Penn State Sports Media Survey Results Announced

We asked. You answered. 

Thank you to everyone who took part in our first ever Penn State sports media survey, where we asked you a few questions about where and who you are reading and listening to when it comes to getting news about the Nittany Lions. 

We had more than 100 responses and are excited to share the results with you. 

A couple of things to keep in mind before you view the results. First off, this was not done in any scientific manner and isn’t the end-all-be-all of Penn State sports media survey. Secondly, we did this, much like we do anything at SSSWS, for fun, so don’t take the results too seriously. It should also be noted we shared this in as many places as possible but it’s just a small sample size of Penn Staters. You’ll especially see that in the podcast section of the results. A good piece of context to know is that 62 percent of people say they live in Pennsylvania, but we did get responses from 17 other states, including Wisconsin, Tennessee, California and even Alaska. 

And now the moment you’ve all been waiting for…

Podcasts

63 percent of people say they listen to Penn State sports podcasts. Percentages below are based on the number of people who answered “yes” when asked if they listen to Penn State podcasts. 

Most Listened to Podcasts 

1. Lions247: A Penn State Athletics Podcast – 60% 
2. The Blue-White Podcast (Blue-White Illustrated) – 46%
3. Stuff Somers Says with Steve – 25%

It should be noted that when we asked who you’d like to have on our podcast, one person responded, “Never heard of it.” 

Publications

62 percent of people say they pay for at least one subscription service to get Penn State news and 29 percent of people say they pay for at least two. Percentages below are based on the number of people who answered “yes” that they pay for subscription services. 

Most Read Subscription-Based Publications 

1. The Athletic – 66% 
2. On3.com & Blue-White Illustrated – 48%
3. 247Sports & Lions247 – 28%

As for the overall competition, it appears you are putting those subscriptions to got used. All three of the top three places people subscribe were listed as a place you get your news. However, what is surprising is that a lot of you are getting your news via Lion247 without a subscription. And while it pains me as a Collegian alum to say it, Onward State took the top spot amongst the student publications.

Most Read Overall Publications 

1. Lions247 – 50% 
2. Blue-White Illustrated – 47%
3. Onward State – 45% 
4. The Athletic – 42% 
5. PennLive – 38%

Who is your favorite beat writer? Well, it’s former SSSWS guest Audrey Snyder. Coming in at No. 2 is this week’s guest Ben Jones. Here are the top five.

Favorite Beat Writer 

1. Audrey Snyder (The Athletic)
2. Ben Jones (StateCollege.com)
3. David Jones (PennLive)
4. Sean Fitz (Blue-White Illustrated)
5. Neil Rudel (Altoona Mirror)

Feedback You’d Share With Beat Writers

We know you have it. We also know you’re not shy about sharing it. Here are some of the responses we got.

• Way too many people ‘covering’ the same crap
• They allow Franklin to control them for the most part.
• On3 has a great variety of writers covering many different aspects of PSU sports.
• I think in general there’s a lack of true knowledge about the game and the inner workings of the game and team among the beat. That doesn’t mean I don’t sincerely like reading them, because I do, but some of the media just slings out lazy takes and does not do a lot of true reporting or digging into why certain things do/don’t happen on the field. I think my true favorite on the beat is David Jones but I gotta give love to Thomas Frank Carr who does an excellent job breaking down game film and providing real insight on the team and it’s strengths and weaknesses.
• Amazing with the number of great kids that have passed through Bellisario that the podcast game is so lame.

I beg to differ on that last response. I think our podcast is pretty great but I’m biased. Once again, thank you to everyone who gave a response. You can subscribe to our podcast here. Newsletter right here. And my Twitter handle is @StuffSomersSays and Steve’s is @SteveSampsell.

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