PokerNews returns to the World Series of Poker as the official live reporting team after a two-year absence, but is that a good thing for the poker community?
When I first got into live reporting, I was more likely to find myself in the midst of a Martian sandstorm than work at the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
It was Las Vegas.
I lived in Ogmore Vale.
The flights and the accommodation costs ruled me out of the equation.
But then I offered PokerNews an alternative. What if they didn’t have to pay all of my costs, would they hire me?
I was in.
It was a big thing for me, not because it was the WSOP and I loved poker, but for the money. When you are making a living in this business, working at the WSOP for six weeks takes care of your bills for a solid few months.
But it was still a shock to find myself covering a $1,500 buy-in event on my own during Day 1.
It was the only time I worked a full WSOP as a live reporter.
I tip my hat to the lads and ladies who manage it year-in and year-out.
All Change, All Change
PokerNews is the new live reporting partner for the World Series of Poker (WSOP).
They take over the reins in the summer after a two-year absence.
Is this a good thing for the poker community?
WSOP Vice Prez of Corporate Communications, Seth Palansky, thinks it is.
“It’s great to have PokerNews back in the fold at the World Series of Poker,” WSOP Vice President of Corporate Communications Seth Palansky told PokerNews. “They are the foremost authority and have written the book on tournament live reporting. Having their experienced team of personnel at the 2017 WSOP will ensure poker fans across the globe stay digitally connected throughout our 74-event, 50-day festival.”
PokerNews thinks it is.
“The partnership is a huge win for PokerNews, the WSOP and the entire poker community,” a PokerNews staff member wrote earlier today.
I’m not so sure.
Was Losing PokerNews a Bad Thing?
Two years ago, the WSOP and PokerNews parted ways over what I am led to believe was a financial issue. PokerNews wanted more money than the WSOP was willing to shell out.
The WSOP decided it would be more cost effective to hire freelance writers and bring the live reporting in-house. The immediate feedback from the players was negative. I expected nothing less. It’s not as if poker players are going to go onto social media praising the quality of the live reporting. That rarely happens, even when PokerNews are in charge.
Complaining about a change?
That’s about as commonplace as small scabs dotted alongside the arms and legs of crack addicts.
But if you stare at the bigger picture, as all poker players should, you would have noticed that the volume of WSOP related media increased, as did the quality.
As people complained about the quality of the WSOP in-house team’s live reporting skills. Rather than sit around trading baseball cards, the PokerNews crew set about their business, free from the burden of having to man 70+ events, and created opinion pieces, interviews, podcasts, and videos galore.
The poker community was subjected to a better quality of media service than I have experienced in my short time in the business.
And here is where my concern lies.
Things Will Have to Change
Here are the ways PokerNews on back their contract:
A) The WSOP were pig sick of the quality in the past two years.
B) The WSOP have learned that it’s more cost effective to pay PokerNews exorbitant prices than doing it in-house.
C) PokerNews has dropped their price to a level the WSOP deems acceptable.
I think it’s (C) and if that’s the case, how are PokerNews going to provide an improved quality of service if they aren’t going to earn as much revenue from the deal?
Are we going to have people covering $1,500 buy-in events on their lonesome because of budgetary constraints? Are they going to have to hire inexperienced writers on low wages? Or maybe Tony G is confident he will win the Super High Roller Bowl and money isn’t a problem for the PokerNews hiring team, and I’m barking up the wrong tree.
However, with PokerNews having to find the human resources to cover 74 events, with potentially less revenue coming in to pay for that, how are they going to be able to also provide the podcasts, videos, interviews, and opinion pieces, that they delivered so extensively in the two years they were divorced from the WSOP?
And if PokerNews doesn’t do as much of this work, who will?
I guess the answer is nobody.
So how is the partnership a huge win for the ‘entire poker community?’
