On The Record with Jeffrey Reed
September 26, 2026
Call A Priest To Administer Last Rights To Media Relations

Photo (above): Editor Jeffrey Reed interviews golf instructor Hank Haney in 2012 at London’s Thames Valley Golf Course.

In 1981, as Wayne Gretzky – arguably the greatest hockey player who ever lived – was rushing out of the visitors’ dressing room at the old London Gardens after an Edmonton Oilers pre-season practice, he took the time to stop and talk briefly with me, a student radio reporter requesting an interview. Instead of blowing me off, the Great One asked me for a pen, wrote down his parents’ phone number in Brantford and asked me to call him in one hour for a telephone interview when we would not be rushed.

In contrast, fast track to 2024, at the Ontario Women’s Amateur golf championship at London’s West Haven Golf and Country Club, where a summer intern not only left me hanging when I introduced myself with a requested handshake, but also asked the winning golfer – on the 18th green, surrounded by a gallery of 200 fans and volunteers – if she felt safe with me around as she celebrated her win. Camera and press credentials around my neck, my presence solidly established that entire week and 45 years of local and national award-winning golf writing on my CV, that intern failed miserably at media relations.

You can read more about those contrasting experiences – the Gretzky story is here, the golf intern story here.

Media Relations On Life Support

Jeffrey Reed interviewing former Kitchener Panthers slugger Sean Reilly at Labatt Park in 2016. Photo: RJ Rose.

In a nutshell, the art of media relations in the sports world has been dying a slow death for decades. In fact, it may be too late to call a priest to issue the last rights. We live in an era when most people source their news from social media – a world where anything goes, just like the Wild West, where millions of followers sit on the edge of their seats waiting anxiously for a video of someone’s unboxing of new tennis shoes. Followers find this more valuable than a credible, comprehensive news story. It’s superficial. It’s fluff. And it’s not credible. In fact, it’s one-sided bullshit, for the most part. It doesn’t matter.

There are multiple problems here. First, most athletes, teams and sports organizations know that they can control their own messages via TikTok, Instagram, X, Facebook and YouTube. That doesn’t mean their messages are meaningful, complete or truthful, but it does allow them to reach a large audience with their desired message.

Second, most viewers and readers today do not recognize the difference between credible, unopinionated, truthful news and messages controlled by the use of social media. And, their vision is blurred when it comes to seeing the difference between non-credible bloggers and online influencers versus credible journalists. Attention spans are very short, too – I’ve had readers frothing at the mouth over the fact Out Of My League with Jeffrey Reed is a long, weekly read (it’s intended that way). True story. They obviously have had enough time to read my column, but they complained anyways.

And lastly, newsrooms – and the number of freelancers like your humble scribe (I’ve freelanced since 1979) – have been shrinking at an incredible rate. What’s more, most newspapers and magazines, as well as radio and TV stations, are today controlled by multi-billion-dollar companies. And don’t get me started on that complete asshole, Donald Trump, and his banning of credible media from the White House. Competition breeds a hard work ethic and excellence – traits that have diminished greatly over the past two decades. So, with fewer sports media members in existence, there is a much lesser chance of athletes, teams, organizations and PR folks actually honing their skills in terms of working well with sports media. Those relationships do not exist like they did in the past. Not even close.

Proof in point: when you read the story about the golf intern listed above, you’ll read that Golf Ontario said I was the first media member to attend any of their tournaments that summer. That speaks volumes.

Here’s an important point: respond to media requests in a timely manner. Media have very short deadlines. Don’t ignore them or shut them out: they’ll always get their story. It’s your job to provide media with as much information as possible, and to keep the line of communication open at all times. Don’t purposely respond late, either: this happens all the time, in hopes that you have missed their deadline, yet didn’t want to seem like you were, in fact, ignoring them. It’s a passive aggressive move – why waste your time? The latter pisses off media more than the former.

In The End, It’s Up To The Media

London Majors co-owner/GM/manager Roop Chanderdat and Jeffrey Reed at Labatt Park 2016. Photo: Browns Photos.

Let me make this important point: as a journalist, I do not wait around for someone to spoon feed me information. First, I do my research, and when I need additional information and quotes then I contact my sources (or sources I have not spoken to as of yet – they then become part of my information network). There’s always a way to get at least some of the information I need. And when you speak with someone, you get more than the facts: you get emotions, opinions and fodder for great reading. Media relations professionals are critical to keeping the grapevine open at all times, and to providing information not yet made public.

