MEDIA OPERATIONS GUIDE
USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Information Address: USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center Flushing Meadows-Corona Park, Flushing, NY 11368 Phone: (718) 760-6200 Main (718) 760-6200 Ext. 4100 USTA Communications Office CONTENTS Media Access Guidelines 1 Photographer Guidelines 3 TV Non-Rights Holder Guidelines 5 Internet Media Guidelines 5 Interview Rooms 6 Media Dining 6 Tournament Information 7 Services 8 Shuttle, Hotel and Transportation 10 Information Shuttle Schedule Attachment A
MEDIA ACCESS GUIDELINES CREDENTIALS: Media (M) credentials are issued to written press, including newspapers, magazines, wire services, radio and internet journalists; TV non-rights holder (N) credentials are issued to television organizations that are not US Open rights holders. Credentials noted as valid all sessions are valid from the first day of qualifying through the final day of the tournament. Dated credentials are only valid on the date(s) listed. CREDENTIALS MUST BE DISPLAYED VISIBLY AT ALL TIMES. The placement of pins and other items on credentials is NOT PERMITTED. You may not transfer your credential to anyone. Guests without credentials are not permitted in any of the media areas. ANY MISUSE OF YOUR CREDENTIAL WILL RESULT IN CONFISCATION AND SUSPENSION OF ALL YOUR CREDENTIAL ACCESS FOR THIS YEAR S EVENT AND POSSIBLY FOR FUTURE TOURNAMENTS. Media credentials are distributed in the credential building across from the President s Gate on the west side of Arthur Ashe Stadium. A government-issued photo ID must be presented at the credential office to obtain a pre-approved media credential. Credentials may be picked up from 8:30am 8:00pm, Monday, Aug. 24 through Sunday, Sept. 13. The office will close on Sunday, Sept. 13 after the first set of the men s final has ended. MEDIA WORK ROOM ACCESS: Only media (M), photographers (P), non-rights holding television (N), media guests (W), television (T) and select tournament management credentials are allowed in the media work rooms. The media work rooms are located in the Media Center, on the ground floor of the southwest corner of Arthur Ashe Stadium. There are two work rooms (east and west, with west being the main room) equipped with lockers and pre-assigned, individual work stations. Each work station has a storage drawer, a phone jack and a monitor for viewing matches, interviews and statistics. It is the responsibility of the contact for each media outlet to order a phone line. The USTA provides free Ethernet connections at each work station and free Wi-Fi service. It is the responsibility of each media member to safeguard his or her own property. The USTA and the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center are not responsible for the theft or loss of personal property. If provided with keys to any doors, locks or desks, it is the individual s responsibility to see that they are protected from loss, theft or duplication. Any loss of keys should be reported immediately. All keys MUST be returned at the conclusion of the tournament. The USTA Communications office and all Media Information Services are located in the west media work room. Match Display Boards are located in the west media work room as well, to provide a comprehensive overview of the schedule for each day. 1
PLAYER LOCKER ROOMS: Media does not have access to the player locker rooms. MEDIA STADIUM SEATING: Arthur Ashe Stadium: There are Courtside and Loge Box seats for media in Arthur Ashe Stadium. The Loge seats (Section 131) are open from Monday, Aug. 31, through Wednesday, Sept. 9, with priority to those who have been ticketed with an assigned seat. If you do not have a ticket, you must have a Media (M) or TV nonrights holder (N) credential. You may be asked to vacate a seat if the person with that assigned seat arrives. For the final four days of the tournament, Sept. 10-13, or for other high-profile Stadium matches, all media seats are assigned and a ticket must be presented for each match. The Courtside media seats are ticketed seats. Media assigned to those seats must have a ticket and a media (M) credential. Media seating in each section is one seat per person; members of the media may NOT invite guests to sit in any of the media seating sections. Further, while there is ample media seating, media credentials do not guarantee a seat. The locations of both the Courtside and Loge media seats will be provided onsite. Louis Armstrong Stadium (Stadium 2): General media seating is adjacent to Loge section 110, rows A-D (seats 1-4 and 10-12) and row E (seats 1-12) at the south end of the stadium. Media (M) or (N) credentials are required. Grandstand (Stadium 3) and Outer Courts: General media seating is available for Courts 7, 10, 11, 17 and the Grandstand. Media (M) or (N) credentials are required. Media seat marshals will be in Arthur Ashe and Louis Armstrong Stadiums to assist with any seating questions. PLAYER LOUNGE/PLAYER DINING ACCESS: All media (M) credentials have access to the player lounge. Media (M) will have access to the player lounge for the purpose of conducting business meetings with players and player representatives. Photographers (P) wishing to access the player lounge must go to the USTA staff desk in the west media work room to obtain a credential for temporary access. Photographs or video footage of any kind is prohibited in the player lounge at all times and applies to the use of any equipment having the capability of capturing photo or video images (including, but not limited to, mobile phones). Please do not remain in this area if you are not conducting an interview or trying to find a player. Media (M) will have access to player dining after 3:00pm each day to conduct interviews only. Media (M) MAY NOT dine in player dining at any time. We request that you dine in media dining, as player dining does not have the capacity to accommodate a media dining component. If the player dining area becomes overwhelmed, tournament management will restrict access to this area. Photographers (P) do not have access to player dining. 2
PHOTOGRAPHER GUIDELINES ACCESS: Accredited photographers ( Ashe Photo ) may use the photo pit on the east side of the court in Arthur Ashe Stadium. Photographers who do not have Ashe Photo may go to the USTA staff office to request a pass for one set. Photographer (P) credentials provide access to the photo pits in Louis Armstrong and Court 17, as well as to the benches in the Grandstand and all outer courts. Access on Courts 4-16 will be limited to six photographers at any one time. Access on the Grandstand court will be limited to 10 photographers at any one time. Only photographers (P) are credentialed to take photographs during the tournament. Photographers may have to rotate positions in Arthur Ashe Stadium on the last few days of the tournament. For detailed information on positions, rules and access for photographers, see Jeanmarie Daly in the USTA staff office. THE PHOTO LOUNGE: The Photo Lounge and Service Center will open at 9:00am, daily, beginning on Monday, Aug. 31. PHOTOGRAPHY RULES AND REGULATIONS: GENERAL 1. Access Photographers must enter and exit photo pits through approved access points only. 2. Players Photographers are NOT ALLOWED to speak to any player at any time during a match, even when spoken to. Off court, photographers must be considerate of the players and respect their privacy. 3. Court officials Photographers must not obstruct or make remarks to the court officials or ball persons. Requests made by the chair umpire MUST be obeyed. Please go to the USTA staff office in west media if you have any questions about ball persons. 4. Spectators If a spectator is in a photographer s position, the photographer should politely ask the spectator to move. If the spectator does not move, the photographer should then ask for assistance from a tournament usher or security. 5. Television cameras Photographers should avoid obstructing television cameras during live transmission. Photographers cannot shoot from the center TV position in the photo pit. 6. Clothing Photographers should not wear bright or reflective clothing and are prohibited from wearing/ carrying obvious promotional or advertising material. 7. Movement Photographers must avoid unnecessary or excessive movement during play. Movement to and from positions must take place only during changeovers. PHOTOGRAPHERS MAY NOT WALK ON THE COURT AT ANY TIME, except for assigned carpet positions during trophy presentations and during other select presentations as determined by the USTA. 3
Note: Following any on-court presentations, all photographers must exit the court through the same path that they entered. At no time may a photographer step off the carpet or follow a player around the court. 7. Motor drives If the chair umpire per request by a player asks a photographer not to use a motor drive, that photographer must obey the umpire s request. 8. Flash equipment Photographers MAY NOT USE FLASH EQUIPMENT before or during play. 9. Litter Photographers are responsible for cleaning up any litter they create. 10. Mobile telephones Photographers must turn off their mobile phones before they take their positions. 11. Practice courts Photographers are allowed to shoot from Practice Courts P1-P5, but are only allowed to stand two feet from the fence on the west side (across from the viewing platform, that runs along all five courts. Photographers must gain prior approval from the USTA to stand at any other location on these courts. If a player asks a photographer to move away from the practice, they must do so without comment. RESTRICTED AREAS: Taking photographs or video footage of any kind is prohibited in restricted areas, including but not limited to the Player Lounge. This applies to the use of ALL equipment having the capability of capturing photo or video images, including but not limited to mobile phones. INTERVIEW ROOMS: Photographers are required to remain on the sides of Interview Room 1 unless otherwise directed by USTA Communications. Only photographers may take photos in the