Highlighting Just About Every Position You Can Score To Grab That Career In Sports.

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Lenard Thornton
7 years ago
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1 Highlighting Just About Every Position You Can Score To Grab That Career In Sports.

2 TABLE OF CONTENTS On - Air Careers 1-6 Behind The Scenes 7-19 How You Can Get Started 20

3 ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Play By Play That s the guy who s actually calling the game. Whether on TV or radio, he s the one describing the play action, who s involved, and what s achieved. The main man. Lots of prep work involved in this position: must love research! Gotta know players on each side their numbers, positions, strengths, weaknesses, and history. Also details on team performance, schedule, standings, etc. Expected to be able to recite pertinent data whenever relevant. High pressure, high pay.

ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Color Commentator Adds some perspective to the game.

4 ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Color Commentator Adds some perspective to the game. Supposed to be the guy reacting to the play action by saying what a fan or viewer or listener is thinking. Picture John Madden. Okay don t picture him, cause that s scary but he s sort of the poster child for color commentary. This position still needs to know a lot, but personality and perspective are little more important in this position. Yea, we said NOT to picture him - but we just couldn t help ourselves.

ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Sports Anchor The on-set person who leads either a segment within a newscast, or an entire sports show.

5 ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Sports Anchor The on-set person who leads either a segment within a newscast, or an entire sports show. Think Chris Berman. Voices over highlights Gives the scores Introduces other contributors Controls the banter Sports anchors can produce their own material, or work with someone who determines the content for them. They re the pretty boys of sports broadcasting and yes, they wear makeup.

6 ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Sports reporter He (or she) is the person out in the field who s telling you the story. In television, they have to look good. In radio, they don t. Pretty simple. Television. Radio.

7 ON-AIR GIGS PLAY BY PLAY COLOR COMMENTATOR SPORTS ANCHOR SPORTS REPORTER SIDELINE REPORTER Sideline reporter This is the position that gives an on-the-field update, during game time. As advertised, they get to stand on the sidelines and track down trainers to get the company line on injuries, interview coaches, talk about factors affecting the game like weather, loud fans, or a crazy mascot or the celebrity on the sidelines to motivate the team.

8 Camera operator Does the field work of capturing sports action for a television broadcast. Each one is usually assigned a specific part or geographic area of the game. Work is out in the elements, often carrying heavy loads of equipment, and sometimes get help from a runner. Sometimes not.

9 Runner You guessed it: runs and gets whatever the crew needs! [close your eyes and picture someone running]

10 Grip (or utility position) Needs to know how to wrap cable! Believe it or not, there is a correct way to bundle and secure all of the cabling needed for cameras, mics, headphones, and all the other equipment on the field. Sounds silly, but makes a huge difference in set-up and tear down, plus prolongs the life of the equipment.

11 Spotter Literally points out which players are involved in the play, so the talent can focus on the ball, knowing the spotter will keep an eye on the defense, in the case of football. Also keeps track of personnel changes between plays and any other pertinent action. This person will also assist the production crew with names and events during a game broadcast.

12 Statistician Separate from the official scorekeeper, television and radio broadcasts often utilize their own stats experts. This person will focus on providing data to give some context to the game during play. The idea is to supply tidbits to the announcers when a player is reaching a milestone or the team has a streak going.

13 Audio Technician The person in this critical position helps bring the event s sounds to an audience. Lots of equipment that needs to be set up and monitored in this area, including devices to capture crowd noise, natural sound on the field, and the onair talent. Responsibilities also include setting up the off-air communication between producers, talent, studio and crew.

14 Parabolic microphone operator (or parab, for short) Ever notice the guy on the sidelines who s pointing what looks like a satellite dish at the action? That s a parabolic mic and it does a great job of capturing the sound from the field or the crowd, whichever way it s pointed. Key aspect of the game audio, as it helps the audience feel like they re at the game.

15 CAMERA OPERATOR RUNNER GRIP SPOTTER STATISTICIAN AUDIO TECH PARAB GRAPHICS TECH REPLAY TECH VIDEO EDITOR Graphics technician These specialists create and send the graphics that appear during a sports broadcast, from the score updates, players names and stats, to animated play-action diagrams and effects that enhance the packaging of the product.

16 Replay Technician Not only does this person make sure that the individual plays are being recorded, they have to hurry up and cue the scene for instant replay. They are expected to slow the video, pause it or make it evident from as many camera angles as they can record, what exactly happened during a play. Especially if it s under review!

17 Videotape Editor This position is part artist part technician. Often editors have to hurry and cut the event up into a highlight reel or package together a reporter s story about the game. And when they have the luxury of time, videotape editors can create incredibly artistic content with athletic excellence, some effects, and a really good soundtrack.

18 Producers/Directors These are the people who make the decisions that will shape the broadcast. They provide story angles to the on-air talent, sometimes in advance, often on the fly. They determine the look of the show, which camera angles to use for which plays, use of graphics and sound all geared toward letting the broadcast tell the story.

19 Switcher/technical director This is the hot seat in the control room or production truck for any live event or broadcast. At the command of the Director, this person pushes the buttons to air specific camera shots, graphics, animated elements, replays, and more. It takes lots of experience to get to serve in this position, and if you like an adrenalin rush in the middle of the action this spot s for you.

20 HOW YOU CAN GET STARTED Get Training There are plenty of places across the country to get this. Broadcast centers like ours at the Ohio Illinois Center for Broadcasting are the perfect place to gain the handson skills you need in just 10 months. You even get to host your own show on one of our Sports Talk stations. [see ScoreOnAir.com or GoMileHigh.com for examples] Get An Internship After a few weeks of introducing yourself to some new skills, we ll help you land an internship, which will give you on the job training and help you start to build your network. Heck, perform well here and it may lead to your first job. Get A Job No worries. Once you graduate, we re still with you, helping you land your first entry level job. Currently our Placement Department boasts an 83% placement rate.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A JOB IN BROADCASTING?

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN A JOB IN BROADCASTING? Below is an outline of jobs in broadcasting. Most of our local Colleges and Universities have programs that will prepare you for a carreer in TV. If you have