London Latest - Anticipation Among Olympic Media Builds for 2012

(ATR) Leaders in Olympic media tellAround the Ringsthey are now excited for a Games with great potential following the third and final World Press Briefingin London.

Running from Oct. 24 to 27, the WPB shed light on LOCOG’s media operations for everyone involved with the press-side of the Games.

Undoubtedly, the team with the most complex operation is the Associated Press. Usually sending a crew of more than 160 reporters and support staff, the AP is the largest news outlet covering the Olympics and has plans to be at every venue.

Steve Wilson, the AP’s European Sports Editor, tells ATR the briefing allows the wire service to effectively plan its operation for the Games.

"The practical information that you get [at the WPB] its invaluable," he said.

When asked what’s the most important aspect of the WPB, his answer was simple: "everything."

"We had a sizeable team here at these meetings to see specifically what’s going to impact our departments.

"We had a security expert here learning about that. We had planners, photo, TV, it’s such a big machine from our side too that we need to hear way in advance to make sure our plans are on board."

Personally, Wilson said his biggest takeaway from the WPB is how transportation and security will work.

Terry Taylor, the AP’s Sports Editor, echoed Wilson’s sentiments.

"We’re here covering the Games, it’s not a holiday" she said.

"So you try to figure out the best way to cover the Games as efficiently as you can and the best way to get the story. This helps you decide do I want to be here, do I want to be there, how soon do I have to come in. It affects everything from when we arrive to when we depart."

From the British media, Jacquelin Magnay, Olympics Editor for London’s Daily Telegraph, tells ATR she’s upset that an increase in credentials available for British media seems unlikely to come.

She openly lobbied for an increase in credentials during the briefing, calling the allocation of some 500 credentials "woefully inadequate."

"For the IOC and LOCOG to say that there is no more, I find that’s very distressing for the coverage of the Games," she told ATR.

"We are trying to promote and cover the Games in as extensive detail as possible across the country. And a lot of papers can’t do that because they don’t have access to the Games."

Still, she had overall praise for LOCOG’s preparations.

"They’ve actually listened to some of our complaints and suggestions that we had last year," she said.

"They’ve put a lot of common sense into their planning and they are trying to help the media and make our jobs as easy as possible."

One question that lingers for her is the transport and security time estimates.

"Twenty minutes to get through security in a morning rush I think is optimistic," she said.

"I think realistically, I’d be planning 30-35 minutes. And then you’ve got the bus transport time before you get to the main media center.

"If they can shorten that in any way, I’ll be looking at ways to do that."

Duringthe meeting, Magnay said it's important for her to not only digest the presentations but "to speak to key people in key positions about some key issues."

Building relationships was another critical aspect of the WPB for the Japanese Olympic Committee’s Masa Takaya.

Takaya, who started his job with the JOC's communications department days before the WPB, said that was one of his main tasks.

"It’s very important to meet Japanese media and say I just started my new job," he told ATR.

Takaya recently left the International Triathlon Union, where he was communications director. He attended the second WPB in his previous role, giving him a unique perspective.

"We have a massive number of media representatives from Japan, and the Japanese NOC needs to work closely with them and we’ve already had a lot of inquiries from Japanese media," he said. "We just need to have a clear overview to explain how London will organize the Games."

The biggest question from Japanese media so far, he said, is how the work situation at Heathrow Airport will unfold.Reporters typically await their country’s Olympians for interviews asthey arrive.

"Japanese media always prefer to have a workplace at the airport, and on the first day we had a specific question about that," he said.

Takaya and the other JOC press staffers face stiff pressure from a tough domestic media that places a high value on the Games.

"They are very passionate to cover the Olympic and Paralympic Games and it is very important to feed the exact status that LOCOG has right now."

A common thread from all who attended is a growing excitement for the Games, now just nine short months away, as well as confidence in LOCOG’s preparations.

Wilson, covering his 13th Olympics, said "this is the first time I’ve seen it grow from the bid to the Games so it’s a whole new perspective."

He’s attended all three briefings and said the growth in participation is "stunning."

"At the first one, it seemed like just a couple dozen of us."

Takaya was similarly impressed.

"I see there has been huge progress from the second WPB. We should say congratulations on the successful organization so far."

Taylor lauded the "efficient group" of LOCOG’s press operations department.

"The answers they gave us to things and what they presented were for the most part reasonable," she said.

"I couldn’t see from our vantage point, certainly something that would present hardships in doing our jobs at the Games. I think they are going out of their way to help us do our jobs."

"How you handle things on the fly when you don’t plan for them" is "the real litmus test" she added.

"I think so far everybody is pretty encouraged with what they are seeing."

London has an opportunity with "the most spectacular backdrops" of any Games in recent memory, according to Taylor.

"I can’t remember another Games that has such potential to give viewers long-lasting images. Barcelona is one. They have an enormous opportunity to take advantage of some of the landscapes and the history of the buildings here to do that."

Reported in London by Ed Hula III

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