Blog 8: Early Broadcasts Online: You've Got to Start Somewhere, Sometime

Problogue: As I've gotten older I've gotten a lot more bolder than I used to be (hey, I quoted Bob Segar last week and here's another--although opposite--reference to a Segar lyric...hmmm).

I believe in taking chances, perhaps failing but often succeeding.  I believe that you have to try, hesitating rarely produces anything of value.  I believe that when you get in to a car to drive, you have to push down the accelerator, not just keep your foot on the brake.

Early in the internet era, I believed the idea of sports broadcasting online was a tremendous opportunity.  Not bragging, but I was right, and it's kept me employed in sports broadcasting the last 20 years and counting.

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It used to happen to me a lot.  But that was a couple of decades ago, before the internet ruled the entertainment industry.  When Netflix mailed movies.  When YouTube was only about sharing home  video.  

Fans would come up at games and ask me where they could see or hear the broadcast (since they were actually at the scene of the contest, the question itself struck me as odd).

I would reply that the we were broadcasting on the internet (I don't think anyone used the term "streaming" or "online" much then) and not only would it be live, but it would also be archived to be watched later.  I'd tell them the website address.  And then I would cringe thinking about the next thing that was going to happen.

Because it always did happen.  

Whether they said it to me, or scowled at me (perhaps both) or just said nothing at all and left me to accept the silence, it always did happen.

"You mean...it's ONLY on the internet?"

It's that insinuation...that tone.

Pretty sure what they meant was:

• "You're not on a radio/TV station?"
• "You're not talented enough to be on a radio/TV station?"
• "An internet broadcast is not nearly as meaningful as a broadcast on radio/TV."
• "People don't care about/won't listen or watch anything not on mainstream media.
• "No one will sit in front of their computer for an entire game."
• "You won't do as good a job as a real broadcaster."

Like I said, that was several years ago, and of course things have changed. 

Considering it all, the broadcasts of sports online (from single camera school broadcasts all the way up to big time professional sports) far outnumber the network presentations of sports.  

And that opens big time opportunities for sports broadcasters.

If you really want to broadcast sports, you can have your own station overnight.  Over a nap, even.

And if you think you have that fire, you have no reason to wait.  

Start your own station...start your own network...don't worry about viewers/listeners right now...you don't need much money to start...just start.

And this...I will be happy to help you if I can!  I just love doing it.

Reach out to me:

rickcolebroadcaster@gmail.com

816.589.8500

Blog 7: Three Things In Broadcasting This Week

Problogue: I had another blog post prepared for this week, then three broadcast things popped up over the weekend that truly intrigued me.  So a quick commentary about those things, and a podcast already prepared for next week!

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And I wondered to myself: Is this the future?

The format has been tried many times before, but never met wide acceptance: major television networks have provided alternative channels for big events like NCAA championship football, the Super Bowl, the NCAA men's basketball championships.

The shows have offered an alternative to the traditional play-by-play of the event, with separate hosts giving their commentary, a slew of stats for your consumption, and multiple angles from the telecast shown, among other things.

The advertised purpose, as always, was provide the viewers with a choice during such a big event.  The hidden purpose, as always, was to provide another revenue stream to the networks looking to obtain mega-advertising dollars aside from the traditional broadcast.

But it hasn't really worked.  Until now.

Why didn't previous attempts at an alternative broadcast universe work? They didn't have the Mannings.

The Manning Family Football Franchise has delivered, making Monday Night Football's alternative on ESPN a sensation.  And people are eating it up.

They are one of a kind (pair of a kind?).  You can't invent the chemistry Peyton and Eli have together.

My wife says Peyton and Eli Manning are too wordy and too much for her to simply watch the game action.  And while she's right, I love hearing their explanation of the play, their terms and inside information, the guesses about what's coming next, and their playful interaction, especially brother-to-brother.

And the stories...!

I think the guests are needed a bit, but I also think sometimes three's a crowd.  But some real highlights there too, so guests should be polite and not outstay their welcome.

Poor Steve Levy and company doing the traditional play-by-play on ESPN.  That flash of light they just saw was a new style of play-by-play that has arrived like Marty McFly in Back to the Future.  Or maybe not.  But poor Steve Levy and company...

Fearless prediction: We're going to see a LOT of rip-offs of this format by other networks now.  And it's going to be awful.

