Maybe this thread should be in Business & Media. I feel it's necessary to point out the scope and breadth of MSG Network's coverage of the Metros tonight. 6:30 p.m.: Replay of Thursday's Metro Soccer Report. 7:05 p.m.: Metrostars Gamenight. Recap of last week's game. Pregame interviews with Pope and Bradley. Pregame analysis from JP and Shep. Comments about Guevara's arrival. MLS highlights of Revolution-Crew game. 7:30 p.m.: Prematch interview with Jolley just prior to kickoff. Game. 8:45 p.m.: Halftime updates of other MLS games. 9:40 p.m.: 20 minutes of post game. Postgame analysis by JP and Shep. Enthusiastic review of game highlights and other MLS games by Jen Wolff and Deb Kaufman (drew a humorous comment by JP. He seemed stunned by their enthusiasm). Deb could not pronounce Digi's last name. Postgame interviews with Howard and Mathis. Extensive excerpts of Bradley's post game news conference. Three and a half hours of continuous Metros coverage. All I can say is WOW.
Absolutely fantastic. Great work by MSG, even if the TV scheduling gods had all the moons aligned in their favor for a one-off here. But I'll just say this... Program directors at all other MLS club affiliates... take notes.
Hate to say it (as a fan of evil team a few hours south), but the MSG coverage was really excellent. By far, the best in the league. Chicago's pre-game show was pretty good, but they didn't cover the press conference or do the pre- and post-game interviews like MSG.
Thank the YES network the Yanks too. If the Yanks were still on MSG, would the Metros coverage be as good?
And then we have the NY times. It had Yannis covering the Power match -- a 2-0 loss in front of 5k -- in 4 columns, including a 3-column pic. One column for the Metro's tie with the league Champs in front of 19,800. Lessee... 5k is a greater percentage of the 10k Mitchel Field than 20k is of 70k Giants Stadium. The Times must be all about numbers -- you think? Or percentages? MSG definitely deserves email thanking them for their excellent treatment of Metro and its fans.
Neither actually. The Times is a bit liberal (being very generous here) in its coverage, so it's understandable that the more PC Women's soccer will receive coverage than Men's...
I was very happy as well. Also, at midnight (maybe 11:30, I was hammered) was a replay of the game. I think that if we let MSG know they are doing well, they will know that soccer and metrostars are what the people want. We can't complain at all the bad and not let them know that they did well too. Let them know that this is great and to keep it up.
Plus corporate partners Fox Sports NY also shows the EPL highlight show Sunday nights at 10 (two days before FSW does) and also shows the weekly EPL match a couple times a week. So they're definitely among the more soccer friendly networks we have.
How does the amount of coverage MSG gives to the Metros compared with other local networks for other teams?
Well said. Times coverage of the Metros is minimal at best, but veteran columnist George Vecsey has went gaga over soccer as a result of the WC. Now even if his column isn't ostensibly about soccer he'll work in a reference. Not too long ago he was comparing Jeter being slagged by Steinbrenner to Beckham being hit in the face by a kicked shoe by Alex Ferguson. He really hasn't covered the MLS yet, but you can bet it's coming. USA Today has the best MLS coverage by far, LA Times is pretty good too. In New York the Daily News at least has an article by Michael Lewis once a week. Newsday has nothing, surprisingly, since a lot of kids play soccer on Long Island. Post is around one short article every two weeks, or at least it was last season.
The 'The Times is a liberal newspaper, so they play up the WUSA more than mens soccer' argument is one of the more ludicrous things I remember hearing, personally. There may be reasons, but that one is especially silly.
This is the same newspaper that spiked columns from its sports writers supporting Augusta National in the men-only debate, so I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand.
I use to intern at MSG Network. So I know that they have terriffic people producing Metro Football. Eddie Caginelli I think I misspelled his last name was one of the assistant producers for NY Yankees Baseball when the Yanks were on MSG Network. Of course once the Winner Communications contract expired and when the Yankees started their own sports channel, Eddie become the producer for Metro Football on MSG. Mike McCarthy & Leon Schwier are the top executives for MSG Network & Fox Sports NY. Go to msgnetwork.com and drop an e-mail to tell them how much you appreciate their hard work. Trust me, they are good guys.
Probably, since the Metro home opener didn't get 4 columns above the fold with a 3-column pic. Clearly, the times was making amends through the Power. It's all soccer, right?
I came over here specifically to find a thread to mention this in. I watched the entire production Saturday night. I had planned on flipping back and forth to the Chi/DC game, but the quality kept me watching MSG. I set there in envy comparing it in my mind to Metrosports that covers the Wizards. Consider yourselves lucky, I hope others can pick up the same type of coverage.
maybe metrofanatic.com could start posting links to msgnetwork.com's metrostar related content similar to what they do for the star-ledger, etc.?
Newsday runs the standings and AP game reports for the Metros, that's about it. This used to bother me a lot, but I think Newsday's lack of coverage of the Metros is because the Metros are a non-entity on LI, which is Newsday's base. Newsday covers the Metros about the same as it covers the Devils. Newsday gives much better coverage of the Power, because the Power are a LI team.