COVID-19 Coronavirus is everywhere - across the country and across the media. While this pandemic has overtaken sports and every other aspect of our daily life, how is a SPORTS BROADCASTER to handle this situation?
Should sports broadcasters spend hour after hour talking about social distancing, toilet paper and lockdowns? Or should they proceed talking sports, albeit without any real on-field action to discuss, regardless of the daily changes and updates in the news?
In this episode, we tackle that burning question, with hopes to keep sportscasters on track during this challenging time in our country's history.
As an aspiring or established sports broadcaster, a podcast is a great way to help you improve your skill and get your work out to the public! At Sportscasters Club, we use Buzzsprout to host our online radio show, most importantly because it is the easiest and quickest solution out there.
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Much more - including our sports broadcasting books, our 7-hour online course and tons of free articles and sportscasting tips at SportscastersClub.com
3 of the absolute best sports broadcasting books to jump-start your career...
The Fastest Kid on the Block: The Marty Glickman Story
Call of the Game
Press Box Revolution: How Sports Reporting Has Changed Over the Past Thirty Years
As an aspiring or established sports broadcaster, a podcast is a great way to help you improve your skill and get your work out to the public! At Sportscasters Club, we use Buzzsprout to host our online radio show, most importantly because it is the easiest and quickest solution out there.
If you are considering starting your own podcast, click this affiliate link to learn more.
(You also get a $20 Amazon gift card for trying out Buzzsprout)
Thanks for listening, leaving a review and sharing this show with others!
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we can't go anywhere or turn any kind of media on these days without hearing about it. That's right, the Corona virus. So how should a sports broadcaster handle this delicate
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situation? Welcome to the Sportscasters Club radio show, where it's all about becoming a better sportscaster on a better sports fans. And now your host, a man who has trained sportscasters at Marist College, the Connecticut School of Broadcasting and Fordham University's W F U V Radio. Eric Schultz Welcome to the Sportscasters Club online radio show. I Am Rick Shults. Today's episode is a somber one. It's a serious
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one, because these days we can't go anywhere. We can't turn on any kind of media whatsoever without hearing about that dreaded word that is overtaking our state, our country and our world. And that is Corona Virus Cove. It 19. So how is the sports broadcaster supposed to handle it? This is an important question because there is a philosophy that I talk about and that I share, which says a sports broadcaster should stay mostly to sports. But these days this topic is everywhere, and it has certainly without question affected the sports world. So how should have sportscaster handle it. There are a number of things to consider. It's unique, unlike anything that we've ever seen before, certainly in our lifetimes. So how is the sports broadcaster supposed to navigate these waters and deal with Cove it 19 Right now, we're gonna talk about that next.
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If you're enjoying the show, check out our seven hour online sports broadcasting course. We cover play by play, talk show, hosting television and much more. Visit Sportscasters club dot com and click on online sportscasting glass.
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Welcome back to the Sportscasters Club online radio show.
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Most of the time, my philosophy goes back to the thought process and the philosophy of Marty Glickman and Marty always used to say People are tuned in to your broadcast to hear the broadcast. They're not tuned in for you. The broadcaster. They're not tuned in to hear about anything other than that particular game. They're turning on the radio, the phone, the app, the TV, whatever media, they're getting it through their tuning in for the game, the contest and they're not tuned in for you, the broadcaster and they're not tuned in for anything other than that. So my general philosophy and one that Marty talked about often was that when you're covering a certain play by play event, stick predominantly to that event. If you're covering a baseball game, don't talk about the NFL draft. Don't talk about N B A signings or the N B A playoffs. Talk about the game you're broadcasting, and in that context, it certainly can expand to the league to the sport. You can expand certainly in those regards. So when I was broadcasting minor league professional baseball, we often talked about big league baseball because it had a direct correlation. Certain players that perhaps, well, we're on our team are now in the big leagues. And so we could talk about them or certain things that were going on. Let's say in the mid nineties with steroids and all the home runs with Sosa and McGwire, they had a direct correlation to what we were doing at the minor league level. So staying in that lane is a It's a kind of a cliche. You hear a lot, but we tried to stay in our lane and I certainly feel that's important as a play by play announcer. Stay in your lane. People are tuned in to hear your specific broadcast, your specific event. So stay there, however. What if you're a sports talk show host, and these days it's an extreme challenge because sports talk show hosts don't have live sports to talk about leagues or shut down. Players aren't out there on the field, on the court, on the ice. So in this specific instance, yes, you have to at some point touch on the reason there's no game because it's affecting the game on the field. The basic philosophy that I have always believed in is that if it happens on the field in front of you, then it's fair game. It's It's certainly something that can be talked about, discussed and brought up, whether it be a sports talk show or definitely if you're doing play by play. But anything outside of that, most times I would stay clear off. But in this case, what's happening outside of that, meaning the virus and the shutdowns in the league's that air halted and seasons that aren't starting, that ball has a direct effect on what you're seeing or in this case, not seeing on the field of the court or the ice, so you have to bring it up. However, I think there's a limit. I think there's a line you need to walk, too, and then you need to stick with sports. For example, I heard Brandon Tierney in New York City. He was on W F a n 23 weeks ago, probably two and 1/2 weeks ago, and he was talking about the increase of the virus and how, at that point, leagues hadn't yet shut down their tournaments and they were just starting to and the N c a. A tournament was still on. It hadn't been canceled yet, and Brandon teared a handled it perfectly. In my estimation, he was commenting on the air. I think it was with Joe and Evan on in New York City, and he was saying, Listen, I'm going to stay in my lane But here are a couple key things that I know. And then he gave a couple of the key stats and then he quickly transitioned to that impact on basketball and college basketball in his area of coverage at the time. And I thought that was such a smart way to do it because he tied it directly to what was happening. Why