If you're a new SID at a smaller school or one that doesn't have a radio
station regularly broadcast its games, you may be unfamiliar with what to
do should a crew come to broadcast at your home facility. Over the past 10
years, several colleagues and I have encountered SIDs who weren't ready for
some of our requests because they hadn't dealt with them before. So, at the
suggestion of several CoSIDA members, we have put together a helpful chart
explaining how you can best prepare for what we'll need to do a good
broadcast for fans of both teams.
Five to seven days before a game, it's helpful to provide the following
starter kit:
- The basics: Media guide, updated numerical roster, two-deep for football
(include positions such as long snapper and holder), current team and player
stats.
- A pronunciation guide. I can't stress enough how important this is. If a
broadcaster is going to commit names and numbers to memory, it is necessary
to know proper pronunciations.
- access to the head coach (Many opposing coaches aren't eager to talk to
"opposing" broadcasters, but let them know that it's a valuable tool. It
helps a broadcaster immensely to get the insight of any coach)
- Boxscores and game recaps from past few games.
- Injury information. This is a sensitive topic. Most coaches don't want to
reveal injuries because of a)wanting to protect the kid and b)it puts them
at a competitive disadvantage if the broadcaster breaks the trust and tells
the opposing coach about the injury. That's understood, but at the very
least, the acknowledgement of injuries that are publicly known (ie- season
ending injuries acknowledged by local media), would be of help.
- Team background that wouldn't be immediately apparent from glancing at a
boxscore or stat sheet (Ie "Yes, we beat a top-25 team by 20, but in
fairness, our opponents' two best players had food poisoning." or "Yes, Joe
Jones shot 4-for-14, but he missed 2 days of practice because he was taking
grad school exams")
- Player background. Anything that would be good for a one or two-sentence
note...Good tidbits that I've gotten this year include everything from
"Player X's sister is the current Miss USA" to "He built the arm strength
needed to play QB by scooping ice cream in the family-owned Baskin Robbins."
For basketball, the best notes are those that can be told in the amount of
time it takes a player to shoot two free throws (best time for filler
material).
A word on game notes
Game notes are best for broadcasters if they can get them a day or two in
advance. A thick package of information is great, so long as the
broadcasters have time to study it. Any information regarding trends,
streaks, and such, can be jotted down for quick reference so that a
broadcaster doesn't have to shuffle through papers in mid-game.
Game day
If the broadcaster is coming to your facility, he should ask you for the
following. If he doesn't, let him know anyway. Many of us have walked in to
gyms or stadiums and been unable to broadcast because we were unprepared for
certain circumstances.
- How much extension cord he might need to plug in a power cord
- How much phone cord he might need to reach the nearest phone line from the
broadcast position.
- If the phone line is part of a digital network or an analog line (digital
networks can cause trouble for some broadcasters)
- Whether the broadcaster can make a local/long-distance call from that line
- Where the broadcast location will be (behind a basket, center court, in a
press box, on a roof, in the stands etc.)
Ways you can help during a game
- Constant updating of stats (point totals, punt yardage, drive data). This
is EXTREMELY helpful, especially in situations where a broadcaster is
working solo.
- Making broadcasters aware of any potential records about to be set or
milestones to be reached (1,000 yards, 1,000 points etc.) Constant updating
as records approach is very useful to a broadcaster in detailing game
storylines.
- Providing out of town scores
Lots of space
Ideally, the more space available the better, especially for football, where
a broadcaster might need room to lay out charts and statistical sheets. For
football, if there's no separate booth, it's good to be put next to a wall
so that rosters and stats can be taped up there for easy reading. A
best-case scenario would be to have two seats of space available for every
member of the broadcast crew.
If there are multiple broadcast crews, a "buffer zone" occupied by other media is helpful to prevent the broadcasters from distracting each other with their calls.
A good broadcast crew should reciprocate the work of the SID by displaying
professional courtesy. Broadcasters ideally should initiate contact at least
a week before a game to make sure a phone line can be secured and maintain
communication throughout the week for updates on stats and other pertinent
information. They should arrive at a site a minimum of an hour prior to
kickoff, tip-off, or face-off and should behave properly on press row (no
cheering in the press box!).
A broadcaster and SID should be able to work hand-in-hand to produce a good broadcast that will be beneficial to its listeners and the student-athletes.
Mark Simon broadcasts football, basketball and volleyball for the United
States Coast Guard Academy, and also broadcasts for D3football.com and
D3hoops.com. He welcomes feedback on this article at msimon6986@aol.com
Dennis O'Donnell
Sports Information Director
University of Rochester
Robert A. Goergen Athletic Center
Room 2143-A
Rochester, NY 14627-0296
E-Mail: dennis.odonnell@rochester.edu
Telephone: (585)-275-5955
Facsimile: (585)-461-5081