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DAY TO DAY (706A)

706A Media Coverage: Staff Responsibilities

Updated 7/05

MEDIA COVERAGE: STAFF RESPONSIBILITIES

The Assistant Director of Athletics/Media Relations, reporting to the Associate Athletic Director/External Affairs, is responsible for the operation of the Sports Information Office, which serves as the primary media contact for Kansas Athletics. The Office responds to requests made by electronic and print media representatives for information and commentary on all aspects of the intercollegiate athletics program.

It is the Media Relations Office's primary objective to publicize all intercollegiate teams in the most professional manner possible while creating interest and enthusiasm for teams and events and also maintaining a reputation for credibility and integrity. To do this, the Office relies on a steady flow of information from and close communication with coaches, administrators and student-athletes.

The Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations is charged with overseeing the Office and coordinating Athletic Communications staff assignments. Specific responsibilities and duties within the Office are delegated by the Assistant Athletic Director/Media Relations to the Associate and Assistant Directors, Interns and the Office Manager, and student assistants.

Responsibilities of the Media Relations Office:

The media-related responsibilities of the Media Relations Office are as follows:

To write, edit, publish and/or disseminate all athletically-related material, in the following forms:

Daily and weekly news releases and sports updates pertaining to individual student-athlete, coach or team activities;
Event programs, as well as annual sports brochures for media and recruiting purposes;
Current team and individual statistic compilations;
Current and historical files for all sports, including information on teams, individual student-athletes and coaches; and
Special interest stories related to student-athletes, coaches, teams or Kansas Athletics activities.

To direct media activities at athletic events in the following ways:

Serving as host to radio, television and print media representatives and providing all background information;
Supervising credentials for sideline, press box and team practices;
Coordinating publicity events and press conferences involving student-athletes, coaches and administrators;
Providing requested materials to opponents' Sports Information Offices for both home and road games;
Reporting contest results to media outlets;
Supervising the gathering of required statistics at home contests;
Coordinating the transmission of post-game information to the media;
Overseeing the maintenance of information and archives for all sports;
Coordinating the advancing and staffing of away events; and
Assisting in the preparation of Conference and NCAA reports, as required.

To provide additional services as required, to include the following:

Assisting student-athletes in gaining post-season academic and athletic honors and/or publicizing the receipt of such honors;
Managing the content of kuathletics.com
Providing student-athletes with interview guidelines;
Assisting student-athletes and coaches in preparing for scheduled interviews;
Coordinating individual interviews and media conferences;
Traveling with teams; and
Assisting the administration with public relations campaigns.

Responsibilities of the Coaches

Coaches are expected to cooperate fully with the Media Relations Office to achieve favorable media coverage and provide for the production of quality brochures, media releases and event programs for their sports. Coaches' home telephone numbers will be released to known media representatives, unless the coach requests in writing that his/her number be withheld.

The media-related responsibilities of Kansas Athletics coaches are as follows:

To coordinate the completion of individual student-athlete publicity information forms on an annual pre-season basis;
To abide by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) when releasing student-athlete information;
To participate in television, radio and print interviews, as requested;
To be courteous and cooperative with members of the media at all times, even during difficult situations;
To be honest when dealing with the media and to exercise sound judgement when commenting to the press on any topic;
To restrict press statements to their specific sport;
To honor all deadlines when submitting information for rosters, schedules, publicity questionnaires and athletic event information.
To be on time for pre-arranged interviews and return calls to media members in a timely fashion;
To schedule Picture Day (team and individual pictures);
To report away game results immediately after the conclusion of the game; and
To insure that student-athletes receive proper instructions and encouragement on appropriate interview techniques.

The University of Kansas receives a high degree of media coverage both regionally and nationally. Therefore, coaches are reminded to think carefully prior to answering media questions dealing with subjects such as specific student-athletes, injuries or controversial topics. Public statements or media releases regarding sensitive topics are to be approved by the Associate Director of Athletics/External Affairs of Athletics prior to release. For additional information, see Policy 705B, Media Coverage: Interviews, Press Conferences and Press Releases.

Privacy Rights of Student-Athletes

All Kansas Athletics personnel are expected to comply with University and NCAA rules and regulations, as well as federal laws, regarding the release of personal information related to student-athletes and prospective student-athletes. Therefore, in accordance with University, NCAA rules and regulations and the 1974 Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), personal information about the student-athlete is not to be used or released unless the student-athlete has given his/her consent to the University for the release of such information for publicity use.

For specific information, see Policy 707B, Media Coverage: Interviews, Press Conferences and Press Releases in this Manual.

Release of Information

The release to the news media of all information must be coordinated through the Media Relations office.