interview rooms, and only professional photography equipment may be used. At no time can MEDIA/PHOTOGRAPHERS take personal pictures or use cell phones/small digital cameras to take pictures. At no time can handheld video recording devices be used. All TV cameras must be on the back TV platform in Interview Room 1 and may not move around the room. PLAYER LOUNGE: Photographers will have access to the Player Lounge for the purpose of conducting business meetings with players and player representatives. Taking photographs or video footage of any kind is PROHIBITED in the Player Lounge at all times. Once business with the player(s) has concluded, photographers should leave the Player Lounge. Every effort should be made to spend no more than 15 to 30 minutes in the Player Lounge at one time. FAILURE TO COMPLY WITH ANY OF THE ABOVE REGULATIONS MAY RESULT IN IMMEDIATE REVOCATION OF CREDENTIALS. 4
TV NON-RIGHTS HOLDER GUIDELINES FILMING RESTRICTIONS: Television non-rights holders (N) cannot film any match footage or practice footage onsite. You can film around the grounds, provided there are no courts or bouncing balls in the background. Television non-rights holders who have been approved to bring a camera onsite, can film player interviews conducted in Rooms 1, 2 or 3 from the camera platform (Room 1) and back of the room (Room 2 and 3). You can also request and film player one-on-one interviews through the Player Information Desk. At no time can you request an interview directly with a player. Priority for oneon-one player interviews is given to US Open television rights holders. The Player Information desk will assist with allocating a location for these interviews. You cannot film anywhere else in the stadiums, including but not limited to the hallways or passage ways. You cannot film in the Player Garden without the permission of the USTA Communications Staff. Print Media (M) who wish to record a report on video to be published on their outlet s website can do so provided you follow these guidelines: You cannot film any match footage or practice footage onsite. You should use the paved Media Circle located outside the Media Center. You cannot film any player interviews. You are responsible for providing your own equipment. INTERNET MEDIA GUIDELINES INTERNET/WEBSITE MEDIA RULES AND REGULATIONS: Website media personnel accredited at the 2015 US Open are those who contribute written copy to a publication or organization which has been granted 2015 US Open accreditation. 1. Non-accredited websites. Accredited media may only contribute to the website of the publication to which they were accredited. A. Accredited media may NOT contribute to a website which has not been accredited. B. Accredited media may not furnish reports to any unofficial website devoted substantially to the US Open or whose name includes US Open or US Open Tennis Championships. 2. Still photographs. No still photographs from the official US Open or USTA websites may not be reproduced on any other website without the permission of the copyright holder. The US Open recognizes that you may wish to reproduce your own photographs taken at the tournament or to reproduce wire agency photos. Note: Only photographers (P) are credentialed to take photographs during the tournament. 3. Point-by-point scores. No live point-by-point scores may be transmitted over the Internet except through the official US Open website. The right to transmit live scores and results is the exclusive property of the US Open, unless covered by a separate license granted by the US Open. 4. Player interviews. Internet organizations may request one-on-one interviews for print only. If granted the interview, it may not be filmed. Transcripts of player interviews cannot be posted until one (1) hour after the interview has ended. Player transcripts can only be posted on the website of the publication for which you were accredited. 5
INTERVIEW ROOMS Three interview rooms are located down the hall from the media work rooms. Each interview room has mult boxes for radio and TV. Players will be escorted to one of the interview rooms at designated times after their matches. All media are encouraged to submit their one-on-one interview requests before the start of play each day. If a player has not been requested for a post-match interview by the conclusion of his or her match, that player is not obligated to grant an interview the same day. All interviews may be viewed on monitors at the individual work stations in the media work rooms, live or on tape. ASAP Sports will provide transcripts of the interviews conducted in Interview Room 1. Transcripts of player interviews cannot be posted until one (1) hour after the interview has ended. Player transcripts can only be posted on the website of the publication that was accredited. The interview room schedule can be found on Open Vision. Only (M), (P), (N), (W), (T), and select tournament management credentials are permitted in the interview rooms. Only working media are allowed to ask players questions in an official press conference. All one-on-one interviews with players must be officially requested from the player information area (women s requests to the WTA Tour staff and men s requests to the ITF staff). MEDIA DINING DINING: The media dining room is inside the main entrance to the media center, across the hall from the entrance to the main media work room. The dining room is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner to credentialed media and select tournament personnel. 