CFL media favourites

Enough complaining about our least favourite sports columnists. "The media" isn't all bad. Instead of devoting so much attention to the critics and the hacks, how about we recognize those who are doing a good job. Who's your favourite CFL media personality, radio, TV, and/or print?

For print, I'd have to go with Drew Edwards of the Hamilton Spectator, and not just because I'm a TiCat homer. The reason I'd pick him is because he just never seems to stop working. In addition to regular columns in the Spec, he's been posting something new about the team on his blog every day for nearly 2 years. He even takes time to post when he's on holidays. I don't know of anyone who's that dedicated to covering the CFL.

Honourable mentions go to Arash Madani of Sportsnet (yes, that Sportsnet) and Mark Masters of the National Post. Although he doesn't seem to write very many columns, he's got a wealth of knowledge and frequently knows about the goings on in the CFL before anyone else does. If you're on Twitter, he's worth following. Mark Masters no longer works for the Post, but when he did he was a very good source of information about the Argos and TiCats.

I don't listen much sports radio and don't watch much TV, so I don't have any favourite radio or TV personalities.

Drew Edwards and Dave Campbell for me.

of corse i like Allan camron from the calgary sun. Stamps beat writer. BUt i agree about arash Madani. i wasnt so keen on him at start, but i quite enjoyed his reporting. really showed the professional respect the league deserves.

I don't read papers and magazines that often these days, but I follow Dave Campbell on Twitter, and he's pretty up-to-date on all things Edmonton. :thup:

Even though I'm not a big fan of Rob Vanstone... he does know his stuff... and usually his columns in the Regina Leader-Post are good reads... we don't have a lot of choice here, but Rod Pederson isn't bad either...

One word:

Sekeres.

Frank Zicarelli of the Toronto Sun does a great job covering the CFL.
Doesn't treat it like its beneath him to write about it.
Another guy is Mike Gantner. Of the Sun as well.

As an aside I just don't get that Reporters show on TSN.
They never mention the CFL, even though the CFL is a major property of TSN.

Didn't bother even talking about any of the major sigings in the league last week.
Its like the league doesn't exist.

But oh they love the Blue Jays And the NFL. And the NBA.
But no CFL talk whatsoever.

Which is why I don't understand the purpose of this show.
Is it for Canadian sports fans. Or is it for these Reporters and their freinds?

Drew Edwards, Dave Naylor, and Mike Hogan would have to be my top 3. Edwards because of all the great Ticat info up on his site, Naylor because i think he really cares about the league and Hogan always has CFL talk on his radio show on TSN 1050. The reporters i find are pretty good during the season with the CFL coverage i could be wrong i don’t catch it every week. I really found a big drop off on OFF THE RECORD this year tho, They didn’t have any CFL coverage until the Grey Cup and seemed to be talking NFL almost every night. I don’t watch it anymore cant stand that guy from Boston that use to be a Goon in the NHL and that other idiot Rob Ray seems there on the show every night now.

Ticat85, if you ask me something is up with TSN and their committment to the CFL.
Its like they're afraid to push it too much.
The lack of CFL news in these talk shows, and no CFL weekly show is a prime example.

And now that they're stuck owing a basketball and soccer team, plus they're associated with Rogers that owns the Blue Jays,
I'm seeing alot more Blue Jays and basketball coverage on their website.

Then again, when most of the on and off air staff for TSN come from Toronto and area, what should we expect?
There is a huge lack of a national viewpoint on this supposedly national sports network

i do not get the mike hogan thing, but agree with your other points. hogan for years on fan 590 would say he was this huge cfl fan, very wishy washy when his other fan 590 talking heads disagreed.jmho

Maybe because he’s too respectful and polite to get into on-air p***sing matches with his colleagues?