At the national level, media relations is in a much better place – they have more money and more people, and they understand the importance of relaying their messages via traditional, credible media. They also deal with a lot more media who, collectively, will not stand for bullshit. But at the local, regional and often the provincial level, media relations, as I mentioned, is an art form on life support – and dying quickly.

In this week’s column, I’ll cite some media relations horror stories. And, I’ll provide some media relations tips at the end of this column. After 47 years of reporting on local, provincial, national and international sports, I’ve seen it all. And, I’ve filled numerous jobs in the media relations world, too. For example, I founded the Intercounty Baseball League media relations office in 1994 and successfully operated it for three years before leaving for new opportunities. And in the late-1990s, Fanshawe College in London hired me to re-work and teach a media relations and PR writing class for their post-grad students – the college knew my unique perspective as a reporter and media relations professional would offer invaluable resources for their students. It has been a big thrill and ultimate compliment being able to mentor many of those students over the years.

How It Was Once Done

Around the same time of my 1981 Gretzky interview, I was heavily covering the local high school hockey scene. It was huge back then – more than 5,000 fans would pack the London Gardens for the finals. Before every season, the coaches would host an informal get-together at a local motel where media and coaches would engage in a meet-and-greet, and talk about what was needed from print and broadcast media. This was the early-80s, so beers would pop and tall tales would be told. But it broke the ice, and relationships were forged. During the season, interviews were always granted – in fact, they were welcomed, appreciated and understood for their importance: if credible media were covering their sport, then the audience – listeners and readers – understood their stories carried value, too. Whether at a practice, a game or at my desk fielding return phone calls, the grapevine was alive and well.

This is an important point: the vast majority of the sports world either don’t understand that mainstream media coverage is valuable, and/or they just don’t care. For the most part, they are lazy and apathetic. We live in a world of what’s-happening-now, not a world where we learn from the past and prepare for the future. And that is very sad.

How It’s Done Now

2024 TVRA Girls Golf champs. Photo: Jeffrey Reed/LondonOntarioGolf.com.

In contrast to the high school hockey story, fast track to 2024 and the Thames Valley Regional Athletics girls’ golf championship at Thames Valley Golf Club, TVRA boys’ golf championship at St. Thomas Golf & Country Club and WOSSA Girls golf again at Thames Valley. That year, I went all-out, giving high school golf, the Junior Tyson Tour and Lambton Junior Golf Tour the PGA Tour experience. Parents and golfers loved it and appreciated it – they told me so, time and time again. In fact, they still do. Lazy, apathetic administrators? Not so much. Here are a few stories from that summer.

Covering TVRA girls golf was a challenge at first, until the convenor fully understood who I was and what I needed in order to report on the tournament. Once he did – and it took a lot of convincing on my part – then things went smoothly. I took photos, interviewed winners and coaches and provided some great stories for our readers. WOSSA Girls golf went well, too.

However, when I approached the TVRA Boys golf convenor about covering events in St. Thomas, I was conversed with very rudely via email, and told that they already had a photographer from another “media” source providing them with stories and photos. Of course, I told him that I was not “providing” photos; rather, I was a journalist looking for stories for my readers. Again, I did not need to give him a heads-up – I could have just shown up to cover the event. But I did so to make sure things would run smoothly. That other source he mentioned more resembles a PR arm of local sports than a true media outlet – they’ve never published a hard news story, only fluff. OK, that’s not a bad thing – the more photos and game recaps, the better. But it’s not in-depth journalism. It’s not even a distant cousin.

In any event, I tried to explain to the St. Thomas convenor who I was and what I needed, but he did not care, was rude in his correspondence and would not work with me to ensure that I would have access to golfers for photos and interviews. I should mention, until the London convenor convinced him to contact me, he ignored me for weeks. I did not need his permission, of course, but without cooperation, why would I waste my time and travel, only to risk a confrontation during a high school golf tournament, of all things? I mean, damn, I’ve had PGA Tour golfers call me at Christmas with Holiday wishes, for God’s sake. And just for more background (not to brag) but I’ve won multiple national golf writing awards. Anyhow, as a freelancer publishing an online sports publication, there were plenty of other things to write about without raising my blood pressure and causing a scene in front of high school athletes. This wasn’t the Masters Tournament. But that convenor blew it.

In fact, even the girls’ convenor at Thames Valley voiced his opinion when he said how lucky I was to be “allowed” to cover the tournament – I countered that he was lucky I was there, and that I did not need his blessing. Like almost all of the high school sports administrators today, he was cocky and arrogant.