The reason: no one else has the Manning chemistry.

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It's a nightmare for a play-by-play announcer.

Paul Allen's incorrect call of a last second field goal attempt Sunday on the Vikings radio broadcast has the internet buzzing and people wondering how that could have happened.

Well, suffice to say it DOES happen...there are reasons for it...and there are correct ways to handle a botched call, or really anything in life.

I am armchair quarterbacking here, because I've never done an NFL game, but I've also botched calls on the air that feel like it's NFL level.  At an NAIA women's championship tournament game once, for instance, my team made a shot that gave us the lead in the final seconds, but I thought it had just tied the game.  Embarrassing, and a bad feeling that didn't go away quickly.

Paul Allen explained the call and the aftermath with Peter King of NBC the day after.  This should be mandatory viewing for sportscasters for several good (and bad) reasons.

Let me preface by saying that I don't know Paul Allen and I've rarely heard his work.  What I do know is that he's a veteran of the booth, has a radio talk show in the Twin Cities, and seems to have a style (meaning his outspokenness, his willingness to offer his own strong opinion, and a penchant for turning a phrase)  similar to the late Rush Limbaugh.  Those were my impressions of the man based on the 30 minute Peter King interview.

The good:

• Allen certainly did own up to the mistake; I mean, what else could you do?
• He openly admits that he "guessed" what the outcome of the kick would be (it was a 37 yard attempt, basically an extra point).
• In the "age of rage" (his phrase) he has shrugged off the criticism.
• Allen knows that social media will have it's say, good or bad, and that's part of the gig.

The bad:

• Although he claims to not even have thought about the missed call until the plane ride home, I don't buy that for a moment.  His explanation and casual demeanor, to me, sound phony and calculated.  Weren't there fire alarms going off in his head as the words left his mouth? 
• His general attitude toward himself, his sports broadcasting and his overall impact on the world of broadcasting go a little beyond "necessary arrogance" mentioned here before.  Again, I've never met the guy, just a first impression.
• Peter King introduced Allen as a kind of latter-day Myron Cope (Pittsburg Steelers announcer for decades), alluding to his Vikings-based emotional calls.  Great for a Vikings fan to listen to, and that's okay because he IS broadcasting for the Vikes, but my gut feeling is that Allen is a little more interested in making sure you know how smart and articulate he is than anything...
• And interested in dropping names.  In the King interview he must have mentioned 20 of the people he knows or is good friends with...which seemed really unnecessary given the topic at hand.
• He did, in fact, guess that the field goal was good.  The rule in sports broadcasting, like good umpiring or referee calls, is to "stay behind" on the call.  In other words, wait a split second to actually see the result of the play and getting it right, rather than anticipate and make a mistake you'll have to apologize for later.

I was all set to become a Paul Allen fan, appreciating him owning up to making a big mistake and being humble; instead, I got a guy who basically said, "I made a mistake but I'm so good that it doesn't matter." 

I guess I didn't stay behind the call on that one.

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And finally...

HBO's Hard Knocks comes to the regular season.  The Indianapolis Colts will be featured beginning later this season.

Good idea?  Not a good idea?

For fans, I think it's great.

I wonder about the coaches and the team, though.  How will this affect them?

Again, per Peter King of NBC, the production of the show will largely be done through remote cameras with a minimum of NFL Films staff actually in the rooms.  Still, it will be a presence.

I suppose the good idea/bad idea was bandied about before the original, training camp Hard Knocks began.  So we'll see how it goes.  

Blog 6: What I Do at North Central Missouri College as Digital Media Specialist

Problogue: I'm a dreamer.  Mostly realistic, I think, but still a dreamer.  As I've gotten older I've seen many of my early dreams contained within my reality but still not disappearing.  It's like what Bob Segar said in the song "Against the Wind": 

Well those drifter’s days are past me now
I’ve got so much more to think about
Deadlines and commitments
What to leave in, what to leave out

Had a birthday the other day and turned 59.  But I'm still dreaming.--RC

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When I was a kid, I dreamed of being a professional athlete, playing baseball, basketball and football at the same time.  I would win the world championship and be the MVP every year!

As I got just a bit older, I thought being a radio announcer must be pretty cool also.

Time went on.  I wasn't a good athlete but I was extremely interested in sports, and I still thought being on the air would be cool.  

