2024 WNBA SEASON MEDIA OUTLINE

As of April 17, 2024

The 2024 Media Policy has been created with input from key stakeholders, including representatives of the Professional Basketball Writers Association, the league’s 12 teams, and the Women’s National Basketball Players Association.

The policy will be put into effect on a trial basis beginning with the 2024 preseason and will be monitored by the league throughout the season. Teams and players will be accountable for adhering to these policies.

A. Preseason (Training Camp)

A new element of the Media Policy is that teams are required to conduct a meeting involving all players and coaches with select accredited members of the media representing national and local outlets. The purpose of the meeting will be to foster an open and informative discussion between media members, players and coaches regarding the role of the media.

B. Practice Days (Training Camp AND Regular Season)

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their respective media lists and WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that week, including information for practice days, shootarounds, and game days.
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 and 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.
Once per week, teams are required on the day of a practice, to make two (2) key players available via zoom; players are to be rotated and must include one starter and one key contributor. Game-day shootaround and post-game sessions are separate and do not count toward this requirement.
During the preseason, WNBA Communications will host a Zoom media availability for each of the 12 teams across a three-day period from Tuesday, May 7 through Thursday, May 9. Each team will be represented by its head coach and two (2) key players with a confirmed schedule to be announced.

** 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. **

C. Game Day Shoot-arounds

Any organized shootaround – required or optional – with at least five (5) players present must have a 15minute media availability session associated with it for in-person media.
Shoot-arounds will be open to media for viewing for 15 minutes at either the beginning or end of the session but concurrent with the interview period.
In addition, two (2) key players are required to be available jointly for in-person and Zoom media during the media availability window. However, media planning to attend the shootaround zoom will be required to RSVP to team PR 24 hours in advance of the scheduled zoom; if less than three (3) media people RSVP, the team may cancel the zoom. Exceptions would be made in the event of significant, breaking news affecting the team within that 24-hour period.
All other players and coaches must be available for the 15-minute interview session with in-person media in a designated interview area in the vicinity of the court.
If a team opts to NOT have a shoot-around for a particular game, there will not be a required media session.

D. Pregame Media Availability

Players are required to be available for interviews with in-person media on or in the vicinity of the court during the 90-to-60-minute window prior to the announced start time of the game (EX: 6:30-7:00 p.m. for an 8:00 p.m. game). Each player must be available to media for a minimum of 15 minutes at a predetermined time within the 30-minute window. Teams will be responsible for designating – in their weekly media schedule issued each Monday and in each edition of their Game Notes – the 15 minutes within the window that each player will be available. If requested for an interview during their designated 15-minute period , players must make themselves available.
Players who are not available to play in a particular game due to injury or other reason, are not required to be available for pregame interviews.
Each participating head coach must be available in the press conference room jointly for zoom and inperson media. Team PR will work with one another to schedule their respective head coaches so that they do not overlap with each other. Any session with a head coach taking place prior to the pregame media availability with players much conclude no later than 95 minutes prior to the announced start time of the game so that media are given time to access the court for interviews with players. Similarly, any session with a head coach taking place after the pregame media availability with players may begin no sooner than 55 minutes prior to the announced start time of the game so that media are given time to move from the court to the interview room. In the event both head coaches request the same time window, priority will be given to the home team.

*Teams will be responsible for communicating to media a designated section of the court where on-court interviews are to be conducted. Media (including TV and photographers) may not congregate in other areas of the court and must be aware of their surroundings so as not to interfere with players’ pre-game workouts.*

E. Postgame Media Availability

On Monday morning of each week, Team PR will provide to their respective media lists and WNBA Communications a tentative schedule of media availabilities for that week.
Postgame media availability will be a combination of in-person access and Zoom access. Home and road teams will utilize two separate, designated press conference rooms that can accommodate in-person media and the Zoom component.
During the preseason and regular season, the two teams’ postgame press conferences may take place concurrently.
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 the separate press conference rooms for in-person and zoom media.
Teams have the option of having their designated players available alongside the head coach at the podium or hosting them separately from the head coach. However, no more than three (3) people per team may be available on the podium at the same time.
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.
Additional player interviews: After the conclusion of a team’s press conferences, any players not participating at the podium may be requested (through team PR) for interviews by in-person media ONLY. Such “additional players” will be 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 interviews with 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.
As with the pregame interviews, players who were prior to the game designated as not available to play, are exempt from the postgame interview requirements.

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. 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.

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