StrandedWimbHound The industry has changed Genome, think that is the problem
Realistically, not sure there is that much left in the old style journo following the team round. I'm guessing it might end up where you have accredited people from blog sites like Tilehurst End ending up doing a little bit of press conferences etc, and basically doing it unpaid bar what they can get through web traffic and clicks. Be more on a voluntary basis
Pretty much this, especially for a team the size of Reading where even world class journalism would only interest 20-40k people at a push. Compare that to the hundreds of thousands, if not millions around the world who'd read every word about what Pogba had for breakfast or what Klopp said to an under 18 midfielder about his future.
As I've said and others have pointed out, with so little money about you just won't get the top quality journalists and big media teams you need to produce genuinely great and consistent content. You're now relying on those starting out, people who are financially comfortable through other means, or perhaps those winding down.
Building contacts is very, very tricky. The club is more open than it was under different regimes but they're still a business and will only allow so much (which all bias aside I'd consider fair). More to the point, the players are so well media trained that they're well aware of what a slip up can do to their careers/image so are that bit more reluctant to open up unless they really know you. This isn't 25 years ago where you could grab Ady or Archie in the Rendezvous for a few words either.
Perhaps this new Apple model of paying monthly for a bulk news subscription, plus EU Article 11 might give a shot in the arm to the media and provide desperately needed revenues, otherwise you will be relying on (the fine work ) of sites like TTE plus whatever meagre resources bigger sites like GR will provide.
Can't disagree with that - when Westie and I first kicked off this podcast malarky it was impossible to get anyone from the club to speak to us even when we were charting pretty well on ITunes - they just didn't trust us, so went down the route of the old pro conversations with the like of Adie, Dylan Kerr, Shaka etc - these are great and have their place but we always wanted to try and get players/staff speaking in a more relaxed way with an "unofficial" fans outlet - wasn't to be.
The work that you and the rest of the guys have done to move this on is fantastic and where the world of football journalism is going - podcasting is only going to grow and the fact that The Tilehurst End can get time with the current manager shows that the club understand what an important outlet podcasts are now.
Following a club via the local paper is gone and I think we will definitely see TTE get a more formalised role with the club at some point and as long as it isn't too close and becomes just another club mouthpiece, that would be great.
I loved listening to Paul and Westie and when Jonny joined it got that much more interesting. I now frankly I go to TTE and listen to the podcast as one of my main sources. Speaking of that, sorry to hear Tom is going but at least it's in a direction of "onward and upward".