BOKC Why I won't be at the Regional tourney shooting photos!

[paNDA]

BOK Matt Merchant has tightened down the hatches which make it impossible to take photos of our teams at the event. See his note below. This is a high school tourney not a Super Bowl. Holy Cow this burns my tail.

 

Hello Everyone,

 

I wanted to reach out to you about some changes with the upcoming 9th Region Tournament. Please see below for information about how this year’s media will be handled. These changes are ta

 

1. The Scorer’s Table is going to be a reserved Scorer’s Table reserved.

 

 

 

2. Media Credentials and Information Internet Radio Broadcasts –

 

o We will place you at the media tables, which are located North End of the arena. Please let us know of any technology needs that you have. Please note that there is only one (1) hardwired connection available here, but we can split that connection into multiple outputs if need be. Please make your special technology requests by 12:00pm on Thursday, February 26. This will help make sure that we have ample time to make these connections available.

 

§ I believe most of you need wireless internet, and will not be affected by this.

 

o Seating will be done as a first come, first served basis for the media table.

 

o Please limit your credential request to 2 people.

 

§ All others will require a ticket to be purchased at the box office, and will be denied floor access.

 

o All credentials must be requested in advance, no credential requests will be given out on the day of the game.

 

§ Anyone not pre-approved trying to obtain entry at the back gate will be directed to the BOKC Lobby to purchase a ticket and entry into the game.

 

3. Media Credentials For Publications –

 

o We are going to be limiting the media credentials issued for the Region 9 tournament. Please only submit names of people who will actually be working the event, not people who are associated with your company and just come in and sit/watch the games.

 

o We will place you at the media tables, which are located North End of the arena, and credential Access to the media tables will be given at a first come, first served basis.

 

o Please limit your credential request to 2 people (1 reporter and 1 photographer) – No Exceptions

 

o All credentials must be requested in advance, no credential requests will be given out on the day of the game.

 

§ Anyone not pre-approved trying to obtain entry at the back gate will be directed to the BOKC Lobby to purchase a ticket and entry into the game.

 

4. Photography Credentials -

 

o If you are a photographer for a school, website, personal studio, and/or company, you may still request a photography credential, however, you will be required to purchase a ticket for each game that you intend on using your photography credential for, and must turn in your credential at the conclusion of each game.

 

§ You will arrive in the main lobby to purchase your ticket, and then ask for one of the ushers to direct you to the loading dock to pick up your credential.

 

o Floor access for photographers will be limited this year, and will be granted on a first come, first served basis.

 

§ Please note that most photographers will have to shoot from the arena for this tournament.

 

o All credentials must be requested in advance, no credential requests will be given out on the day of the game.

 

§ Anyone not pre-approved trying to obtain entry at the back gate will be directed to the BOKC Lobby to purchase a ticket and entry into the game.

 

If you have any questions and/or need anything else, please let me know. Thank you for your anticipated cooperation as we strive to provide a first class event.

 

Matt Merchant

 

Marketing & Booking Manager

Edited February 25, 2015 by PurplePride92
Rule 8

[Mack The Knife]

Time to go back to the high schools for this event.

[kinglouie]

Wow paNDA. I do not blame you one bit, and I really HATE that I will not be able to see your photos this year, but certainly understand why you will not be taking them.

[paNDA]

It really is a joke, about 5 or 6 of us take pictures every year. Pretty much post them free. Promote the event for the BOK. Just sucks.

[Jack of all Trades]

I agree with taking it back to the high schools. Pee on BOKC. As usual greed is the worst of all evils and it gets further and further down the food chain. Now we are affecting the high schools, next it will be elementary schools. Bad enough the cost of parking and worst of all the concessions.

[Lawnboy13]

UNBELIEVABLE Andy Mac!!!!!:no:

[Lawnboy13]

The North End of the arena is a GOD AWFUL place to have to do updates. :banghead::irked::isurrender:

[Ranger]

Comical; nice job of community service right there BOKC.

 

Surprised they don't ask to retain rights for your images. Too bad for all the kids who would have had some nice memories of their tourney preserved.

 

Come on down to New Castle with me and shoot. Roy Winchester gymnasium where basketball and the athletes still give you that feeling of what Ky high school hoops is all about.

[Mustang]

Its stuff like this (Formality/Regimentation/Dictatorship) that makes playing at the BOKC suck. You've got non-high school basketball people running an arena driven by their organizational skills and militaristic socio-vision "for-profit" views.

 

If you will remember when both the 9th and 10th held their regional there in 2009, we almost had a civil war with them over broadcasts/photography. Griffin Industries and St.E Sports Medicine paid them a huge ransom to allow us to broadcast.

 

These are negotiated contracts between BOKC and representatives of the 9th Region. It appears that too much focus is placed on which locker rooms each team is going to use, and what the share money splits are going to be. I would think that accomodating endzone photographers might need to be included in the negotiations. Unfortunately, the first time I ever walked into the BOKC I was struck by the fact that it was a media unfriendly facility, with courtside media access liimited to only one side of the arena. The endzone auxiliary tables are horriffic as far as being able to set up and operate your equipment - an aftersight.

 

Having you be granted credentials and then charging you to get in, sounds unprecedented and screams "cheap." Are these people that desperate to squeeze every last nickle out of this event??? Obviously yes.

 

You are welcome to come and shoot the 10th Region Tournament at the Mason County Fieldhouse. All you have to do is to tell a school rep to put you on the media pass list at the draw meeting and you are in.

 

Hospitality, like eggs, thrives better in the country!!!!

[Colonels_Wear_Blue]

This move is BIG TIME bush league on BOKC's part.

[OlDog75]

JeeeZ! If you build it, and put all kinds of restrictions, regulations and fees because your main tenant can't even fill a third of the facility so you gotta get $ somehow, they will not come. Take it back to the high schools or rotate it to the bigger schools in the region that can accommodate bigger crowds.

[Wireman]

I didn't have this much trouble getting into the SEC Tournament.

 

That brings me to another rant I want to make about the Sweet Sixteen, but I'll try to reserve that for another thread.

[nkywildcat68]

I concur with the two above...Henry and Mason- great atmospheres for a regional tournament.

[nkuclubbaseball19]

Could someone supply the email address of the person at the BOKC (I assume it's Matt Merchant) so we (or atleast I) can send an email to let him know that this is a disservice to the KIDS who are playing in the tournament?

[BigVMan23]

JeeeZ! If you build it, and put all kinds of restrictions, regulations and fees because your main tenant can't even fill a third of the facility so you gotta get $ somehow, they will not come. Take it back to the high schools or rotate it to the bigger schools in the region that can accommodate bigger crowds.

 

How badly does the BOKC want the 9th region tournament? Sounds to me not very. Maybe this is their way of trying to put obstacles in place to make the 9th region pull out, in essence trying to make themselves not look like the "bad guy" by doing away with it outright themselves? Just a thought. And yes, this is not being tournament "friendly" at all.