BYU releases "tweaked" media guidelines

BYU’s athletic department, preparing for the season opening football game between the Cougars and Northern Iowa, issued a media policy for covering the games late Friday night.

It is the most restrictive and detailed press operation policy in school history.

Why?

Because times have changed. They started to change long ago with closed locker rooms in the mid-90s.

With the advent of the Internet and blogs, BYU folks apparently felt the need to set up some guidelines, if not some hard rules for reporters. The deal with blogs is interesting. Trying to get a handle and have some control over this growing Internet feature, they’ve shaped some guidelines they believe they need in place.

Also, because BYU has broadcast partners who have paid big bucks for the rights to do BYU games, the administration saw a need to create boundaries so that those rights and windows for broadcasting are protected and reserved.

On the surface, other than addressing blogging issues, I see the most restrictive aspect of the policy hitting radio stations. Utah has three to four sports radio stations in the market, depending how you identify them. To have this many in such a small market is unique. Many, if not all, cover BYU football games in one form or another and some have included pre-game and post-game call-in shows. This can impinge on the BYU/KSL pact and in reviewing this policy, I can see where some pretty distinct guidelines are in place.

Here are a few chunks of the policy. While some parts are new or tweaked, others have been in place before. I post this because I believe it is interesting for non-press people to see how much planning goes into game operation and coverage, for not only the school but the reporters, both print and broadcast.

Radio
* No radio station/network may broadcast live programming that originates from Edwards Stadium or the BYU campus during the live radio broadcast window. This includes live interviews and/or reports via phone or any other form of electronic transmission.
* The broadcast window begins two hours prior to the scheduled game time and ends two hours after the game concludes.
* The post-game press conference and all other interviews may be recorded, but not broadcast live.
* Media outlets may use a maximum of three minutes of recorded interviews per hour during the broadcast window. The interviews may not be portrayed as live.
* Coaches and/or student-athletes may not be interviewed live at any time during the broadcast window (on or off campus).
* A non-radio rights holder may not use the trademarked terms BYU, Brigham Young, Brigham Young University when referring to the name of its broadcast.

Television
* No television station/network may broadcast live programming that originates from inside Edwards Stadium during the live telecast. This includes interviews and/or reports.
* The post-game press conference may be recorded, but not broadcast live.
* The MWC television contract allows for a maximum use of three minutes of recorded footage from each event.
* Local affiliates are permitted to show up to 0:45 of highlights from an active game during their regularly-scheduled news broadcast, with the proviso that they mention the game is currently airing on network.

Internet
* Credentialed media will be permitted to blog during the game as part of their regular game-day responsibilities.
* As a general rule, bloggers are permitted to post three times per quarter, once at halftime and once during each overtime session.
* Play-by-play blogging is not permitted.
* Media may blog only for the organization that requested the credential.
* Media may not participate in two-way dialog or real-time chats.
* Additional credentials will not be issued to accommodate blogging.

Blogging content guidelines
* In general, scoring updates, periodic analysis and time remaining is permissible content.
* Play-by-play descriptions and detailed statistical analysis of the game is not permitted.
* Any private conversations between individuals, including coaches, players, administrators, staff, members of the media, etc. are not appropriate content for blogging or for any other reporting.
* BYU athletic communications personnel will be the final authority to determine if a news entity/network is following blogging policy.