I have a hard time seeing how any CFL fan would have a bad word to say about Mike Hogan.

notice i said imho

however i guess you missed him when he was talking about how great it was to go to buffalo bill games in buffalo. his years on 590 the fan were not very impressive. glad to hear that he is now a die hard cfl fan :smiley:

Dave Naylor wrote tons of negative press on the CFL until he got canned by the Globe… Him and Brunt cowrote a piece just 3 years ago on why TO needed an NFL team…Naylor, is the biggest turncoat ever, he started being all rah rah CFL once he had no other way of putting bread on the table…

thanks, and i did not know that about naylor, he has answered my emails from time to time

Yeah Naylor will write back to you… Brunt will as well… In person Brunt shows much more distain for the CFL then he does in the media. I wrote an e-mail ripping him about his bias and he replyed that paying $1 for a CFL franchise was a rip off… Naylor on the other hand actually gets defensive if you rip him, he told me that the met his wife at a Las Vegas Posse game… Thus his love for the CFL… Yeah more like his love for American woman…haha

Guys like brunt and naylor can't see the big picture.
They always focus on the negative about the league.
They think the cfl will always remain this cash strapped little league with no
Fan interest east of Manitoba.

Yet they ignore tv ratings. They ignore the new stadium boom.
They never mention the potential impact of a new tv deal
On the league.

Always the negative.
Typical Toronto based dinosaurs.

It never used to be like this benji.
agreed, a good percentage of Canadian/Ontarian journalists over the past 25-30 years have not been overly kind, nor embraced the CFL, however up until the early 80’s, there were copious amount of CFL coverage in the media, and mainly positive in nature.

In the 70’s/early 80’s it was not uncommon for the Argos to have 45,000+ fans in the seats for home games, the Ticats to have sellouts, as well as front page headlines in the newspapers or lead-in sports broadcasts and programs.

Reading about Ticat/Argo match ups and Argo home games in big bold letters on the front page of the newspapers during my youth was a special treat for me as insatiable my appetite was, and remains for Canadian ball.

The league should investigate the issues surrounding this media alteration, instill market adjustments, and continue to focus on the positive aspects of this great game.

The success of this year’s Grey Cup in Toronto is but one pertinent step towards achieving such goals.
(and I firmly believe it will be a tremendous success) :thup:

Tangled.
This year alone brunt wrote that cohon
Wouldn't resign with the cfl. He did.

He warned the Toronto grey cup could be an
Embarassment for the league because if lack of
Interest in Toronto.
It's Almost sold out.

Then brunt and naylor and others gleefully declared
The cfl dead when Rogers signed the bills deal.
Wrong again.

You're right. The focus on the cfl has changed in
That city. Any coverage is usually negative.

You would think these guys r being paid off by someone
To write this malarky eh?

It's really no mystery. When the NFL started raking in their outrageous tv deals Canadian media started jumping ship. They felt/still feel that they can make more money from their brand.

It also comes to the general problem with Canadian media companies. It is cheaper to buy an American show than produce a Canadian show. We also have the issue of somewhat of an entertainment brain-drain. Almost all good Canadian actors/writers eventually go to work in the American market because there is more money to be made.

This is partially why I wished we were a completely French speaking country (even though I haven't learned to speak it myself... yet). The wealth of locally produced programming Quebec has makes me jealous, but the media there is forced to do it due to the language difference.

I find it ironic that these massive Canadian media conglomerates are protected from foreign companies by foreign ownership rules, yet they don't protect Canadian culture/content because it's easier/cheaper and more profitable to just buy stuff produced elsewhere. They treat the Canadian requirement with little respect, and so just throw in either news or cheaply produced shows that no one will watch. But we can see that if it is done right (e.g. Corner Gas), there is definitely a market out there.

I don't mind seeing American shows, I just wish Canadian networks would take the initiative to produce decent Canadian programming too. If Australia/even smaller european counties can produce their own content, why is it such an uphill battle for our Canadian companies to do so? But anyway... There's my rant, a little off topic, but still valid to the problem the CFL has.

so much for the Positive favorite spin