The UIL Media Policy for the 2008 Girls & Boys State Basketball Tournaments follows.
Please note the following:

Credentials should be picked up only at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center. 

Media issued a parking pass by the UIL should park in designated areas on the UT-Austin campus. However, the UIL is not obligated to provide reserved parking for the media. In order to obtain your parking pass (which you need before you can enter the designated parking area), you must first pick up your media packet at the Red River Street entrance of the Erwin Center. Once you have picked up your media packet, you will be allowed to enter the designated parking area free of charge.  There is no guaranteed media parking.

Parking passes and media credentials will only be issued on a game-by-game basis. You will not be allowed to park in the designated area, or attend a game free of charge, if you are not covering a team playing at that time.

FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY:
The use of electronic flash equipment, other than strobe flash, is prohibited at the UIL state basketball tournaments.

UIL MEDIA INFORMATION
2008 GIRLS & BOYS STATE BASKETBALL TOURNAMENTS ONLY

It is the goal of the University Interscholastic League to provide the media with comprehensive, hospitable services during state tournaments. We understand the difficulty of covering these state championships, and we appreciate the positive publicity our schools and athletes receive as a result of your work. In formulating a media policy, we have tried to address as many media groups as possible.

We understand that different media outlets have different needs, and we strive to meet the needs of everyone involved. In order to obtain media credentials to the UIL State Basketball Championships, certain protocol must be followed by ALL individuals wishing to cover the tournaments.

• Credential requests must be FAXED in on company letterhead to media director Kim Rogers at the UIL office (512) 471-6589 by noon Wednesday prior to the tournament. (February 27th for the Girls Tournament; March 5th for the Boys Tournament)
• Media outlets must identify school(s) they are covering in their credential request.
• Each person, along with his or her duties (reporter, photographer, broadcaster, etc.), must be listed in the request.
• Credential requests will be considered only on a game-by-game basis. You must have a vested interest in a game in order to receive media credentials for that game.

• Requests via the telephone or email will NOT be accepted.
• REQUESTS MUST BE RECEIVED BY THE DEADLINE FOR THE EVENT. LATE REQUESTS MAY NOT BE CONSIDERED.  Arrivals without prior approval by the UIL will not be admitted.
• NO CREDENTIAL REQUESTS WILL BE CONSIDERED ONCE THE TOURNAMENT HAS BEGUN (Thursday a.m.). The UIL makes the final determination of whether or not media credential requests are granted.

*PLEASE NOTE*:

Credentials will not be granted for the entire tournament, only on a game-by-game basis. (For example, if your media outlet is only covering a 3A team, you will not receive credentials for the 5A game.)

If your request is denied, the UIL will make every attempt at contacting your media outlet via fax or email.

Submission of a credential request does not guarantee a media credential.  It is your responsibility to ensure that your credential request has been successfully received.  You should check the status of your credential request via email at: uilpr@mail.uil.utexas.edu

Credentials or tickets for spouses, friends, children, etc., will not be provided.

All credentials will be placed on reserve at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center.

Acceptance of media credentials to a UIL championship event constitutes an agreement by the individual to abide by all media regulations of the UIL.

NEWSPAPERS:
Credentials will be provided only to reporters covering hometown or circulation-area teams on a game-by-game basis. All credentials will be placed on reserve at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center, and will not be mailed.

Reporters must present photo identification in order to claim credentials. NEWSPAPERS MUST IDENTIFY SCHOOL(S) THEY ARE COVERING IN THEIR MEDIA CREDENTIAL REQUEST.

Daily newspapers may have up to two writers and one photographer. Weekly newspapers may have no more than one writer and one photographer.

Publishing companies that publish weekly newspapers for more than one community will be considered a single weekly newspaper.

The UIL must have names for all persons claiming passes, and all persons must bring photo identification.

NEWSPAPERS WITH NO VESTED INTEREST IN GAMES WILL BE DENIED CREDENTIALS.

STATISTICIANS: Since the UIL provides complete statistics, we will not reserve media credentials for statisticians.

RADIO STATIONS/INTERNET AUDIO FEEDS:
Radio stations will be limited to two credentials per station for a game broadcast.  Sideline reporters are not permitted due to space limitations.   Radio stations not providing a live broadcast of a game will be limited to one credential.

Any station requesting to carry a live play-by-play of any of the state tournament games, or stations wishing to carry a feed provided by the UIL Sports Network should contact UIL Radio Coordinator Jim Barton at (409) 540-0912 for permission prior to Wednesday before the tournament. The rights fee is $125 for a semi-final game and $150 for a championship game.  The fees for taking a feed from the UIL Sports Network are $200 per game.  All checks should be made payable to the UIL.  All broadcasts are done from the floor level at the Frank Erwin Center.  Phone lines are available for the use of the station; no long-distance charges may be made to that line. 

Entities providing a live audio broadcast on the Internet are subject to the same fees as radio stations.

The UIL will provide equipment managers and engineers.

STATIONS WITH NO VESTED INTEREST IN GAMES WILL BE DENIED CREDENTIALS.

Radio stations must identify school(s) they are covering in their media credential request.

All credentials will be placed on reserve at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center, and will not be mailed.

TELEVISION:
Unless planning to do a live feed, TV stations may reserve no more than two credentials.  Stations may not provide a live feed of a contest in progress as part of a newscast.

STATIONS WITH NO VESTED INTEREST IN GAMES WILL BE DENIED CREDENTIALS.

Television stations must identify school(s) they are covering in their media credential request.

All credentials will be placed on reserve at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center, and will not be mailed.

INTERNET SITES / MAGAZINES / SPECIALTY PUBLICATIONS: Requests will be considered on an individual basis at the UIL’s discretion.

The following Internet sites will not be granted credentials:

• Personal page Internet site publishers
• Paid subscription-based Internet sites
• Internet sites associated in any way with the promotion of alcohol, tobacco, gambling, political election issues/candidates, or lewd subject matter as determined by the UIL
• Any other Internet site deemed in poor taste or not in compliance with the mission of interscholastic athletics as determined by the UIL

Internet sites must furnish, upon request, certifiable traffic numbers from an established auditing firm, or from its service provider.  Hit counters on pages will not fulfill this requirement.

HIGH SCHOOL STUDENT MEDIA (FOR SCHOOLS PARTICIPATING IN THE TOURNAMENT):
Administrators of schools participating in the tournament should request credentials prior to the deadline following the same protocol as other media outlets (see above).

Each school will be issued up to three media credentials total.  The credentials are intended for use by students in their school’s journalism program and should include newspaper, yearbook, and broadcast journalism.

Students must show a valid student identification card from a high school participating in the tournament-no exceptions.

All credentials will be placed on reserve at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center, and will not be mailed.

COMMERCIAL PHOTOGRAPHERS: The UIL prohibits the sale of photographs from any UIL State Championship Events, and will not issue credentials to photographers whose photos will be used for any purpose other than media coverage.

RECRUITING SERVICES/SCOUTS: The UIL does not issue media credentials to recruiting services or scouts.

The UIL's goal is to provide the best service possible to the working media. Part of this responsibility is guaranteeing that services are available only to the working media.   When you obtain your credentials at the Red River Street entrance of the Frank Erwin Center, please note that there is a page of tournament policies and procedures that must be followed.

Kim Rogers, Media Director
(512) 471-5883
(512) 471-6589 FAX
uilpr@mail.uil.utexas.edu