BCS Credential Policy
BCS Media Credentialing Policy Requests for all working media credentials for all Bowl Championship Series games shall be directed to the host media director.
A "press agency" for purposes of these criteria shall mean a daily or weekly publication, cable system, radio or television station and network requiring immediate news coverage. "Immediate news coverage" for purposes of these criteria shall mean that the editorial, audio and/or visual deadline for the bowl game action being documented occurs no later than 48 hours after the competition at the site has been completed.
Membership in a writers or broadcasters association does not automatically qualify an agency or individual for credentials.
Credentials will not be issued to persons solely for the purpose of writing or gathering material for books.
Subject to limitations of space and at the host media director's discretion, credentials at all sites shall be assigned in accordance with the following policies: PRINT Separate publications sharing common ownership may not be combined for purposes of meeting circulation or other criteria. A credential may be issued only to an authorized full-time, salaried representative of, or a representative who regularly and customarily performs services for, such an entity.
Credentials will not be issued to persons solely for the purpose of writing or gathering material for books. Credentials are non-transferable. To be eligible for media credentials for the Bowl Championship Series games, the following criteria are set:
1. A news agency, regardless of circulation, that has staffed all home games of a participating institution throughout the season. This includes newspapers or other periodicals specifically designed to cover the activities and events of a single institution.
2. Any press agency with a minimum daily circulation of 50,000 to 99,999 shall be accredited for one working press credential. Other press agencies may receive more than one credential according to the following circulation requirements:
100, 000 - 199,999 - Two Seats
200,000 - 499,999 - Three Seats
500,000 - 999,999 - Four Seats
1 million and above - Five Seats
3. The Associated Press and the primary newspaper(s) that provide daily coverage for the host site of the Bowl Championship Series games each may receive a maximum of eight seats.
4. A national weekly publication that has a circulation between 500,000 and three million and a national monthly publication with a circulation of 750,000 and three million each may receive two seats. Publications that have a minimum circulation of three million may receive a maximum of three seats. A weekly/monthly that does not meet these criteria or the criteria that govern media agencies of the host and participating teams does not qualify for credentials.
A specialty publication that covers college football and does not meet the criteria listed above may be eligible for one credential at the discretion of the host media director.
5. At the media director's discretion, no more than two credentials may be issued to a reporter(s) representing the news side of the major newspaper of the participating institution or host site of the Bowl Championship Series games.
6. Three individuals certified by the director of athletics or designated representative of each participating institution, who will be the sole representatives of all media organizations affiliated with any such institution and all media organizations whose coverage primarily is directed by such institution and its activities. PRINT PHOTOGRAPHERS Sports editors shall request all photography credentials. Most media agencies will be limited to a maximum of two credentials.
Subject to limitations of space, photography credentials shall be assigned to agencies requiring immediate news coverage in accordance with the following priorities:
1. Three photographers certified by the director of athletics or designated representative of each participating institution, who will be the sole representatives of all media organizations affiliated with any such institution and all media organizations whose coverage primarily is directed by such institution and its activities.
2. The primary press agencies at the host site of the Bowl Championship Series games that cover college football on a regular basis may receive a maximum of four credentials.
3. The Associated Press may receive 12 credentials. Sports Illustrated and USA Today each may receive four credentials. The Sporting News may receive three credentials. National photo services and agencies such as Reuters, All Sport and Getty Images, at the discretion of the host media director, may receive a maximum of two credentials.
4. A participating institution may receive four credentials for media agencies that do not meet the minimum daily or weekly circulation requirements. These agencies shall be certified by the director of athletics or designated representative of the participating and/or host institution to have staffed at least 80 percent of its home games throughout the season.
5. A press agency with a minimum daily circulation of 350,000, a weekly circulation of 500,000, or a monthly circulation of one million may receive one credential.
6. A specialty publication that covers college football and does not meet the criteria listed above may be eligible for one credential at the discretion of the host media director. ON LINE MEDIA Other than the official website of each participating institution, the BCS web site, and contractual rights-fee paying media, representatives staffing web sites shall be accredited for BCS bowls on the following guidelines:
1. One credential may be assigned to a website that is affiliated with media of another form (i.e., network, newspaper, etc.). A print, radio or television agency will receive only one additional credential than the number provided for elsewhere in this policy.
2. An on-line entity not associated with another media agency that covers college football on a daily basis may qualify for one credential.
3. An on-line entity not associated with another media agency that covers one of the participating teams in the BCS bowl may qualify for one credential.
4. Each participating institution may receive one credential for its official on-line site, in addition to the credentials received under Print, No. 6. COURIERS Courier credentials will be available to news agencies using print photography for "immediate news coverage." These will be given at the discretion of the host media director. TELEVISION 1. A television station or regional cable network from the locale of the Bowl Championship Series games may be represented by two crews if it is representing multiple, regularly scheduled news programs. A crew is defined to include two talent (press box only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.
2. A television station or regional cable network from the locale of the participating institution, which has staffed at least 80 percent of its home games, may be represented by one crew. A crew is defined to include two talent (press box only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.
3. An individual or one crew designated by a national television network, which may include separate requests from the sports, news, entertainment and affiliate divisions, or cable system that originates a daily sports news program (e.g., ABC, CBS, NBC, ESPN, FOX, CNN.) A crew is defined to include two talent (press box only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.
4. A television station in a market area estimated to have a minimum of one million U.S. television households the previous year by the A.C. Nielsen Company, which may be represented by one crew. A crew is defined to include two talent (press box only), one photographer and one audio technician or producer. One "limited access" credential may be provided to a network, cable system or station for a technician who is responsible for maintenance of the satellite truck that may be parked at the stadium.
5. At the discretion of the host media director, no more than two credentials may be authorized to other news services that have news and sports programming. RADIO 1. National radio networks may be authorized to have one credential at the discretion of the host media director.
2. One credential may be assigned to a radio station in a market area representing at least one million radio homes that regularly covers college football games and has a daily "sports talk" program.
3. Two credentials may be assigned to a radio station in the geographic area of the host site of the Bowl Championship Series games or a participating team that regularly covers college football games and has a daily "sports talk" program.
4. Each radio station that has purchased live broadcasting rights from a participating institution is limited to the number of individuals required to originate all of such institution's home games radiocast by the station during the most recently completed regular season.
INTERNATIONAL MEDIA 1. When space is available, credentials will be issued to a full-time, salaried employee or a representative who regularly and customarily performs services, for:
A. A newspaper that has a minimum circulation of five percent of the total population of the country;
B. A specialty publication that has a minimum circulation of one percent of the total population of the country;
C. The official publication of the country's football organization;
D. A television station that has a signal reaching 25 percent of the homes in the country;
E. Each of the two largest sports networks in the country, and
F. A photography position for the respective media agencies above.
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