people were tuned into a sports station was to hear about sports. And although the nationwide issues tied into that, he was able to touch on that. Tell people why things were changing so quickly in college basketball and then focus the second half of his comments on it related to, ah, the direct impact on the sport on the court. And that was a great way to handle it. Brendan. Tear it. He's a pro, and that's why I didn't expect anything less. He handled it perfectly, and I think that's a great model to take. You can touch on why you're in the situation you're in. So if you're hosting a talk show, here's why we're talking about movies or pop culture or ranking, as Barrett sports media did, ranking the top sports center anchors of all time in a bracket situation like the N. C. A. A tournament, which is really a creative, fun, awesome idea. It is important to remember people are tuned in to your sports program mainly as a diversion. They're mainly doing it as a diversion from from life, and that's why people love sports it takes him away from the mortgage and the bills and the daily duties that they have in their work and the all the stresses of life. Sports are an outlet for people to get away from all that and to have something to change it up, sports or light. I always have said that sports are the toy department of life, so if you're working in sports, feel lucky, you're fortunate. But at the same time, you've got to understand why people are tuning in their tuning in to get away from some of those stressors and some of those pressures of life and because they enjoy it. And it's fun and it brings back memories. And it's something that families do together and friends do together. So that is why people are tuning into sports, going to sporting events and having they're fans of their teams. That's why that's why people do it, because it's fun and it's, ah, the fun part of their life. And for many people, it's the most fun part of their life. So try not to bog it down with all the dire, dark things I recall after 9 11 hearing certain sports talk show hosts spend hours and hours talking about the news in the current events, and I think that situation should have been held very much, handled very much the same way as I'm encouraging people to handle this current crisis in this current disaster, the same way where you touch on it. You explain why things were different regarding your broadcast. But then you focus mostly on sports because, quite honestly, I feel a lot of the sports people who were talking about an area that was not their specialty. They made themselves sound less than either less than educated or less than up to speed on what they're really talking about. And so if if I'm not an expert in that topic, then I'm going to just touch on it and move on to where I am the expert. And for most sports personalities and play by play people in sports broadcasters sticking to sports is your sweet spot, and I think that's again why people are tuning in. I wasn't turning into a sports talk show host after 9 11 to hear about the news. If I wanted that, I knew where I could go. But when I wanted to get away from that. That's why I tuned into sports radio at the time. Same thing with today if I want to get the update on Covert 19 and here the stats and here was going on today currently because it changes day by day, hour by hour. I know where I could go for that. But when I tune into a sports radio program or a television sports program, or whatever it may be, I'm making that decision in many ways because I want to get away from it. So if you're tuning into this online radio show, The Sportscasters Club online radio show, you're probably doing it because you're interested in sports and broadcasting. You're not doing it because you're interested in what's going on out there in the news or current events, because if you want that, you've got a lot of people more qualified than then may more qualified than us here, where you can get that and you know where you can go. So I think that's helpful to the listener helpful to the viewer to stay in your lane. I think it's very important I wrote an interesting article. A few years back. That's at sportscasters club dot com, and it's about keeping your focus where it should be. And at the time, I think I was relating it to political news and the fact that I mean, let's be honest, my political opinion is right and yours is wrong. That's just the way it is. That's a fact. And I think you could probably say the same thing to write because you're gonna feel your position is right and mine is wrong. So as a sportscaster, why would I want to delve into that and talk about that when I'm immediately gonna alienate half of my listenership? And it's not why people come here. People don't come here to hear about that. They don't come here to hear about politics, just like they don't come here to hear about gardening or music or carp injury. They come here to hear about sports, broadcasting and sports media and how to get better and how to improve. So I think that's important to consider to know your audience, know why they're tuning in and feed that hunger, that they have feed that desire that that encouraged them to tune in in the first place. So that's my feeling on how a sports broadcaster should handle Cove it. 19. Shoot me your thoughts. I'd love to hear what you think you can send an email to questions at sportscasters club dot com. Let me know. Also, we appreciate you not only sharing the program but going on iTunes and wherever else you listen and giving us a rating giving us reviews. We appreciate that as well. When I come back, we'll wrap it up,
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and this is the year that you want to improve your sports broadcasting skills. Then why not start your own podcast? It's simple and fun. We use buzz throughout the host our podcasts, and you can too simply click on the bus sprout link in today's episode notes. And if you have questions while you are creating your podcast, let us know we'd like to help you.
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Hopefully, today's broadcast has been helpful for you as we navigate these waters today, a lot of confusion, a lot of fear, a lot of angst, but just keep in mind. People are tuning into sports talk and sports radio to get away from that, and you provide a great service by entertaining by informing by keeping it light and keeping it to sports predominantly, because that's why people are tuning in hope you enjoy this program. Hope it was helpful. Please share it with at least one other person, one other sports fan or sports broadcaster you think might enjoy this program. And, of course, you can catch up with us. Definitely at sportscasters club dot com, And also, if you didn't know about it, we have a free
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group, a brand new group, the Sportscasters Club
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community on Facebook.
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It's a free group, you conjoined, and you can network with other sportscasters. We'd love to have you join us at our Facebook group. Simply search for the Facebook Sportscasters Club community. You can request admission will admit you it's free, and we'd love to have you as part of our online conversation on Facebook. I'm Rick Schultz and we'll talk to you next time. Thanks for listening to The Sportscasters Club radio show at sportscasters club dot com. Don't forget to subscribe, so you will never miss an episode. And thanks for liking sharing, posting reviews and spreading the word