Football podcasting: fan mediain an era of convergence, participation and globalizationDr Paddy HoeyEdge Hill Universitypaddy.hoey@edgehill.ac.uk@paddyhoey

Agenda

• Definitions:– Convergence– Globalization– Participatory media

• Disruptive media– Agenda Setting: how media sets agenda of discourse– Development of internet-based amateur media– Small media v mainstream media– Fan culture and football: from fanzines phone-ins

message boards podcasting

Literature review: Key concepts by key writers

Hypot

hesis

: Poi

nt o

f res

earc

h pr

ojec

tAppropriate research m

ethod

Football podcasts are not a one-size-fits all

model of fan inclusion: economics and club culture are

important

Interview and ethnographically based research

reflecting professional background

Research project

What are (football) podcasts?• Podcast: a programme (music or talk) made available in digital format

for automatic download over the Internet• Downloadable audio/ video content made possible by the digital shift• Development of the iPod (2001-2004) crucial• Accelerated uptake in users since the advent of the SMART phone

since 2007 (iPhone)• Initial podcast market was dominated by mainstream broadcasters,

particularly BBC (UK)/ NPR (USA), and forward thinking individuals like Ricky Gervais

• Football podcasts followed, in particular The Spurs Show• National print media has embraced digital world: Guardian Football

Weekly, the Times’ The Game

Agenda Setting: role of the media: towards the death of gatekeepers

• Historically, mainstream media - newspapers, broadcasters were gatekeepers – influenced the topics that public considers important (McCombs & Shaw, 1972)– e.g. Cohen (1963): “the press may not be successful much

of the time in telling people what to think, but it is stunningly successful in telling its readers what to think about.”

• Public, including football fans, were largely observers of what media wrote and said about issues, e.g. either in news or sport

New media: Why? How?

Convergence: the coming together on multiple platforms technologically, culturally and socially– Jenkins (2006): people in contemporary culture tap into

and come together on multiple media platforms– Continual cultural process not a technological end point.

Culture is a lived process in constant evolution– Technology evolves in conjunction with industrial

advancement and the needs of those that use platforms and devices

– Not technologically determinist - e.g. lots of technological developments do not survive, mediated and controlled by the needs of people (Winston, 1998)

Convergence

• XBOX: media hub – gaming, online gaming, social media, internet, film streaming

• iPhone: apps - telephony, maps, social media, news, music, video, Skype/ Facetime, gaming

New media: Why? How?

• Globalisation: growing integration of people, nations, markets, technology, and consumption on global basis– “refers to widening, deepening and speeding up of

global interconnectedness”… “accelerating inter-dependence.” (Giddens, 1990; Harvey, 1989)

– Compression in economic, political and cultural life.– Technology aids the compression of global space,

e.g. football fans are more interconnected, immediately than they ever have been

Participatory media

• Carpentier (2011)– DIY (do-it-yourself) and DIWO (do-it-with-others)

creative content produced by and for consumers and users,

– no need for institutional filtering or control bureaucracies

– self-made content is accessible to anyone near a computer terminal

– everyone is a potential publisher

Participatory culture

Intersection of three trends:1. New tools and technologies enable consumers to archive, annotate, appropriate, and recirculate media content2. subcultures that promote Do-It-Yourself production and that shapes how consumers use technologies3. economically, horizontally integrated corporations have ability to encourage the flow of images, ideas and narratives – encourages more active modes of spectatorship

(Jenkins, 2006: 136-137)

Motivations for Celtic & Liverpool fans

Liverpool fans, have had some problems with the local media outlets in recent years:(Conflict of interest: I am, proudly, a former ECHO journalist and my wife works there)

During the Hicks/ Gillette ownership period, the ECHO was accused by some of those involved in Spirit of Shankly, and latterly, the Anfield Wrap, of having too close a relationship with the club for commercial reasons. Trinity Mirror, the ECHO’s parent company published the match day programme and associated media materials(Interviews)

Scottish Mainstream Media

Celtic fans, with some justification, regularly point to historic anti-Celtic media bias which emerges out of:a) at worst, a reflection of the sectarianism

that is a still a powerful social dynamic in the central belt of Scotland;

b) A crowded media market that includes (perhaps too many) newspapers, PSB, commercial broadcasters, which vying for a diminishing number of sales/ listeners, sensationalize every story pertaining to Celtic or the now defunct Rangers FC (Sevco, The Rangers)

(Interviews)

Why so big?: club similarities

• Both clubs have global reach (Celtic to lesser extent due to the economic power of Sky and EPL)– Liverpool hugely successful in initial period of globalised TV in

1980s (bad Norwegian wools/ Aussie diaspora)– Celtic strong in Irish diasporas (US/ Australia/ Europe)

• Shared history of strong fan involvement and recent ownership problems (Celtic 1993/94; Liverpool 2007/2010)

