May 21, 2013

WFNY Podcast – 2013-01-06 – Brian Spaeth challenges Craig on Browns and media

January 7, 2013 by 13 Comments

What better way to start 2013 than with a Brian Spaeth chat? After writing my article about the Browns and their handling of the media, Brian wanted to talk about it. He initially thought I was being a “baby.” Is that the way he finished thinking about it? You’ll have to listen to find out. (Tease.)

Here’s what else we talked about.

  • The Browns and the current Cleveland media
  • Twitter and the information economy
  • What do the Browns owe the media?
  • What do the Browns owe the fans?
  • Chip Kelly and his agent controlling the message
  • Does talking in the face of rumors help the Browns in any way?
  • How injured and needy are Cleveland sports fans?
  • How much does LeBron have to do with it?
  • What about the 24 hour news cycle?
  • Sulia
  • SportsYapper
  • Cougar Town
  • Funeral reality TV shows

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  • Harv 21

    love your podcasts, Craig, but here’s one I can’t do. Battle lines so starkly drawn and defended yesterday by you and Scott v. the anti’s that it feels like this topic’s totally spent.

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com Craig Lyndall

    Your choice, but in a richer format with me talking it out in a reasonable fashion with someone who disagrees with me, I think I prove to be a pretty reasonable guy. Also, I don’t quite understand all the characterizations of my post yesterday as some brash, outlandish, harshly written piece. I thought it made some pretty subtle recommendations for these guys to handle the media a bit too.

  • Harv 21

    you are usually eminently reasonable! That’s why we were so startled by your unselfconscious, unrepentant wrongness yesterday. We called an emergency commenters meeting and decided that you were suffering the effects of auto-intoxication from too much time in the tweet universe. Like a Chip Kelly interview hangover, it’s time to forgive and move on. :-)

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/ Scott @ WFNY

    This absurd notion that opinions can be wrong is stunning. It’d be different if Craig (or I) was spouting from some baseless well. We don’t always have to agree here — that’s what makes this fun.

    Craig, solid podcast once again. This format does the discussion a lot more justice than a comment field.

  • http://twitter.com/CTownPride Steve Jackman

    It’s not a matter of opinions being right or wrong. It’s a matter of whether or not the opinion is strongly-supported. I saw 10 paragraphs of surface-level discussion regarding the Browns PR “issues.” I didn’t see much depth to Craig’s argument and I was attempting to challenge him (and you) to support the argument. And, yes, I was trying to poke holes in the argument because my opinion is different. Yet, at the same time, I was hoping one of you would make a point I hadn’t thought of before, causing me to think harder about my opinion.

    And I’d be happy to discuss this in person anytime you like. Don’t worry, I’m not some ravenous “dog.”

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/ Scott @ WFNY

    Your willing to discuss this rationally is appreciated. As Craig stated in the podcast, the mountainous molehill could be in play. That said, we’ve seen this for years now — the team allows this vortex to take shape when they could easily control the message. Their unwillingness to do so, in my opinion, is a complete failure. This may not mean much to everyone else, but — again, in my opinion — for a team that has countless other issues, this is one that is wholly avoidable.

  • Harv 21

    omg. I was kidding, Scott. I post enough here that surely you recognize that. If the words themselves didn’t clue, surely the smiley face did.

  • http://twitter.com/CTownPride Steve Jackman

    I think I may have identified the source of our disagreement. You seem to be looking at the PR issues of the Browns as something that is accumulating over time, whereas I’m just looking at this single issue (PR with respect to a coaching search). I don’t believe the Browns have a PR issue with their courting of Chip Kelly. I do believe they had a huge PR problem with Colt McCoy’s concussion late last season, and I believe Craig addressed that at the time. I agreed with Craig on that issue. I disagree with him on the coaching search issue.

    I don’t think it’s fair to hold past PR issues against the current regime. The McCoy issues fell under Lerner, Holmgren, Heckert, and Shurmur. This current perceived problem is falling under Haslam, Banner, Scheiner, and a whole lot of TBD. And, as I posted last night, I thought Haslam did well to get out in front of this by saying they won’t discuss any details of the coaching search. I just accepted that I won’t hear anything from the Browns until they hire a coach, which is fine by me.

    Haslam and his company, Pilot/Flying J, had a huge PR issue a few years back when their gas prices rose too quickly. They handled that issue and are still a successful business. (So successful, the family was able to buy an NFL team.) I don’t doubt that Haslam understands the importance of PR. I just doubt he believes this is a PR issue. And I, along with others, agree with him.

  • WFNY_DP

    “This absurd notion that opinions can be wrong is stunning.”

    Then you, sir, must not be reading enough Cleveland Frowns.

  • MrCleaveland

    As Edwin Newman once wrote, “Everyone’s entitled to my opinion.”

  • The_Real_Shamrock

    Hey I’ve long been lambasted (sp) for my opinions on here especially early on so in the words of that great American John McLain, “Welcom to the party pal!” I just try to remember what my long last daddy told me about opinions, they r like (_o_) we all got one!

  • http://www.waitingfornextyear.com/ Scott @ WFNY

    Regime change or not, this PR/communications staff has been in place since Mangini took office.

  • Vindictive_Pat

    This opinion is so late… sorry, just got some time to listen to this. I actually tend to agree with Craig’s opinion here. Not to the extent of how to solve the dilemma because I really don’t know what beat writers should and shouldn’t be doing, but I can absolutely agree that the local media was getting “scooped” by the national media. We can say that none of this was actually news (and be right about that) because nobody knows what was truth, but the absolute truth is that the local media was TRYING to do the exact same thing as the national dudes and they ended up just retweeting them and riding their coattails. MKC, Ulrich, Ruiter, and whoever else were retweeting and commenting as if the rumors were truth and everyone should know this “news”. That’s what bugs me the most… the local beat reporters should go out and get the news and if they don’t know if there is any news to report, then don’t just retweet some national dudes, tweet out that you have heard nothing from your sources about that topic and so you don’t know if it’s truth. Instead we’re getting garbage reports from MKC about Jon Gruden being a real option for the Browns when all of the national dudes are reporting that as false. If our local folks had a better relationship with the Browns, they wouldn’t look as lost as they’ve been looking throughout this whole coaching change.