-game activities in the north end zone locker facility. Texas State head coach Brad Wright and selected players will be available in the End Zone Complex's teaching theater following a 10-minute cooling-off period. The theater may be accessed form the northwest corner of the complex. Several courtesy telephones (with campus extensions) are available in the working area of the press box. All phones are available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, a limited number of Ethernet connections are also available for use in the press box. INTERVIEWS During the season, all player and coach interviews must be scheduled through Ron Mears in the athletic media relations office at (512) 245-2966. Interviews with players and coaches are permitted Monday through Thursday prior to Saturday games. In the event games are played during the week, the interview schedule and media access will be altered. While interviews can be arranged to best fit both student-athletes and members of the media's schedules, the ideal time to conduct interviews is following practice. In other words, we will work with you to schedule interviews if the late-afternoon window when practices usually end does not work within your schedule. Texas State University's practices are generally open to the media and the public. Contact Mears for a daily schedule. Telephone interviews for out-of-town media can be arranged through the athletic media relations office. Interviews with players on the day prior to a game, as well as game day, are not permitted. No player interviews will be conducted during regular class hours. WEEKLY SLC TELECONFERENCE Each week during the season the Southland Conference will conduct a teleconference with the league's football coaches. Times and access information may be obtained from the Texas State media relations office or by contacting Associate Commissioner Bruce Ludlow at the Southland Conference. PARKING Jim Wacker Field at Bobcat Stadium is located on the east side of the Texas State University campus adjacent to Aquarena Springs Drive. Aquarena Springs is Exit 206 off Interstate 35. Media parking is in the lot located just south of the stadium and is accessible from Robbie Lane (From Aquarena Springs coming from the interstate: Turn left at first traffic light, Thorpe Lane, and proceed to the next traffic light, turning right onto Robbie Lane.
|
