The incredibly shrinking L.A. media market

2009-09-08T11:19:38-04:00

2009-01-22T01:51:20-05:00

2009-01-22T15:30:59-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/625/815/thumb/imagejpeg_2_2.jpg 45 CA

Fino101

Corona 626455

34 Good comments guys, since birth I have been a Laker fan never turned my back on them even when things werent going so good but you cant help but want the Clips to do good or the other way around my team is the Angels but hey if the Dodgers make a run at the world series and my team is not thier hey i will but my money on my L.A. base team. thats the way I role and most of the sports fans i know from So Cal do the same. So many joices just like it was said but we do stick with our teams! 4077205

2009-01-22T15:11:43-05:00

Huston

Oxford 114712

33 I miss Hacksaw Hamilton 4076847

2009-01-22T15:08:40-05:00

Huston

Oxford 114712

32 I miss Hacksaw Hamilton 4076824

2009-01-22T14:51:55-05:00

248

Capsfan

Arlington 41627

31 Doghockey you're right in some respects but please. I grew up in Santa Monica. Try getting from anywhere in West L.A to Dodger Stadium or Staples Center in rush hour. You're going to be late. Blame SoCal traffic for people being late and leaving early, not their interest in the team. And this doesn't even get into trying to get in and out of the Mausoleum or the Rose Bowl on game day. 4076475

2009-01-22T14:05:02-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/872/19/thumb/DodgerPissingonAngel.jpg 115 CA

BleedBlue

Pasadena 87519

Can't take anything serious from an LOL guy.

28 Thats the best you could do? That LOL is to show how ridiculous your comment was. It didnt even piss me off, just made me laugh at the ignorance. 4075644

2009-01-22T14:24:08-05:00

142

doghockey

Long Beach 489073

Thats the best you could do? That LOL is to show how ridiculous your comment was. It didnt even piss me off, just made me laugh at the ignorance.

30 Wow, the rose colored glasses wearing, southern California faux sports fans are jacked up today. 4075969

2009-01-22T13:41:31-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/627/920/thumb/National_Championship_Trophy.jpg 81 CA

SC4SC

Northridge 628560

Hey Arash Mohammad, Your an idiot.Don't be blaming the L.A. fans.. Back before that **** Georgia had her husband killed and then stole our Rams Franchise and took them to her home town St. Louis, Rams fans were as loyal as could be.. Georgia cared more about sideline entertainment than fielding a competitive team.And don't compare our sports knowledge with those east coast fans. Back when I gave a damn about sports, I knew just s much or more than any Boston or New York fan..

26 You are absolutly right! It sickened me to see that murderer raise the super bowl trophy. And LA not being a sports town. The Dodgers average almost 4 million, the Lakers are always close to selling out, the Trojans pull in close to 90,000 every home game, the Kings drawgreat even while they are rebuilding, even the worthless clippers draw well and UCLA can put 60,000 in the seats. Our stadiums are huge compared to the little American league stadiums. So do your research before you say Los Angeles is not a sports town. MORON! 4075308

2009-01-22T14:06:28-05:00

142

doghockey

Long Beach 489073

You are absolutly right! It sickened me to see that murderer raise the super bowl trophy. And LA not being a sports town. The Dodgers average almost 4 million, the Lakers are always close to selling out, the Trojans pull in close to 90,000 every home game, the Kings drawgreat even while they are rebuilding, even the worthless clippers draw well and UCLA can put 60,000 in the seats. Our stadiums are huge compared to the little American league stadiums. So do your research before you say Los Angeles is not a sports town. MORON!

29 Before you start throwing moron around too loosely, you may want to look in a mirror, then reread the article. AM never stated that LA was not a sports town, only that that is its reputation - not his opinion. The gist of the article was the shrinking traditional sports media. This is absolutely true and documented. New media - bloggers etc... are becoming more commonplace. 4075673

2009-01-22T14:01:08-05:00

142

doghockey

Long Beach 489073

WRONG!!!Since you are a hockeydog....check out the Kings attendance over the past couple of years. They've never won a cup and have been doing terrible but they've had above average attendance and we are not a hockey town. Sheer numbers (population) mean jack! We are very loyal fans. Your argument about how we get there late and leave early means nothing! I've been to NY, Philly, and Arizona for sporting events and witnessed the exact same thing. So to say its isolated to LA is just lame. The ONLY place I didn???t notice that was in Boston (sorry to say). LOL the audacity, coming from a person of obvious lack of substance, just floors me.