Circa 1978

I got a job at my hometown radio station in Sidney, Nebraska at the end of my sophomore year.  It was cool! And I got a chance to be exposed to sports announcing as well as playing records (late 1970's disco!) reading news and doing time/temperature on the mighty KSID AM/FM (right).

Radio certainly fit me better than playing sports.  So radio became my dream.  And doing sports on the radio was the nice convergence of the two dreams in a nice package.

I was KSID's Sports Director at age 19, working in that role for two and a half years before deciding to pursue teaching and coaching.  But I always found work while I was pursuing my degree at Chadron, Nebraska and at Wayne, Nebraska, and also while I was actually teaching.  The broadcast bug never went away.

Fast forward to the fall of 2019.  I came to Kansas City with the idea that I would simply teach, with no extra duties and no broadcast schedule.  That idea didn't last long.

TEAM Sports era

My wife and I formed a video broadcast company, TEAM Sports (right), that ultimately evolved to online broadcast networks for summer collegiate baseball in the MINK League, Rockhurst University basketball, William Jewell College's entire athletic program, and now the new Digital Media and broadcasting program at North Central Missouri College in Trenton, Missouri.

And at North Central Missouri College, I'm looking for students that might want a similar experience to the one I've had.

So there's that.  But, here's something else.

I want to form the best Junior College broadcast team in America. 

Is that arrogant?  Stupid?  Ego-driven?  Sometimes I get the blank stare and an eye roll afforded to someone who dares to mention something so audacious so loudly.

I've been doubted in the past.  I've failed before...but I've also succeeded before.  And I have a outline for success at NCMC.

 Here's the plan:

·        Build a broadcast team, just like a basketball or softball team, that allows students to perform roles they are passionate about as they learn about digital media through hands-on training and some coursework for college credit.

·         Cover all aspects of NCMC life with feature stories, social media posts, and live broadcasts of events.

·         Use the talents of our team members, working alongside full-time staff, to make NCMC the best and the most unique broadcast team in the country at the JUCO level.

Specifically for our live sports broadcasts, here's what will make us the best:

• The drama of each game will be the centerpiece of the broadcast.
• We'll use students to run a multiple camera system for our live events, and not a simple "one-camera-shoots-all" broadcast.
• We know that our opponent, watching their team on the road, is a big part of our audience, and we include them in our game plan, featuring announcers who are (mostly) unbiased in their call of the game, and have taken time to know not only NCMC athletes and coaches, but also the opponent.
• We will feature announcers who believe telling the game story is more important than showing off how cool they are.
• We'll have a game on when we say we'll have a game on.

That's not arrogant, stupid, or ego-driven.  That's a plan that has worked before for me, when William Jewell College was the leader in NCAA D2 video streaming.

Pirate students will make the difference at NCMC, just as students made the difference at William Jewell.

Now we have to find the students.  And keep the dream alive.

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Know of a student who's interested in college media and broadcasting?  Get in touch with me at rcole@mail.ncmissouri.edu or call/text 816.589.8500 or contact NCMC Admissions.

Blog 5: The Top Sports Broadcasters, and Why You Hate Them

 Problogue: As you watch TV  football this fall, you'll inevitably be judging the broadcasters working the game.  I judge them too, but mostly on their technique in the booth.  I've studied different broadcasters for years, but I try to be objective because it's my business and I want to learn.  Here are some things I hope you'll consider while you judge broadcasters as a fan.  Also a few notes about who I consider the best broadcasters at the moment are, and some of the broadcasters that helped shape my career.

The top national play by play broadcasters often draw unfair criticism from fans.  I'm talking Al Michaels, Joe Buck, Mike Tirico, Mike Breen, Sean McDonough, and others you see on the big networks--you know, the ones you love to hate.

I evaluate announcer for their mechanics, which I've studied for a long, long time.  But fans, sometimes frustrated by the game outcome,  unreasonably bash these guys (and their broadcast companions) for their performance.

It's not fair.  

Generally, the criticism falls into these categories:

• "(Name) knows nothing about my team."
• "(Name) loves the other team."
• "(Name) hates my team."
  
• "(Name) is arrogant and full of himself."

