There are some who say that the entity known as Media Row on Super Bowl week has become a messy mix. Well, if you go in unprepared, if you don’t pick your spots, if you aren;t open minded to absorb and listen and learn or if your expectations are now what they were ten years ago to just talk football…well you are right. If you are there to enjoy the pop culture experience, to talk to people who are looking for unique stories, if you can avoid clutter, and if you can somehow endure what is a casino-like experience (few windows, 72 degrees, no clocks) you walk away having learning, or witnessed, more than a few new things. People had a good breakdown on the chaos and some of those who engaged this year.
Tuesday is the new Thursday: It used to be that the primo crazy day was Friday on Media Row. While Friday seemed a bit quiter this year, the earlier parts of the week have now oicked up pace, especially for those looking to cut through the clutter. The reason? One is that the Pro Bowl now took place on site Tuesday, brining more attention to Media Row early in the week. With events split between San Francisco and Santa Clara there was more of a ned to get some things done earlier than in past years, which may again alter when things shift to LA next year.
For me, it may be messy and chaotic, but it is worthwhile on so many fronts. What did we learn this year (our Columbia crew did 20 podcasts on everything from AI to The Philly Sports guy which have started to roll out here), here are some observations.
Let’s do the numbers. Why is it now Media Row. Simple, your traditional “radio platform” has shrunk or evolved. Of the 158 designated tables in the interior of the live media center, only 54 could be clearly defined as live broadcast “radio” stations. That does not include the large setups that rimmed the room for Sirius XM, NBC Sports, FOX Radio, and the like but the amount of streaming platforms, podcasts, news organizations and the like clearly indicted where the media world is going. Is that a bad thing? Probably not, as multimedia continues to emerge. Regardless it’s an evolution that some older types shake their head about…much like I’m sure back in the day all the print media looked at TV and radio and thought they were killing their business. Killing? Nope. Evolving for sure.
Here come the women: After years of wondering, it appears that the brand value of athletes who just happen to be women have started to take advantage of Media Row. From Bethces and The Gist to Togethxr, platforms that speak to a female demo showed up to gather content and stories in droves, and those hawking or sharing content were more than happy to spend time with them. It is a demo male sports needs to have included, and kudos to the NFL for recognizing and embracing the push in. On the talent side, we saw everyone from MMA stars, WNBA players, NWSL stars, rising NASCAR driver Destiny Spurlock, Flag Football’s growing presence and even one commissioner, the NWSL’s Jessica Berman, in for some discussions. Also kudos to the growing pop culture platform OffBall, another which saw the value to show up and build brand for the first time.
Futbol and Football: Even before Bad Bunny made his splash on Sunday, the growing impact of the Hispanic audience, as well as the coming World Cup, made an imact on Media Row. From World Champions like UFC and Olympic medalist Henry Cejudo to unified light middleweight champion Xander Zayas (who had a cameo in the halftime show), all were welcome to find ways to tell their stories and those they represent. On the futbol side, not only did FIFA have a large footprint but so did The Champions League, the Bundesliga and other entities in and around soccer outdie the US. Some questioned why? Well other than the obvious of the coming World Cup, the fact the Telemundo was broadcasting the game in the US, the growing global presence of the NFL and the media covering the game made for a much more natural flow of conversation and storytelling than ever before. Futbol and football played well togther.
The foreign touch grows: One of the more important areas of growth reflective of the NFL plan was international outlets. While the UK and Mexico have had spots before, this year a record 29 outlets from countries from Australia to Germany to Saudi Arabia had spots collecting content. Where could your voice have resonated? Canada, Germany, Spain, the UK, Ireland, and yes…Panama…were found. This will probably continue to grow into the next few years as we head towards the Olympics and all around Flag Football around the world.
Randomness Rules The beauty of Radio Row is not the interviews, it has been the people, those you would see once a year, but also so many you would know, or know of, who you would cross paths with roaming the aisles of talk going on. While celebrity sighting ratched up, the random magician or with a media member you have only connected with on email or a call, and the partnerships and opportunities that came out of that encounter was really the beauty of what makes Media Row such a special event, and that was certainly back this year. Also kudos again to Ray Ridder and the Golden State Warriors, delivering gift bags to over 120 outlets as a “welcome to the Bay Area. The team always finds a way to positively and procatcively insert themselves into the relationship building narrative.
NIL is still nil. An area we thought would rise for brands would be having high profile athletes activate with brands who are allegedly paying them big money correct? Nope. The use of Media Row for college athletes went from three or four current, and soon to be former, college athletes making the rounds in midweek to none this year. While we heard some were in and about the parties, if brands are looking for ROI, MR was a missed opportunity.
Student Stations Find Their Spots. This year we hit a new high for Radio Row schools…14…Penn State, Alfred, Syracuse, Fordham, St. Bonaventure , Ithaca, Northwestern all had a prominent spot, with a few others visiting on select days. But where were locals other like USF? It is now a growing opportunity to bring in young new voices to capture content of all forms and give them a taste of the networking and the job opportunities…and even to have them share best practices with others. A great example is talk show host Jake Asman, whom I met seven years ago while he was credentialed as a student at Ithaca. His career has grown, and it got its start on Media Row. Those young people are the future, why not let them in?
Social sharing: Something that has grown for the good is the use of social tools for expanded storytelling. If you are ESPN San Antonio it’s great to have a Hall of Famer join you for a conversation, but when the HOF guy shares a picture on his social accounts, and tags the station, it amplifies the message and the narrative to a much wider audience. It also helps grow the presence of the midlevel players or celebs and spokespeople well beyond just an audio or video interview. A nuance, but a valuable one become more and more of the process, and that’s a good thing.
If it ain’t catered it ain’t journalism: Random pizza deliveries, Bounty Towels serving wings, bagel drops, Australian coffee (a huge hit for the upcoming Melbourne game), sandwiches, See’s Candies, and future site hosts not for the Super Bowl but for The Draft…this year it was Washington, all have realized that serving up some grub gets mentions and posts…let’s see what LA will bring.
Brand Integrations: Everyone is hawking something sure. But finding ways to have a presence beyond a spokesperson that serves as a constant reminder of your why in such a big space is tough. Kudos to Toyota for partnering with media companies like Front Office Sports to not just show up, but be up and about, the whole week.
There are always naysayers who question the value. But for the entrepreneurial, the networkers, the content gatherers, the value of Media Row for exposure is still beyond compare. What’s the next evolution? We will see, but for five days in San Fran, for those who invested and thought strategically on execution, it was time well spent.
The Value And Opportunity of Curious Learning, From Bad Bunny to The Washington Post