27 Can't take anything serious from an LOL guy. 4075586

2009-01-22T14:05:02-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/872/19/thumb/DodgerPissingonAngel.jpg 115 CA

BleedBlue

Pasadena 87519

Can't take anything serious from an LOL guy.

28 Thats the best you could do? That LOL is to show how ridiculous your comment was. It didnt even piss me off, just made me laugh at the ignorance. 4075644

2009-01-22T13:25:43-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/872/19/thumb/DodgerPissingonAngel.jpg 115 CA

BleedBlue

Pasadena 87519

Most southern Californians are bandwagon jumpers that will only support a winner. Granted the Clippers and the like have a small base of loyal fans, but they are in the minority. You can meet plenty of so called fans out here that are USC followers during football & switch to UCLA during basketball. The attendance argument always given is a joke. In an area of 15 million people, attendance will always be high based on sheer numbers. Enough people will go to a game or 2 a year keeping the attendance high. Doesn't mean the fans are great or knowledgeable. Great fans don't arrive late, leave early, and generally know something about the game they are watching. Most people out here go to a game so they can tell their friends that they went, in the belief that this somehow makes them a better person. More typical behavior in the land of no substance.

24 WRONG!!! Since you are a hockeydog....check out the Kings attendance over the past couple of years. They've never won a cup and have been doing terrible but they've had above average attendance and we are not a hockey town. Sheer numbers (population) mean jack! We are very loyal fans. Your argument about how we get there late and leave early means nothing! I've been to NY, Philly, and Arizona for sporting events and witnessed the exact same thing. So to say its isolated to LA is just lame. The ONLY place I didn???t notice that was in Boston (sorry to say). LOL the audacity, coming from a person of obvious lack of substance, just floors me. 4075083

2009-01-22T14:01:08-05:00

142

doghockey

Long Beach 489073

27 Can't take anything serious from an LOL guy. 4075586

2009-01-22T11:39:40-05:00

Chris15

Simi Valley 657092

16 Hey Arash Mohammad, Your an idiot. Don't be blaming the L.A. fans.. Back before that **** Georgia had her husband killed and then stole our Rams Franchise and took them to her home town St. Louis, Rams fans were as loyal as could be.. Georgia cared more about sideline entertainment than fielding a competitive team. And don't compare our sports knowledge with those east coast fans. Back when I gave a damn about sports, I knew just s much or more than any Boston or New York fan.. 4073173

2009-01-22T13:41:31-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/627/920/thumb/National_Championship_Trophy.jpg 81 CA

SC4SC

Northridge 628560

2009-01-22T12:54:23-05:00

142

doghockey

Long Beach 489073

Yeah dude, you're definitely not from L.A. or know anything about it. Check ESPN's attendence trackers. The Dodgers and Lakers (and the Angels) are in the top seven or eight for attendence every year. UCLA basketball ALWAYS does well. USC football is doing just fine and will continue to do so as long as they field teams that give a d*mn (unlike the 1990s).This story is a reflection of the changing world of communications. As cable drastically changed the world of sports in the 1980s, the internet is drastically changing sports media in this current decade. Fans and media outlets will adjust in time and find ways to cover/follow their teams.

22 Most southern Californians are bandwagon jumpers that will only support a winner. Granted the Clippers and the like have a small base of loyal fans, but they are in the minority. You can meet plenty of so called fans out here that are USC followers during football & switch to UCLA during basketball. The attendance argument always given is a joke. In an area of 15 million people, attendance will always be high based on sheer numbers. Enough people will go to a game or 2 a year keeping the attendance high. Doesn't mean the fans are great or knowledgeable. Great fans don't arrive late, leave early, and generally know something about the game they are watching. Most people out here go to a game so they can tell their friends that they went, in the belief that this somehow makes them a better person. More typical behavior in the land of no substance. 4074561

2009-01-22T13:34:30-05:00

http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/648/554/thumb/usc_girls_thumb.jpg 936 CA

Tribute to Troy

Avocadoville 649194

25 Clearly you are miserable living in southern California. You need to go back to wherever you came from. You'll be so much happier and so will the people you leave behind. 4075214