8:30am 9:00pm: Continental breakfast, hot/cold selections for lunch and dinner 9:00pm 10:00pm: Pre-Made sandwiches, salads and snacks Complimentary hot coffee and hot tea is available when media dining is open. NOTE: Complimentary bottled and filtered water are provided for the media in the media work rooms. If approved, the bar code on your media credential will provide you with a daily allotment of food that can be used in the media dining room and in the other restaurants in the Food Village. The daily allotment does not roll over to the next day. As a reminder, media may not dine in Player Dining at anytime. Access to Player Dining is for the purpose of meeting with players and/or player reps only. MEDIA COCKTAIL HOUR: The USTA will host a nightly cocktail hour for the media (M), photographers (P) and TV non-rights holders (N) from Tuesday, Sept. 1, through Wednesday, Sept. 9. 6
TOURNAMENT INFORMATION STATISTICS AND RESULTS: Statistics are available for all major singles matches taking place in Arthur Ashe Stadium, Louis Armstrong Stadium, the Grandstand, Court 17 and select show courts. They are then distributed in the media areas shortly after the completion of the match. Statistics are done by IDS through IBM. Statistics are also available on Open Vision. Matches in progress can be followed on Open Vision. Final scores are also posted on the draw sheets in the main media work room. You can also follow matches in progress on the Matches-in-Progress monitors located in the Scoreboard Plaza near the main gate and other select locations throughout the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, including the west media work room or on an Open Vision monitor. PLAYER INFORMATION: The player information area is located in the west media workroom. The Grand Slam Media Team, consisting of USTA, ITF, ATP and WTA personnel, provides information for all the players. Information available includes prize money earnings, head-to-head results, five-set match records and player biographies. All information is also available on Open Vision. OFFICIATING STATEMENTS: Brian Earley, US Open referee, is the only person authorized to make any statement (written or otherwise) or to conduct an interview with the media concerning any officiating matter at the US Open. Officiating matters include all code incidents (i.e., fines, rule interpretations, explanations of any on-court occurrence and any other incidence or occurrence that affects or was affected by the officiating of the match or tournament). This policy extends to the referee staff, the chief umpire and his staff and the Grand Slam supervisors. Spontaneous individual interviews will not be granted by the referee. Requests by the media for interviews with any of the aforementioned officials must be requested through the USTA Communications office. All statements to the media will be by press release and/or a news conference, open to all media representatives. PLAYER INJURIES: In the event of a player injury (or aggravated pre-existing condition) that forces a retirement or leaves a player in obvious distress at the end of a match, the following steps will be taken: 1. The player will leave the court and A. If immediate treatment is necessary, step into the referee s office for preliminary examination by the tournament doctor and/or trainer. B. Proceed to the player treatment room for examination, diagnosis and treatment. 7
2. A statement by the referee will be released to the media, informing them that as soon as the doctor s assessment and necessary treatment are completed, we will A. Arrange for the doctor to answer reporters questions in one of the interview rooms. B. Arrange for the player involved to be interviewed, if possible, in one of the interview rooms (or the treatment room by pool reporters representing the U.S. and international media, TV and radio). SERVICES INTERNET: The USTA provides all media assigned to a media work station a free high-speed Ethernet connection to the Internet. Wi-Fi service is available by contacting a USTA IT staff person in the media room, who can assist media wishing to access Wi-Fi. FAX SERVICE: Xerox will provide fax machines in the west media work room. TELEPHONES: Coin and credit card phones are provided throughout the facility. Please do not use any work station phone unless you have been given permission to do so. WILL CALL WINDOWS: Due to overwhelming volume, the main Will Call window at the east gate does not accommodate requests to leave tickets by subscribers (including box holders, series and all ticket plan holders) or individual ticket purchasers. We will continue to service the following: - All members of the USTA family - Sponsors and corporate hospitality clients - Members of the media, umpires and staff Will Call hours are 9:00am to 9:00pm. Day session tickets may be picked up after 9:00am, while evening session tickets may be picked up after 5:00pm. Only USTA-credentialed individuals may leave tickets at the Will Call counter inside the Ticket Office. Envelopes will be accepted for same-day sessions only. Due to the overwhelming volume of reservations, we cannot accept envelopes for upcoming sessions. 8