Let me take you through this a little bit:

"(Name) knows nothing about my team."  As a fan, yes, you may actually know more than the national announcer about YOUR team...but the national announcer has to know both teams. and know them well.  Could you do that?  Would you spend the time and effort each week to learn just as much about the opponent as your team?  Do you pay as much attention year-round to other teams as you do your favorite team?  

Rhetorical question: Can you rattle off the depth chart of the opponent as easily as you rattle off your favorite team's starters and subs?

"(Name) loves the other team" or "(Name) hates my team."  Funny how this works: a play is made, success is experienced by one team over another. If it's not the fan's team that had success there is grumbling about how the announcer loves the other team and hates their team.  That's just the way it is: if your team makes more plays than the other team, they will receive more credit from the announcers, and if that team goes on to win (because they had more good plays, usually) the announcers will give that team credit for prevailing.  

Rhetorical question: What would you have them do instead?

Case Study: I live in the Kansas City area and would have loved to see the Royals win the 2014 World Series.  As it turned out, Madison Bumgarner had a series for the ages--some say the best pitching ever in a World Series--and the Royals lost in seven games.  Fans in Kansas City are still upset by Joe Buck's (see below) call of the series, even though Bumgarner was the most impactful player (MVP) making the the biggest difference (2-0 with a save and a 0.43 earned run average, with nine hits allowed, one run, one walk and 17 strikeouts in 21 innings) on baseball's biggest stage.

I'd like someone to objectively chart the number of positive and negative comments made by announcers toward each team during the course of a broadcast.  My thesis: the winning team would receive more kind words and praise than the losing team.  My comment: seems fair to me.

Not many people complain about announcers when their favorite team wins.

"(Name) is arrogant and full of himself." I say, well, they better be.  To a certain extent, at least.  

Hall of Fame third baseman Chipper Jones said professional athletes must possess "necessary  arrogance".  Perfect description for a broadcaster, also, so follow me on this:

It takes a bit of ego and confidence to talk into a NERF ball as a professional (for those who don't know, normally broadcast microphones have a wind screen--a NERF ball--on the end of them, although not many are purple).

Arrogance?  Ego?  Confidence?   All are necessary.

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Here are a few of my current top broadcasters, again based on the mechanics in the broadcasting they exhibit.

• Joe Buck. Criticized like no other, he understands what a TV announcer's job is: let the camera tells the story. He's there to tell you what you can't see well (like who has the ball).  And his work during the fall of both baseball and football?  Always solid and prepared for his many assignments.  And there's this:  Joe Buck has turned fan ridicule into a fun mockery.  I mean, what else can you do?  He has my respect for the way he's dealt with criticism...plus his obvious skills.
• Al Michaels/Cris Collinsworth.  Conversational style with a great mix of personal information about teams and players, and technical information about the game.  Never in a hurry, they get all their information in, plus a warm/calm presentation of the game.
• I don't listen to much baseball on the radio anymore, but the Royals Ryan Lefebvre deserves a lot of credit and I'm a fan.  Ever-fresh material, always in a good mood but never breathless over anything that's going on, give this guy credit for his day-to-day work  over 27 years with a team that's normally pretty bad.  Yet, the same professionalism every broadcast.

I need to drop one name in here that you might not know now, but he may very well be the next top network guy, should he choose to.  Joe Davis (left) is the man who replaced Vin Scully on Dodgers TV, but he's much more than that.  Catch him doing some college football or perhaps a MLB playoff game: he's solid mechanically, is personable without going over the top, and has a very calm presence.

And here are a few guys you may recognize, announcers who shaped my style and made me believe in  proper process and execution in sports broadcasting.

• Ken Coleman.  Wrote a book on sportsbroadcasting that I found as an elementary student  in Lorenzo, Nebraska in the early 1970s.  Loved it!  The charts, the prep work, the game itself...
• 
  Curt Gowdy (right).  Was the predecessor to Coleman with the Red Sox before he went national and was the 70's version of workhorse announcers in multiple sports.  Most people didn't know that he had a bad back, had to travel laying down in a station wagon to get to games, and often had to be carried up to the press box later in his career on a flat backboard.  The fact that nobody really knew about his physical condition is testament to Curt, who never got rattled on the air.
• Dick Enberg.  Along with Al McGuire and Billy Packer, was THE college basketball announcer as the NCAA tournament grew.  Also was an ever-present voice in multiple sports, and by reputation one of the nicest guys around.  I find myself using his iconic "Oh my!" expression from time to time, worry about people thinking I'm just ripping it off, and then realize that it's been so long since Dick was on the air that it's more a tribute than a steal.  First time I heard him: Notre Dame beats UCLA breaking the Bruins 88 game college win streak.
• Denny Matthews/Fred White.  I saw Royals Stadium, through these guys eyes, from 500 miles away before I ever saw it in person.  Thank you for that.  Fred died in 2014 but Denny persists as the reincarnation of  Al Davis (just kidding).  I still hear myself on rare occasions sounding a little bit like them, the first on-air influencers of my career.
• Skip Caray (below).  Son of Harry, father of Chip.  Atlanta Braves broadcaster during the rise of the SuperStation, WTBS.  Sarcastic, deadpan, knowledgeable, cranky at times, tremendous sense of humor and sense of timing.
  
