The press - gotta hate em

[roopy]

I heard the other day that Matt Johns is earning more now than when he played League and earns nearly as much as Andrew.
A radio show host recently signed for 14 million dollars for the next seven years for his League based program.
Any number of old hack journos have made a very comfortable living off the back of League for their whole careers.

The problem is, these tired, old and pretty much untalented hacks always take the lazy option of dragging League through the mud to sell their papers. Positive stories don't sell enough papers is the conventional wisdom, so you have to wonder why they do positive story after positive story about Union and AFL.

The Newcastle Herald has some bright, young League reporters, and it is great to read positive stories from them just about every day, but the old hasbeens in Sydney just drag down the game and collect fat paychecks for doing it.

The RL press are the highest paid people making a living out of the game, but I think they are close to being a negative for the game.

 

[ibeme]

I think Ray Hadley is one of leagues big assets. Like him or hate him, he brings a lot of people to rugby league, and sheds a pretty good light on the game.

A lot of people who never previously had an interest in league now do, courtesy of Hadley. Those who enjoy his weekday programs have followed him to weekends on the Continuous Call team. The twelve million he was payed includes his weekday program.

 

[Jeffles]

Ray Hadley would be getting the bulk of his money for his talkback show. Calling the RL is secondary now. As for Matty Johns, I enjoy his approach and think he is positive for Rugby League. Phil Goul was a problem during the Test coverage talking down the Poms (we know they're bad but focus on the good stuff. They nearly won all the Tests). But you are right in that there hasn't been any new stuff on the horizon.

Roopy raises a good point in that there is a lack of variety in the mianstream RL press. I'd like to see Newcastle Herald journos getting syndicated in the SMH (its sister paper). The RL magazines are also bad in that they seem to reproduce the same journos you see in newspapers and on TV.

There is a bit of alternative media out there. Rugby League Review and 2SM are good for that, as well as 2KY. Of course they do not rate well and that's what newspapr owners look for. Still I enjoy their coverage. I'd like to see Andrew Voss get more involved as well.

 

[ali]

If ever there was a case of positive journalism being good for a sport it is definately evident about AFL and Union in Sydney. Ever since the Super League War there has been barely a negative story about those 2 sports in the Daily Tele. Both are now far more popular than they were 5-10 years a go.

Our journos should learn that treating our game in a more positve manner, especially the international game, will be good for them long term. Just look at the amount of Union pundits getting interviewed on Sydney radio over the last 6 weeks. If League were to take off in other places around the world, then our experienced journos may get more media opportunities and more $$$$$$$.

 

[iggy plop]

I think Ray Hadley is one of leagues big assets. Like him or hate him, he brings a lot of people to rugby league, and sheds a pretty good light on the game.

A lot of people who never previously had an interest in league now do, courtesy of Hadley. Those who enjoy his weekday programs have followed him to weekends on the Continuous Call team. The twelve million he was payed includes his weekday program.

Yes and he has pissed a lot of league diehards off with the crap he comes up with on his continuous call show which barely talks league.

And don't you worry, he loves the negative angle as well.

But good luck to him.

 

[dimitri]

yep i cant stand him

hes continuouse bore is enough for me to listen to another sport instead of league on radio


he always seems to want to take a swipe at someone in league

and is always pushing for more nsw teams

 

[PB]

There is a bit of alternative media out there. Rugby League Review and 2SM are good for that, as well as 2KY. Of course they do not rate well and that's what newspapr owners look for. Still I enjoy their coverage. I'd like to see Andrew Voss get more involved as well.

i agree with most of what you have said. However, i gather Vossy is doing some work with 2UE now. I would like him to stay away from Gould, Warren and Vaultin for as long as possible so that they dont have any more affect on the way he shapes his opinions. He is already picking up some bad habits, and he has loads of potential.