• Strong culture of away support and European travel• Shared mistrust of mainstream media• Decline in influence and circulation of national/ local MSM• Shared local cultural heritage of associated cultural interests:

music, fashion, literature culture

• Began in 2011 to reflect not just Liverpool Football Club, but also cultural aspects of the city that surround football

• Group of fans brought together by Spirit of Shankly supporters’ group that led protests against Gillette/ Hicks ownership of Liverpool FC

• Very quickly established considerable national/ international presence

• Regularly in Top 10 football podcasts initially, since then, always in Top 100 sports podcasts on iTunes

• Won Football Supporters’ Federation podcast of the year/ best team specific podcast in the world by American magazine Complex

• Partnership with American digital distributor Red Touch Media built global reach, thanks to CEO Wayne Scholes, Liverpool fan

• Partnership with Radio City and presence on the station since 2013

• Also produces iPad magazine (journalists among contributors)

• Began in 2006 as a reaction against new media spaces that were seen to be too close to the PLC board which was seen to be antithetical to some of the values of Celtic fans

• “At the time we were somewhat disillusioned at the cosy relationship between some fan sites and the board which was developing and felt that we wanted to be part of something that wasn’t being influenced by the PLC. We were angry middle aged men and we weren’t going to take it anymore.”

• Crowded space – club magazine Celtic View, Celtic FC boards and other boards like Celtic Minded and Kerrydale St

• Started as a podcast and associated board which contained club rumours, fans stories and some original writing about Celtic

• Regularly in the top 100 sports podcasts on iTunes• Sheer numbers of fans using the old site saw need to migrate to a

better server provider

Media Sphere transformed?

• Cody Brown

Case study 1: The Anfield Wrap

Fan media landscape

• Tradition of fanzines: Through The Wind and Rain, Well Red, Boss Mag

• Message boards: Kopworld, Red & White Kop, This is Anfield

• Podcasts: The Anfield Index, Liverpool Official

The Anfield Wrap: origins

“A lot of it was just down to it feeling like the right time. Loads of Liverpool fans became closer knit because of the fight to oust Hicks and Gillett and we were no different. Most of us now involved with TAW were involved in one way or another with getting rid of that pair, whether it was with Spirit of Shankly, fanzines, blogs, websites, social media and so on.”(Interview, 24/2/15)

Role of social media/ convergence

“Twitter was a big part of it, too. A few of us had fairly healthy followings on the back of the Hicks and Gillett stuff so we knew we had the means to promote it. The popularity of - and our presence on - some LFC forums was also a help in that regard.”(Ibid)

Not about technologybut existing fan media

“I edited Well Red. Neil and his mate Dan had a thing on the BBC called Alternative LFC. He also chaired SOS for a while and Andy was involved in the set up of that, too. Jim ran the Anfield Road website, Ian Maloney had his own range of LFC related clobber. We didn't all know each other dead well - some did, some didn't - we just sort of came together and had a go and all brought in people that we thought could contribute.”(Ibid)

Relationship with the club“I wouldn't say we had great relationships with the club to begin with. A few of us had been on the infamous Khmer Rouge dossier complied by (Paul) Tyrell (former head of media). Now it’s fine, and at times the club have been great - like when we interviewed Brendan in Oz (Australia). We generally just crack on, we're not in their pocket or asking for favours. Media-wise we had decent contacts and we thought that could help get the pod a audience. So we got Tony Barrett (the Times), Evo (Tony Evans, the Times) Rory Smith (the Times, previously Telegraph) on the show and got them to open up a bit, share some insight. Some of the lads’ contacts have meant we’ve got people like Benitez, Carra (Carragher), Hammann etc on the show, too. The Carra one stands out as a success as he was treated as if he was just another guest. He had a good natter about what was happening and why in games of that week, it wasn't a reverential interview.” (Ibid)

Quality control

“I'd discussed podcasts before with people I had produced Well Red magazine with, and taken part in a few (fairly bad) shows, so it was at the back of my mind about having a crack at one. One of the other lads had had a similar idea, and been involved with a radio football show, and it went from there. We felt like we had a lot of good contacts who could write and speak well and thought that if we could produce something professionally - we hired studios from the start and wanted contributors to be face to face, none of this Skype bollocks - then it might fly.”

Media backgrounds

(When asked about number of contributors working in creative, media and related sectors)“Yeah, I guess so for some, and that helped in terms of production and editing the site and so on. But at the same time some of the best contributors don't have any relevant work background as such in terms of media. All that we consider relevant is that they are Red, they go the game and they know what they are talking about. We try to vary the voices on the pod and the site as much as possible around a central core and we’re always looking to bring in new voices to keep it fresh.”(Ibid)

The future: new media empire?

The Anfield Wrap Player

Issues not covered

• Explaining fan media:– Sociology of football fandom: public sphere and

the media as a space of multiple spheres/ spaces of amateurs

– Is there anything new about podcasts?– fanzines phone-ins message boards

podcasting– does new era see emergence of new tech savvy,

self appointed elite fans?