by Kent Sterling
Twitter is a free and ever-changing billboard for brands. Conveying information in an entertaining way has never been easier, and access to thousands of eyes who actively seek wisdom, insight, and snark via Twitter is free.
That makes Twitter a game changer. It evens out the competition among a variety of people invested in their media presence. A guy like Tom Lewis who runs the excellent IndyCornrows.com can compete with better funded sites who produce Indiana Pacers related content. His site is now a part of SB Nation, but Twitter would allow Lewis to remain viable regardless of the network with which his digital product is associated.
Click here to follow Kent on Twitter
The Twitter feed for Fox 59’s Charly Arnolt grew substantially as she was introduced to the market. She focuses on in-game tweets from Colts games, but also throws in a few personal messages and occasional teases to broadcasts. I would like to see more tweets that reflect personality, but most TV folks steer clear of messages that define them personally. Not sure why – it’s what Twitter does best, and makes a feed unique.
Some in sports media look at Twitter as another responsibility, but that outlook is what makes media people appear to be entitled mopes. Sharing perspective is what people get into the media for, and being able to make sports more fun for people who love them is a gift, not a responsibility.
Here are the rankings, and thanks to those who follow me. I try to make it worthwhile, but more than anything else, I have a great time doing it.
Sports Radio in Indy
- Kent Sterling – 1070 the Fan 4,691 to 5,400 +15.1%
- Mark Boyle – Pacers play-by-play 8,484 to 9,004 +6.1%
- Derek Schultz – 1260 WNDE 4,160 to 4,357 +4.7%
- JMV – 1070 the Fan 20,153 to 21,101 +4.7%
- Greg Rakestraw – 1070 the Fan 5,700 to 5.966 +4.7%
- Michael Grady – 1070 the Fan 10,331 to 10,804 +4.6%
- Conrad Bruner 1070thefan.com 6,233 to 6,508 +4.4%
- Eddie White – Pacers Postgame 4,806 to 4,962 +3.2%
- Dan Dakich – 1070 the Fan 63,271 to 64,912 +2.6%
- Jake Query 1260 WNDE 8,086 to 8,255 +2.1%
- Kevin Lee – 1070 the Fan/NBC 6,705 to 6,782 +1.1%
TV Sports Anchors/Reporters in Indy
- Charly Arnolt – Fox 59 2,056 to 2,680 +30.4%
- Chris Denari – FSIN 9,087 to 9,569 +5.3
- Jeremiah Johnson – FSIN 4,402 to 4,612 +4.8%
- Larry Hawley – Fox 59 1,364 to 1,423 +4.3%
- Dave Furst – RTV6 4,667 to 4,820 +3.3%
- Chris Hagan – Fox 59 5,117 to 5,277 +3.1%
- Rich Nye – WTHR 4,736 to 4,869 +2.8%
- Jason Spells – RTV6 1,909 to 1,961 +2.7%
- Eric Yutzy – WTHR 2,680 to 2,745 +2.4%
- Dave Calabro – WTHR 8,810 to 9,004 +2.2%
- Brad Brown – RTV6 556 to 567 +2.0%
- Anthony Calhoun – WISH 6,623 to 6,745 +1.8%
- Chris Widlic – WISH 1,679 to 1,705 +1.5%
- Amanda Maynard – WISH 1,003 to 1,016 +1.3%
Print/Digital – all with Indianapolis Star unless otherwise noted (beat in parenthesis)
- Candace Buckner (Pacers) 3,998 to 4,495 +12.4
- Zak Keefer (Butler) 4,738 to 4,991 +5.3%
- Zach Osterman (IU Hoops) 5,492 to 5,744 +4.6%
- Stephen Holder (Colts) 10,245 to 10,545 +2.93%
- Mike Chappell (Colts) 16,320 to 16,794 +2.90%
- Mark Ambrogi 2,005 to 2,062 +2.8%
- Bob Kravitz (columnist) 38,739 to 39,732 +2.6%
- Kyle Neddenriep (Preps) 11,909 to 12,194 +2.4%
- Mike Wells (Colts/ESPN) 27,446 to 27,994 +2.0%
- Phillip B. Wilson 15,590 to 15,886 +1.9%
- Phil Richards 3,082 to 3,137 +1.8%
- Dustin Dopirak (Bton H-T) 7,816 to 7,949 +1.7%
- Michael Pointer 3,786 to 3,848 +1.6%
- Curt Cavin (Racing) 12,747 to 12,847 +0.8%
- David Woods (IU Football) 5,582 to 5,616 +0.6%
Digital
- Tom Lewis @IndyCornrows 4,659 to 4,829 +3.6%
- Chronic Hoosier (hoosierchronicles.com) 16,945 to 17,310 +2.2%
- Alex Bozich @insidethehall 19,726 to 19,988 +1.3%
- Mike Pegram @peegs 13,608 to 13,719 +0.8%
- Terry Hutchens (Fox – IU) 13,027 to 13,118 +0.70%
- Ken Bikoff @kbikoff 1,990 to 2,003 +0.65%
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