I spoke with my brother-in-law, a former high school principal and football coach, about those issues with convenors, and, no surprise, he defended them, citing lack of staff and lack of time to properly work with local media. In a way, he was right. And when you think about it, those convenors had never worked with a credible golf writer before. Ever. They were out of their league. I understand those points, but still, there was no reason for their rudeness. Maybe that’s just how people are today. But, think back to my experience with high school hockey coaches in the early-1980s. Without a doubt, high school coaches and convenors should be presented with professional growth in terms of media relations. When I spoke with Golf Ontario officials about their intern disaster at the Ontario Women’s Amateur, they agreed, it was time to educate summer interns pre-season about dealing with the media.

Junior Tyson Tour 2024 champions (L-R) Logan Woodiwiss, Avyanna Lai, brothers Ben and Cole Grant. Photo: Jeffrey Reed/LondonOntarioGolf.com.

Here’s more on the 2024 Junior Tyson Tour. First of all, I’m not here to bash those volunteers; rather, this opinion column is about educating and informing, as well as entertaining. But there’s room for much growth, for the good of all involved.

Since its inception in 1968, and most notably more so once long-time golf pro Fred Kern surrendered the Tyson Tour convenor reigns in 2009, management of Canada’s oldest junior golf tour has resembled a revolving door at the Empire State Building. People come and go. And in the words of one long-time head golf professional in London, “The Tyson Tour has way too many cooks in the kitchen trying to run things, and they don’t do things very well, at all.” I couldn’t agree more. Still, no other reporter has supported the Tour more than yours truly – LondonOntarioSports.com even acted as title sponsor of an event in ’24. Think about that when I finish this Tyson Tour story.

Despite the fact I financially supported the Tyson Tour, and spent countless hours travelling to events for the past decades, taking photos and writing stories for multiple publications when no one else even glanced at their leaderboards, the Tour dropped me like a hot potato after the ’24 season – no correspondence, not even a photo or list of winners this year after my requests. I mean, I covered my first Tyson Tour event in 1980. I’ve written stories about the Tour for national magazines. Even Mike Weir, the Tour’s most famous grad, has thanked me for my coverage.

This is constructive criticism – I care about the Tour, after all – and it will relate to the tips I give at the end of this column: put your ego aside when operating any sports group; and don’t fly by the seat of your pants. Forge relationships. Keep in touch. Provide the media with what they need. The current convenor and his supporters do none of that; in fact, they rarely update social media, nor their website, and their text is riddled with errors and not corrected. There’s no excuse for this, especially given the fact it is Canada’s oldest junior golf tour. FYI you can read my lengthy piece on the history of the Tyson Tour here.

This is probably a good time to explain why, from time to time, I do hear from an angry reader. I’m not offering constructive criticism to some far-off athlete or team; I am, in fact, writing about local teams. And, they are teams who have probably never been criticized before. Understand, if I didn’t care, then I wouldn’t write about it.

Doing The Job Right

Jeffrey Reed in media scrum around Brooke Henderson at LPGA Tour’s 2014 Manulife LPGA Classic at Grey Silo GC, Waterloo

Unfortunately, media relations as a whole, in particular at the local level, is as rare as a unicorn. Here are some examples – and I’ll start with my post with the IBL. As the semi-pro league began it’s second wood bat era, following the use of aluminum bats from 1977-94, it wanted to brand itself as a serious summer league. Each night, from game time until at least 1 a.m., I faxed game summaries and linescores to sports media across Ontario. Pre-season, I visited each club and met with each player for my player bios, made available to all media. I interviewed players, coaches and management for season-long profiles, again available to all media. I put sound clips together for radio and TV. I wrote weekly highlight packages and a year-end report. I took photos. Hell, I even used my home office phone as a call-in highlight package – people from across Ontario would call my number for a minute-long recap of that night’s games.

Most of all, I met media in person, and called them weekly to ask what they needed from me and the league. Sadly, those days are long gone – and that applies to every local and regional sports group, and includes many provincial and some national leagues and associations. The reasons? It has all be outlined above. Ironically, we live in an age of electronic communications, available instantly at our fingertips. Yet we have lost the skill of properly and effectively communicating.

Thus, I cherish the communication I have with those who do it right – think of Golf Canada, U SPORTS, OUA, OCAA, Curling Canada, Rowing Canada and others. But for the most part – and in particular local and regional athletes, coaches, teams, organizations and leagues – media relations do not exist. At all. Media population has shrunk at an alarming rate, and most young reporters don’t have the chops nor the CVs to dig deeply into a story (in particular, when historical references are needed). Sports reporting (to borrow a phrase from Philip Seymour Hoffman’s character, music journalist Lester Bangs, in the movie, Almost Famous) is now an “industry of cool.” Money and crime – and those two almost always go together – grab headlines. So do fluff stories about game results and preparation for the next contests. Most other news is ignored.

