When I read this news via Trail Runner/Outside, I immediately wondered if they'd cover Western States 100 (which Billy Yang and iRF have put a lot of effort into covering over the years, along with Trail Runner). Nope, States is not on their list for livestreaming, although Canyons is. States also still doesn't have the "by UTMB" logo on their homepage. Clearly there's tension with States' board about their old-school roots vs. new partnership.
I wonder what the Trail Runner coverage means for iRF's audience and coverage? I assume iRF will keep doing what it's been doing with regard to their solid coverage, but at some point the bigger media outlet will become the go-to source for the audience.
I think I'll pay attention to Canyons this year because I'm curious about their coverage/livestreaming.
Thanks for your posts, I'm glad to discover your newsletter! (I've been involved with the sport since the mid 2000s, back when coverage just meant print stories once/month in Ultrarunning magazine, and blogs were just starting to emerge...).
I had the same thought at you Sarah, why was WSER not on this list? Corrine Malcolm reminded me that UTMB and Western States have a partnership, but WSER is still independent, unlike most other races in UTMB’s World Series who were acquired by UTMB. That’s the reason UTMB won’t show WSERs livestream, why there is no ‘By UTMB’ on their logo and why they didn’t show up on this list.
I do agree though that there must be a tension there, because in theory, WSER control their media rights, so they could seek their own deals with, say, ESPN, and UTMB would get no revenue from it.
Great point on iRF - how will Trail Runner differentiate their coverage vs iRF?
I guess, the more coverage, the better. In my view, Meghan Hicks continues to set the standard for this niche's sportswriting, but it's neat to see smart commentators (also great runners) like Corrine, Leah Y. and Zoe also producing excellent coverage. Way back when, I wrote for TR and did commentary as a co-host in the earlier days of URP. Now I'm just an old goat on the sidelines eating up the coverage like everyone else!
There will always be tension, I believe, about WSER staying true to its roots (e.g. no prize money) vs. being a marquee world-class event.
If you're interested in WSER history, you might check out this piece I did years ago, a Q&A with my mentor/hero Mo Livermore, still the longest-serving board member. She deserves so much credit for WSER being what it is, whereas Gordy gets all the attention. https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/qas-people/how-western-states-became-a-race/
Good to hear that Trail Runner is stating things won't change with the partnership when it comes to editorial decisions. That's a tough needle to thread and is nearly impossible in reality. Even with the best of intention, when a partnership like that happens, it's hard to stay bias free. That's the way it is in television newsrooms and I can't imagine Outside will be any different.
Completely agree. What happens if UTMB are unsatisfied with the coverage? Will they be content with the livestream and previews or will they want more?
When I read this news via Trail Runner/Outside, I immediately wondered if they'd cover Western States 100 (which Billy Yang and iRF have put a lot of effort into covering over the years, along with Trail Runner). Nope, States is not on their list for livestreaming, although Canyons is. States also still doesn't have the "by UTMB" logo on their homepage. Clearly there's tension with States' board about their old-school roots vs. new partnership.
I wonder what the Trail Runner coverage means for iRF's audience and coverage? I assume iRF will keep doing what it's been doing with regard to their solid coverage, but at some point the bigger media outlet will become the go-to source for the audience.
I think I'll pay attention to Canyons this year because I'm curious about their coverage/livestreaming.
Thanks for your posts, I'm glad to discover your newsletter! (I've been involved with the sport since the mid 2000s, back when coverage just meant print stories once/month in Ultrarunning magazine, and blogs were just starting to emerge...).
I had the same thought at you Sarah, why was WSER not on this list? Corrine Malcolm reminded me that UTMB and Western States have a partnership, but WSER is still independent, unlike most other races in UTMB’s World Series who were acquired by UTMB. That’s the reason UTMB won’t show WSERs livestream, why there is no ‘By UTMB’ on their logo and why they didn’t show up on this list.
I do agree though that there must be a tension there, because in theory, WSER control their media rights, so they could seek their own deals with, say, ESPN, and UTMB would get no revenue from it.
Great point on iRF - how will Trail Runner differentiate their coverage vs iRF?
I guess, the more coverage, the better. In my view, Meghan Hicks continues to set the standard for this niche's sportswriting, but it's neat to see smart commentators (also great runners) like Corrine, Leah Y. and Zoe also producing excellent coverage. Way back when, I wrote for TR and did commentary as a co-host in the earlier days of URP. Now I'm just an old goat on the sidelines eating up the coverage like everyone else!
There will always be tension, I believe, about WSER staying true to its roots (e.g. no prize money) vs. being a marquee world-class event.
If you're interested in WSER history, you might check out this piece I did years ago, a Q&A with my mentor/hero Mo Livermore, still the longest-serving board member. She deserves so much credit for WSER being what it is, whereas Gordy gets all the attention. https://www.trailrunnermag.com/people/qas-people/how-western-states-became-a-race/
Good to hear that Trail Runner is stating things won't change with the partnership when it comes to editorial decisions. That's a tough needle to thread and is nearly impossible in reality. Even with the best of intention, when a partnership like that happens, it's hard to stay bias free. That's the way it is in television newsrooms and I can't imagine Outside will be any different.
Completely agree. What happens if UTMB are unsatisfied with the coverage? Will they be content with the livestream and previews or will they want more?