  I was a fan because I thought we shared many similar personality traits.  I don't think he really got the acclaim he should have, but maybe because he was honest and didn't pull punches even toward his own teams.  Most don't realize he did NBA basketball and NFL and college football.  You'll hear him in the background on some old clips now and then. Note: If you've ever heard me at the end of a game say, "Totals and highlights in a moment," it's a deliberate tribute to Skip Caray, I think of him every time I use that phrase.

Blog 4: Is College Important? And More Beliefs on Good Sports Broadcasts

 Problogue:  In this blog, you'll learn my thoughts on starting a sports broadcasting career by getting a college degree as opposed to getting actual experience on the air, bypassing college;  also, here are some more of my ideas about good sports play-by-play broadcasting.--RC

There is an ongoing debate: do sportscasters need a college degree to have success in the field?  or is experience more important?

Personally, I took the long, winding road through the small gyms and fields in Nebraska and Kansas City to get experience.  I feel pretty good about that kind of education, I think it's served my talent and personality pretty well.  As a reviewer told me years ago, you're not nationwide but you continue to get paid for what you love to do.

Point is: I'm not nationwide.  I'm okay with that, mostly, as at 58 years old it's probably not going to
happen.

If I were to do it again, I'd hedge my bet and get a college degree in sports broadcast journalism and work as many games as I could for whomever would have me while I was going to school.  Again, I suggest this because different tools and credibility help ascend the ladder.

Not that I'd trade my practical training, along with teaching and coaching for two decades, for any other experience.

Learning is never wasted; there are, however, many types of learning.

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I have a set of well-defined beliefs about sports broadcasting that I've learned through all those times of doing all those games in a phone booth over 40+ years.  Those beliefs may be old-school, but I absolutely believe in them, and I teach them to young broadcasters.

Here are some:

• The game story is the most important thing.
• As a broadcaster, you are not a part of the game story.
• Talent for broadcast preparation is essential.
• Preparation for the broadcast is more important, by far, than voice talent.
• Preparation for the broadcast is more important, by far, than cute phrases or signature calls.
• Preparation for the broadcast is more important, by far, than "style".
• Announcing the score is the most important statistic you can use, except perhaps on video/TV broadcasts when the score is contained on a live graphic.
• You must have an idea who your audience is.  If you don't have data about your audience, you can probably figure it out on your own by asking yourself:
• Who hired me?
• Where is this game being broadcast?
• How is this game being broadcast?  Hint: If it's online, you can bet that the opponent has some fans listening/watching as well.
• Talk more slowly than feels comfortable; you are essentially a storyteller.  Would you want your grandfather to rush through a story he was telling you?
• Know the correct pronunciation of names.  Where do you get those?  Start with the coach, school official, or even just ask the player in question.
• If you make a mistake in any aspect of your broadcast, be transparent and apologize.  Once.  And only once.
• Don't be sophomoric.  Be professional, even if you actually are a sophomore and are announcing your first game.  Even then, be professional.  Go light on the criticism, witticism and jokes.  If you're nervous, that's OK, but don't try to cover it with silly stuff.
• Don't criticize a player, unless you could actually make the play yourself with your skills.
• Take it easy of refs/umpires.  They're good people, actually, and can be a great source of information.
• You've done a pretty good job if your audience enjoyed the broadcast, but doesn't really know your name.

We'll talk more about sportscasting skills later on.  Next time, a look at your favorite/not favorite national announcers, and why you may be emotionally attatched/distanced from them.

Have a good Labor Day weekend!