Media Relations Horror Stories

Before I offer a list of media relations tips, here are some examples of recent media relations fails amongst local sports:

• A senior hockey club’s GM denied me access to his arena’s press box, citing “lack of space ” – there was no thank you for my interest, no accommodation, just a flat-out sorry, can’t help you, when that team is dying for coverage.
• A major junior hockey club GM did the same and pulled the same stunt as the St. Thomas high school golf convenor: “We already have someone doing our social media.” The league apologized and forwarded me a press pass for all arenas.
• A university coach was replaced, with no reason given – not then, not ever. Interview requests were ignored – that’s often the case at this institution of higher learning, where sports media are fed sub-par social media postings with no news value. What’s more, that university’s varsity sports website is riddled with errors, never corrected. The athletes and coaches deserve more, as do readers – and local media. I’ve dedicated almost my entire life to promoting local sports. This university, under its current sports media regime, doesn’t care.
• Fanshawe College replaced their athletic director, yet no reason was given and there was no media release. I contacted the college, who replied, “Let me look into it.” That was two years ago. Crickets since. Media relations with Fanshawe – my alma mater – had, for decades, been outstanding. Then, after writing a story they found offensive just a few years ago, the sports department shut me out. No surprise, when golf coach Colin Robertson left because of a new rule which does not allow coaches who teach work under two separate contracts (he chose teaching over coaching), there was no media release nor explanation from the college – and no release announcing the new coach. Read my story on this here.
• A local team (whom I won’t mention in order to save them from further embarrassment) for many years has allowed media to use their photos in order to help promote the team. But a new media relations director came at me with both fists via emails, stating I had stolen photos. That is how this person introduced herself/himself to me. Great media relations, don’t you think? FYI I offered to meet with this individual and offer that person some mentoring on how to work in the field. The reply? “I’m busy.” No surprise, this year an individual from that same team’s promotional department went nuts over a story I wrote and said I wasn’t welcomed at their games, which was a ridiculous threat – whether or not team management knew of that person’s angry outburst, they should have control over their staff (employees and volunteers included).
• Further to my high school golf examples, when did working with local school boards, schools and coaches become such a chore? It is nearly impossible to break that barrier.
• A few blanket statements: most local teams scream about lack of coverage, yet due to laziness and ignorance, they fail to make the effort to learn how to succeed in this area of marketing their products. As well, with little to no budget, often times teams rely on unqualified and/or unknowledgeable volunteers to work with the media. They have no clue how to succeed. They are set up for failure. And as we saw with my example in the previous point, at least some in that role reject mentorship. Also, for the most part, local teams fly by the seat of their pants: when they want coverage, they quickly move with a call to local TV or our only daily newspaper, and most of the time their news is not deemed newsworthy: only their social media blasts are available, not credible news stories.

Here are a few more critical points. 

For the most part, local teams are thrilled and satisfied just to see a photo or photos, accompanied with a cutline, on a media outlet’s website. Why? Attention spans are short. Some media attention is better than none. And most of all, it mirrors social media like Instagram, and Facebook: an “industry of cool.” Unfortunately, newsrooms have shrunk and continue to disappear. It’s a sad state of affairs.

As well, many would argue, athletes, coaches and administrators are under no obligation to speak with the media. I counter with, one could argue no one is under obligation to speak with anyone, unless ordered to by a court of law. But that’s just not common sense. Silence speaks volumes. Media have a job to do. And when you are involved with high-profile local sports – the Knights, Jr. B hockey, FC London Soccer Club, Beefeaters, Fanshawe and Western, golf tours and big events, plus a cornucopia of athletics from squash to rugby – then you have an obligation to speak with media. I can tell you, 10-15 years ago, most local sports groups would scream at LondonOntarioSports.com for attention. Today, almost every team and athlete is totally satisfied simply by posting at Instagram and the likes.

Jeffrey Reed hosting a media conference in 2014.

I could go on for a month with further examples, but you get the point: the sports media and media relations personnel need to work things out, for the better of everyone involved. Of course, there will always be a love-hate relationship between sports media and athletes, coaches, management and leagues. Every since the time of Roman gladiators, this has been true. But let’s get one thing straight: there is a world of difference between credible sports media like LondonOntarioSports.com, The London Free Press, CTV London, local radio broadcaster Mike Stubbs, Rogers Television and campus radio stations, and every other blogger and social media influencer out there in the wild, wild west called the Internet.

