2023 WNBA Season Media Outline

2023 WNBA SEASON MEDIA OUTLINE

As of April 14, 2023

The following procedures are in place for media access for the 2023 WNBA season and are being implemented on a trial basis. The WNBA will continue to evaluate this policy during the season and adjust if necessary.

It is strongly recommended that all media be up to date on COVID-19 vaccinations (CDC link). Per CDC guidance, “up to date” means that individuals have received all doses in the primary series and all boosters recommended for them, including the updated (bivalent) booster dose authorized and recommended by the FDA and CDC, when eligible. It is further recommended that media who are not recently recovered take a COVID-19 test and return a negative result within two days prior to the event.

The current league rules regarding management of symptomatic and COVID+ media members will continue to apply. As a reminder, such rules prohibit media who are symptomatic from attending any in-person media availability or interacting with any player or team staff member pending both a negative test and clearance by a physician designated by the league. Any media member who is seeking to attend any in-person media availability or interact with any player or team staff member within 10 days following a positive COVID-19 test must notify the League Communications group and obtain prior clearance by a physician designated by the league.

MEDIA OUTLINE:

Postgame interviews with a team’s head coach and select players will take place in a designated interview room. While interviews will no longer take place in the locker rooms, after the conclusion of the presser (per team) with head coach and two key players, any additional players requested by in-person media ONLY (through team PR) are required to be available for interviews in a suitable, alternate location such as the interview room or hallway outside the locker room.

Practice Days (Training Camp AND Regular Season)

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their local media lists and to WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that particular week.
Media will be allowed into practice during the last thirty (30) minutes of practice (to be defined as a period of on-going team drills).
Immediately upon the conclusion of practice all players must remain on the floor for a minimum of 20 minutes up to a maximum of 30 minutes for media interviews. If media are still present and engaging in interviews with players and/or coaches, the session must extend to the full 30 minutes. In such cases where media are present beyond the 20-minute mark, there cannot be the excuse that coaches/trainers/staff want to start a film session/treatment/etc. early; a 30-minute window is to be set in place and the full 30 minutes is to be used in instances such as that outlined above.
Twice per week teams must, on the day of a practice, make two players available via zoom; players should be rotated and must include one starter and one key contributor. Game-day pre- or post-game sessions are separate and do not count toward this requirement.
During the preseason, WNBA Communications will host a full day of media availability for all twelve head coaches between Friday, April 12 and Wednesday, May 17, with a confirmed schedule to be announced.

** Please note that Game Day availabilities are to take the form of “scrum” sessions. One-on-ones should not be expected on game days. For specific requests, media must coordinate with Team PR. **

Game Day Shoot-arounds

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their local media lists and to WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that particular week.
Shoot-arounds will be open to media for viewing 15 minutes at either the beginning or end of shoot-around.
Two key players are required to be available during the media availability window via Zoom.
All other players and coaches must be available for a 15-minute interview session in a designated interview area on the court either immediately prior to or immediately following shoot-around.
If a team opts to NOT have a shoot-around for a particular game, there will not be any required media session.

Pregame Media Availability

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their local media lists and to WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that particular week.
Players are NOT mandated to be available on the court pre-game. However, teams should make best efforts to accommodate any media requests for specific players during pre-game.
Head coaches and two key starters must be available jointly in the press conference room for zoom and in-person media. Team PR will work with one another to schedule their respective Head Coach/two key starter availability sessions so that they do not overlap one another. In the event that both head coaches/key starters request the same time window, priority will be given to the home team.

*All Media (including TV and photographers) may not congregate in the corners of the court and must be aware of their surroundings so as not to interfere with players’ pre-game workouts.*

Postgame Media Availability

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their local media lists and to WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that particular week.
Postgame media availability will be a combination of in-person access and Zoom access. Home and road teams will utilize two separate press conference rooms that can accommodate in-person media and the Zoom component.
- Postgame interviews with a team’s head coach and select players will take place in a designated interview room. In lieu of interviews in the locker room, postgame requests by in-person media with additional players – defined as those not taking part in the interview room press conference – will take place in a suitable, alternate location.
No later than 10 minutes following the game, each head coach and two players (leading scorer and key contributor) per team will be available in separate press conference room for in-person and zoom media.
Home Team PR will issue a note to in-person and virtual media no later than with three minutes on the game clock indicating the names of the players for both teams to be made available in the interview room(s). These lists are subject to change in the event of late-game developments.
After the conclusion of the presser (per team) with head coach and two key players, any additional players requested by in-person media ONLY (through team PR) are required to be available for interviews in a suitable, alternate location such as the interview room or hallway outside the locker room. There is no zoom requirement for the additional requested players outside of the press conference. ALL players are required to remain in the building (whether requested or not) until all media obligations are met.

PHOTOGRAPHERS

General Media photographers and camera operators will resume traditional baseline quadrant procedures and sit up to a minimum of 6 feet from the court and must be fully vaccinated. As a reminder, camera operators and photographers are generally prohibited from entering escape lanes during play, and thus their seating locations may not block escape lanes.

Additionally, rubber lens hoods must be on all lenses for still photographers, broadcasters, and news and entertainment video and film crews who are authorized to shoot WNBA game action. Photographers using telephoto lenses – which are permitted for both near court and far court photography – may store their cameras on their laps when using another camera, but not next to them or in front of them. Media requesting baseline locations must provide agreement that a rubber lens hood will be used.

Each photographer will be permitted to use one monopod – but no tripods – at courtside.

Only metal-less, hiking-type photographer seats (e.g. no rolling seats, no swivels, no legs) will be permitted for photographers or television camera operators seated around the perimeter of the court. All other types of seating must be approved in advance by the WNBA. Additionally, no stand-alone remotes or ancillary equipment and accessories (e.g., batteries, lenses, tapes) are permitted on the court at any time. No laptop computers may be used while a photographer is seated courtside for any purpose (e.g. transmitting game photos).

Any camera mounted to the front game/shot clock (whether 4-sided or transparent) cannot cross the plane of the backboard glass. The number of still cameras permitted to be mounted on backboards shall be limited to two (2) per backboard. One (1) camera position per backboard (2 total) shall be reserved for use by NBA Entertainment. One (1) camera position shall be reserved for a pool feed such that the images will be accessible to all media (and NBA Entertainment will designate for each game one of the wire services to operate such pool feed; and one (1) camera position shall be reserved for a national sports media outlet, if in attendance, in an order of priority to be determined by NBA Entertainment or, if not in attendance, to a media outlet to be determined by the home team.