Bill's Blog: Inside media day
FAYETTEVILLE — Practice may be underway for a few days, but to many media and fans, things haven’t really started until Razorback Media Day.
Starting with head coach Bobby Petrino’s press conference, the morning is a chance for photos, interviews and videotaping for the team.
Along with traditional interviews, the players also take their still TV head shots, tape public service announcements for the RazorVision video board and do special blue screen taping for player intros for gameday.
The team’s formal portrait is the first group activity after Petrino meets with the assembled media. This year, it was standing room only. No less than 15 cameras were taping the event. RazorVision streamed it live for fans, and a replay is located here.
Several other group photos — positions, home town regions — are snapped before the players break-up and head to their seats for individual interviews. Most of the writers and radio folks conduct their question and answer sessions at the player’s chairs, but most of the television stations will set up their own lights and backdrops — some inside the team’s turf room in the north endzone of Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium, some just outside in the north endzone.
Each player needs a head shot for TV and other uses in the new NIKE uniforms. Photos for the media guide are in coat and tie.
A new station inside the turf area was for blue screen motion mug shots that are used on the RazorVision scoreboard.
The entire event lasts until lunch, some players may have 40 to 50 requests for interviews.
To see the events, check out the attached photo blog gallery.
BLOG NOTES: Today is the first Bill’s Blog of the season, and a chance to catch fans up on what’s next from ArkansasRazorbacks.com. The interactive blogs that everyone enjoyed during baseball season roll out this coming year for all sports, with a team of bloggers joining in to keep fans up on all sports. All home events for all sports get interactive blogs to join with the live video streaming tradition of RazorVision.
Here’s what you’re really looking for: Along with all the home events for all sports, all road football games get interactive blogs, men’s and women’s basketball road SEC games, baseball road SEC series and most other sports.
DRESS UP YOUR DESKTOPS: Coming soon is the official football schedule wallpaper, joining the SEC media days preseason wallpaper. Fall sport wallpaper is in the works, and earlier this week, wallpaper based on the 2010 football media guide covers were released for various mobile devices. Also in the works — a schedule wallpaper for your iPads.
SPEAKING OF iSPACE: The new edition of iHog will be out in the next few days, and yes, it incorporates audio for football. You will need to be a current member of RazorVision to hear the audio on your phone. And another yes, iHog will be coming to the iPad soon.
MORE BLOGS: You won’t just see me cranking out the blog content this fall as each member of the Arkansas Media Relations office will join in with notes and feature columns. Watch ArkansasRazorbacks.com for the sport-by-sport rollouts. We’re also thinking about adding a weekly Razorback Water Cooler interactive for coaches and others to drop in and chat with the fans.