<div class="photo_container image_right"> <div class="photo"><img src="http://img.fannation.com/upload/si_blog_post_images/20801/kobe.8.jpg" alt="Kobe" width="300" height="320" /></div> <div class="photo_attributes" style="text-align:right;">At least the Lakers still get covered like a pro team. John W. McDonough/SI</div> </div> Los Angeles has never had a reputation for being a great sports town. Sure, we have great weather and great beaches, but when our teams play we show up late and usually leave early. And sometimes we don't show up at all, especially if our teams are bad. It's one of the reasons why we lost two NFL franchises and won't get another one for the foreseeable future. I still think there are few experiences in sports better than a USC football game at the Coliseum, an afternoon ballgame at Dodgers Stadium, a UCLA basketball game at Pauley Pavilion, a Lakers game at Staples Center or New Year's Day at the Rose Bowl. The skeptics can say what they want, but in the immortal words of Randy Newman, "<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=frZZAQRfMYg">I love LA</a>." It is, after all, still the No. 2 media market with two teams (if you count Anaheim as part of LA like the Angels do) in every sport except for the NFL. The media, however, that covers this market is shrinking by the day. A microcosm, no doubt, of what's happening in many other sports cities across America. Not only have there been major layoffs at newspapers such as the Los Angeles Times, Daily News and the Orange County Register, but television and radio stations are also cutting back. This week KLAC 570, which has been the radio home of the Lakers for over 30 years, merged with Fox Sports Radio in a move that saw eight on-air personalities lose their jobs. Those that remained will now be hosting nationally syndicated shows that will no longer focus on LA teams. KSPN 710, the local ESPN affiliate, already airs plenty of national programming and will likely increase its national presence when "The Worldwide Leader" opens its LA headquarters across the street from Staples Center. Fox Sports West and Prime Ticket (formerly Fox Sports West 2) ditched its only local news show "The Southern California Sports Report" years ago and primarily airs national programming and infomercials outside of local games. The only real local sports television presence is a few minutes at the end of nightly newscasts, and even those reports are being cut down. The most troublesome aspect of sports coverage in Los Angeles is that newspapers have also significantly cut their coverage of local teams as editorial staffs are being trimmed due to the economy. The result is little to no coverage on teams outside the Lakers, Dodgers, Angels, USC football and UCLA basketball. Even those teams aren't getting the coverage that they once did. For example, the Daily News and Orange County Register, which used to compete against each other, entered into content sharing agreement last year and now a Daily News staffer covers the Dodgers for both papers on the road, while a Register staffer does the same with the Angels. This is after the Daily News was already folded into the "Los Angeles Newspaper Group," a collection of nine daily newspapers in the area where staff writers rotate among newspapers and file the same stories for all nine papers. It's almost as if some games are covered by a Times writer and another writer essentially serving as a pool reporter for every other newspaper in town. Yet, because staffs have been cut so thin, even the LA Newspaper Group can't cover every home game of the Clippers and Kings and already relies on wire stories when they're on the road. Even the Times, which cut over 200 editorial jobs last year, doesn't cover the Clippers and Kings on the road and occasionally rotates writers for home games. Basically, any team other than the Lakers that plays at Staples Center is viewed as a fringe team and is covered as such. Suddenly, bloggers who cover the Clippers, Kings, Ducks and other local sports teams in Los Angeles aren't just supplementing the coverage that's already out there. They are becoming the only coverage out there for their teams. As local papers continue to merge with one another and radio and television stations do the same, making for one big national sports voice, bloggers and podcasters are suddenly becoming the only way many local sports fans to find out what's going on with their team. Never before have fans and sports teams needed bloggers so much. What was once thought of as a hobby for fans has now become a necessity in order to follow many teams. Unless you want to read an AP story or one written by a team employee, how else are fans going to get some local insight into what happened, for example, during a Clippers or Kings road game? Unfortunately, like the newspaper reporters that once covered these teams on a full-time basis, these bloggers can't travel with the team and talk to players after road games, leaving a huge void in the coverage that surely won't be filled in this economic climate and may never be filled again as the way sports is covered at a local level has likely changed forever. 43041 http://img.fannation.com/upload/user_profile/image/396/7/thumb/markazi_arash.jpg 118 CA

Arash Markazi

Los Angeles 3987