As we see the printed word fade into the distance in favor of digital space, we now see another “staple” of the media business, the media guide for professional teams, heading in the same direction. John Lombardo in this week's Sports Business Journal pointed out that the NBA has dropped the requirement for teams to print guides for the first time, instead deferring to the team's discretion to use one on a memory stick instead. In addition to being a cost savings and green move by the league, the move to digital books gives the teams the ability to update information, and even insert business partners and promotions, into the books as the season goes on. The elimination of the printed books totally at this stage is probably a mistake, as there will be media, a dwindling few, who will come in to get information without the use of a laptop, and news rooms will still have to have hard copies available for non-game coverage, but an idea which seemed out of touch for the NBA as little as three years ago now seems more realistic, and can have not just a cost reduction, but an upside in profit and brand integration as well. The coverage by mainstream media actually is a plus in the effort to remove hard copies of media guides…as there is a major market familiarity with teams, staff and players through the course of the season. Ironically it is in college and the smaller markets where hard copies, perhaps not glossy full blown books, but information guides, still will have a need for media that are not readily familiar with the team. Still even in those markets and at the college level, the ease of upgrading and adapting to technology can give team communications staff s greater opportunity to be more cost efficient and creative by using the digital space.
Some other good reads…the Washington Times’ Tim Lemke has a good piece on Geico's sports branding work...Maury Brown of the Business of Baseball has a very comprehensive look at social media's impact on the daily lives of reporters…and the New York Times had a very strong piece on the dollars girls sports brings to towns...