Before I offer tips for improving media relations, allow me to state, each day LondonOntarioSports.com connects with the local sports community. I’m fortunate enough to be a busy guest speaker at numerous golf tournaments, banquets and tournaments. Working with members of the London and area sports community has been my life mission and number one professional passion – read about my related award here. Yet, there is still so much work to be done in order to improve media relations. I just hope it isn’t too late. As I enter my 48th year as a sports journalist, I feel I can speak well to that topic.

Here, then are some tips for improved media relations:

Tips

• Athletes and coaches: Feel free to respond to media requests without the blessing or guidance from your media relations director. It’s their job to educate you on how to converse with media. It’s your job to speak with media. Field phone calls. Respond to emails. Do the interviews. Direct contact saves time in an industry when time is of the essence. Again, it’s all about personal relationships and trust. Most of my interviews with college and university coaches and athletes stem from these relationships and this trust. Many times, I’ve had media relations directors ignore me, only to have athletes and coaches call me directly.
• Nothing substitutes for an in-person meeting. Hold an open house/meet-and-greet at your headquarters, sports field or rink. Even a one-on-one coffee chat will greatly enhance your relationship with local media.
• Of course, videoconferencing is the next best thing. Schedule a virtual meeting where media can connect and express what they’re hoping to receive during your season and post-season.
• Hire a media relations professional or enlist a volunteer with strong writing skills. Writing is a lost art. I’ve always told my students at Fanshawe College and Western University, write well and you’ll always be a valued member of your team.
• Write and distribute a news release only when you need to: pre-season, post-season wrap-up, off-season news, special events and notable achievements during the season all warrant a news release. Email them to local media, and post them at your website and social media.
• Publish a simple yet effective and visually-pleasing website, and use as many social media platforms as you can use in a professional manner.
• When using social media, ensure your news is posted in a timely manner. Bottom line: make sure you update regularly. Nothing says you don’t care anymore than social media without recent posts – and posts riddled with errors.
• Compile and have constant access to a media contact list: names, titles, publications and stations, website addresses, emails and phone numbers. Also make a note of their deadlines and publication dates. And make sure to include all local media – print, radio, TV, online and freelancers working in all of the above. Look way beyond local TV and daily newspapers; think weeklies, monthlies, annuals, specialty publications, as well as well-done podcasts and blogs.
• Thick skin is a must: you should not be offended when a media member writes or says something with which you do not agree. If you feel your team or organization has been slighted, then ensure that you respond directly to that media member in a concise, factual and professional manner. Do not burn bridges. And this is important: do not ignore nor shut out any media member, no matter what they write or say on air. Rather, respond professionally, but always keep them in the loop. Professional media will always get their story. It’s your job to cooperate and provide them with as much information as possible.
• Keep in touch on a regular basis. Ask what else you can do to make a media member’s job easier.
• Always make high-resolution photographs available. Don’t leave media hanging: at the get-go, let them know photos are available, how they can source them and who to credit i.e. Photograph courtesy Forest City Lions, or Photograph by Joe Smith courtesy Forest City Lions.
• If providing feature stories, follow the same rules i.e. Story by Joe Smith, courtesy Forest City Lions; or, Feature Story provided by Forest City Lions. Note: media releases do not need attribution/credit.
• If your team or organization is part of a larger association i.e. OCAA, OUA, Ontario Football Conference, then let that organization know you are working with media. Provide them with your list, and provide all contact information.
• Provide a professional-looking media pass. Provide a separate photography pass – and let every athlete and coach know that they may be photographed or videotaped during competition.
• Media are always interested in history and statistics. Always have a biography available – that goes for your team as well as athletes, coaches and management. Make sure all stats – wins and losses, individual statistics, etc. – are readily available.
• This is important: too many times, one media relations person leaves, only to leave the incoming person without any background or guidance. Make sure they don’t start from scratch. I have seen this happen time and time again – and media are often ignored or forgotten. Continuity is king.

These are just a few tips to ensure that media relations with your team, association or league run smoothly.

Don’t be shy: if you have any questions about media relations, and/or wish for me to speak in person with your team or association, reach out at jeff@londonontariosports.com.

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Since 1979, award-winning writer and broadcaster Jeffrey Reed has championed sports across Southwestern Ontario. Reed’s work has appeared in every major newspaper chain across Canada, and has aired on numerous local and regional radio and television programming. A three-time author, Reed’s 2018-published book, The Canadian Seniors’ Golf Association, Celebrating 100 Years of Seniors Golf 1918-2018 is now housed in the Canadian Golf Hall of Fame & Museum library. Reach him at jeff@londonontariosports.com.