Valid government-issued photo identification is required by any person picking up tickets. Ticket Office employees cannot change names on envelopes or verify that a reservation is at the window. We require that tickets be left in an official US Open ticket envelope with the following information printed clearly: 1. Full name of the person picking up the ticket(s) 2. Date and sessions (day or evening) 3. Number of tickets enclosed 4. Full name of person leaving the ticket(s) FIRST AID: There are five first aid stations in the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center: 1. In Arthur Ashe Stadium at court level (all entrants must be escorted by security) 2. Arthur Ashe Stadium at Promenade Level 3. Arthur Ashe Stadium at Club Level 4. At the northeast end of the Grandstand at Gate 13 5. West of Court 8 LOST & FOUND: The lost and found is located at the Guest Services Office in Louis Armstrong Stadium, or call 718.760.6264. RESTROOMS: Men s and women s restrooms are located in the main media work room, the media dining room and the photo center. 9
SHUTTLE, HOTEL & TRANSPORTATION* * Schedule is subject to change GENERAL TRANSPORTATION INFORMATION: The USTA provides a shuttle service for all media to and from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and to various hotels in Manhattan. A schedule and guidelines will be available onsite at the media services desk in the main media workroom. SHUTTLE INFORMATION: Your credential does not permit you to bring guests aboard official transportation. It provides shuttle privileges for you only. Shuttle drivers are instructed to use specific pick-up and drop-off sites ONLY (the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and one or more of the official hotels). Shuttles will stop at the south gate area of the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center and the Hall of Science parking lot. VIP and player transportation will always utilize the President s Gate. Please DO NOT ASK to be dropped off at any other location at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center or along the way to any of the hotels. Additionally, drivers will use the tunnels, unless there is traffic or an accident. Please be patient and allow adequate time to navigate New York City traffic. On average, you should allow at least 45 minutes for this trip during non-rush hours and, approximately, one hour during rush hours. Shuttle service dates and times can be found on the shuttle schedule on the last page of this guide. HALL OF SCIENCE PARKING LOT (H): A shuttle will provide transportation for those media members who park in Lot H. The shuttle will run daily, beginning at 8:00a.m. on Monday Aug. 31. 10
SHUTTLE SCHEDULE MEDIA SHUTTLE SERVICE From: To: 8.21 8.23 8.24 8.30 8.31 9.12 9.13 Metropolitan Hotel 51 st St. & Lexington Ave. USTA BJK-NTC South gate N/A 8:00am 8:45am 9:30am 8:00am 8:45am 9:30am 11:00am 11:45am 12:30pm USTA BJK-NTC South gate/transportation* Metropolitan Hotel 51 st St. & Lexington Ave. N/A See note A See note A See note A NOTE A The media shuttle service provided from the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center is dependent on daily demand, as decided by the Transportation Vendor and Media Center Director. Typically, the following daily schedule applies: 1. One media shuttle departs approximately 45 minutes after the end of the last match from the south gate. 2. One media shuttle departs approximately 1 hour after the end of the last match from the south gate. 3. One media shuttle departs approximately 1.5 hours after the end of the last match from the transportation building. 4. One van or golf cart departs approximately 1 hour after the end of the last match from the south gate to parking lot H. HOTEL SHUTTLE SERVICE Courtyard by Marriot 866 Third Avenue New York, NY 10022 8.21 8.23 8.24 8.30 8.31 9.12 9.13 7:30am 8:00pm 7:30am-11:00pm* (every 30 minutes) (every 30 minutes) 7:30am then 8:00am 6:00pm (every 60 minutes) 11:00am 30 minutes after the last match Residence Inn 148 East 48th Street. New York, NY 10017 7:30 then 8:00am 6:00pm (every 60 minutes) 7:30am 8:00pm (every 30 minutes) 7:30am-11:00pm* (every 30 minutes) 11:00am 30 minutes after the last match Grand Hyatt 109 E. 42 nd Street New York, NY 10017 7:30am then 8:15am 6:00pm (every 60 minutes) 7:30am 8:00pm (every 30 minutes) 7:30am-11:00pm* (every 30 minutes) 11:00am 30 minutes after the last match * Or 30 minutes after the last match.