For over a week we have heard how the launching of Triple X ESPN radio by Red Zebra co-founders Dan Snyder and Bennett Zier was going to be a bad thing for fans.
Gone would be objectivity and the Redskins would control the message that came out to all the fans.
People, this is sports. Fans want to hear about their favorite teams. I submit to you that objectivity has very little to do with how fans think. It is all about the results on the field and how entertaining the news is presented that fans care about most.
I have no doubt Triple X ESPN will use its advantage of being part of the Redskins family to gain a competitive advantage over other radio, TV and newspapers in Washington. And why not? This is a business.
As for the Redskins breaking team-related stories on their own Web site, this is a common practice among Europe’s high-profile soccer powers. Again, since a growing majority of fans gets sports information off the web, they constantly check their favorite sites for the latest news (May I suggest www.dcexaminer.com).
The biggest complainer in this battle is The Washington Post, which is in the radio business with WTWP and also has its own Web site. That puts them in direct competition with both Triple X ESPN and WTEM. So the Post can hardly argue the objectivity angle because it is in the broadcast game with everyone else.
Objectivity is in the eye — or in this case the ear — of the listener. At the end of the day, if Triple X ESPN is not as objective as fans feel it should be they can change the channel.
Sports radio hosts, TV anchors, newspaper and Web-based columnists are more like theater critics talking about what they saw rather than who they spoke to after the game.
This debate should not even be about who controls the message. It should be about who provides fans the most entertaining coverage. In the end, that is who will win the media battle.
Jim Williams is a seven-time Emmy Award-winning TV producer, director and writer.
