Dallas Stars Fighting for Attention with Local Media

Most residents of the Dallas, Fort Worth and surrounding areas might have noticed that the Dallas Stars don’t get too much attention from the local media. Some residents don’t even realize that there is still an NHL team sharing a building with their beloved Dallas Mavericks.

About a month ago, CBS Radio affiliate 105.3 the Fan started to do occasional segments on the Stars and even had captain Brenden Morrow appear on one of the shows.

ESPN gives the occasional score update when returning from commercial, but that’s the extent of their hockey coverage.

On local television, they run about a 30-second highlight package while reading the final score and the standings.

On twitter, I asked Gavin Dawson--host of the G-Bag Nation on 105.3 the Fan--about the lack of hockey coverage in Dallas. He basically told me that the station management pressures all of the hosts to stick to baseball, basketball and football.

I also sat down with a former radio station employee who told me that for the Stars to get significant coverage, they have to purchase some of their air time.

This isn’t like purchasing an ad during the commercial breaks either. It is a purchase of relevancy.

There have been a few radio hosts who have shown open support for FC Dallas of the MLS. Nothing against soccer, but this is MLS, not the Barclays Premier League. While all local sports deserve to be covered, the NHL should not take a backseat to what is known as a lower tier soccer league.

At one point while the Stars were in the thick of a playoff race last season, the local Fox Sports channel moved the hockey game to FSSW+. That is the Fox Sports South West alternate channel.

It was moved for a Mavericks game that featured a lot of veterans resting. This all had me wondering, why does the local media not care about hockey? Is it just regional?

While winter sports aren’t as prevalent in Texas as they are up north, everything except a frozen pond in your back yard is still available. There are also a ton of northern transplants that live in DFW.

Maybe it is because the Rangers and Mavericks have reached their title game/series in the last two years?

Before the Mavericks won the title last year, the Stars were the last team to bring a championship to Dallas. They have had more postseason success in the last decade than the Cowboys, and the Rangers surge to a top caliber ball club is a recent development.

Whatever the reason is, there are a lot of fans and potential growth for the sport missing out.

Contact Mitch Klemp at [e-mail] and follow him on twitter @MeestaMitch