BSM Writers
You Have To Plan For A Successful Pregame Show
“Plan B’s are sometimes needed. If the subject of Plan A isn’t available, you can’t cancel your pregame show because the first option was a dead end.”
Published
5 years agoon
By
Andy MasurIt was the TV show “The A-Team” that probably put it best when Colonel John “Hannibal” Smith said often, “I love it when a plan comes together.” Another famous quote says “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” No truer words can be uttered when it comes to your broadcast as well.
Always have an idea of what you are going to do when you get to the ballpark. This goes for broadcasters, pregame hosts and reporters alike.
Generally when I’m hosting the pregame show, I already have a pretty good idea of what the storylines are going to be when I arrive. Of course there are the days when that plan can change drastically, which I’ll get into in a bit. I know who is pitching the night before the current game, so I can do my research before getting to work. That information may provide a good story I’ve dug up that I can use in pregame or when I’m doing play-by-play. I’m aware of any connections between players and the opponent, or players and the stadium they’ll be playing in and if someone was hurt the night before.
For example, while doing play-by-play for the White Sox/Cubs series at Wrigley Field I remembered that when I was with Yonder Alonso in San Diego, he told me the story of his first major league home run. It came at, well you guessed it Wrigley Field against the Cubs’ Carlos Zambrano when Alonso was a young player with the Reds. My White Sox audience would probably find that story interesting, since Zambrano was a not exactly a name held in high regard with Sox fans. So I approached Alonso and had him tell the story again and it played well with the broadcast.
Now again, I had the benefit of knowing the story before, but I didn’t the first time I met Yonder. I just assumed that since he was with the Reds, he’d played a few games on the North Side and just innocently asked him if he had any stories about the Ivy Covered ballpark. Sure enough he shared the information. Common sense led me to the info, but research into the players past set the wheels in motion and gave me a story I’m now sharing with a second audience.
It is so important for you to get to know the players and coaches on your team, because with that knowledge comes power, the power to capitalize and create a nugget or chunk of info that will not only fill your show, but be interesting to your audience. Use the fact that you know your first baseman is from Pittsburgh and your team is playing the Pirates. Was he a fan growing up? Memories about trips to the ballpark with family? Favorite players growing up? All excellent ways to get to know the player and provide great stories for your listeners.
If you know that Player A looked a bit gimpy the night before, that’s an obvious follow up. You find out that he’s not in the lineup after seeing it on Twitter either before you got to the park or when you arrived. Well, get on that!
You have to be paying attention. You must try to notice the little things that most won’t think to look at. Again this goes back to knowing your team. Player A didn’t hustle to first like he normally does, so that’s an immediate red flag to me, at least to keep in my back pocket for the following day when more info is usually available about him.
Now there are going to be times you will need to be flexible. Sometimes the best laid plans need to be put aside because news breaks. Don’t let it freak you out, although it may the first time you go through this. I can recall a day last year at Guaranteed Rate Field. It was a day or two after a Michael Kopech start. One that was marred by a rain delay and his velocity didn’t look all that great. Nobody thought much of it since he’s a young pitcher and maybe he was pitching into his velo that game. We were told that the GM would be meeting with the media in the dugout. Was it a trade? Did a player get released? Nope. He informed us that Kopech was going to undergo Tommy John surgery and would be lost for the rest of the season.
Every other story was deemed backseat material when news like this breaks. Kopech was a face of the rebuild and a fan favorite and the information needed to be presented. I immediately texted the radio station to inform them of the situation and tweeted while I listened into the details. My pregame show and broadcast basically wrote themselves that day, but again, flexibility plays a key role in being able to pull this off under a deadline.
Now again, when I say have a plan, you should likely have more than just that one. Plan B’s are sometimes needed. If the subject of Plan A isn’t available, you can’t cancel your pregame show because the first option was a dead end. This is where you have to dig deep and be able to carry on with a back up plan. It’s rare that a game that gets played nearly everyday will only net you one storyline worth following.
Listen, read, pay attention and be aware of what is going on around you at all times. Trust me, the stories are there, you just have to find them. Sometimes they are in the most obvious places, but without that pre-show prep, you may just walk past and miss a great opportunity to tell tale. Be more like Colonel Smith of the “A-Team”, make sure that plan comes together.
Andy Masur is a columnist for BSM and works for WGN Radio as an anchor and play-by-play announcer. He also teaches broadcasting at the Illinois Media School. During his career he has called games for the Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres and Chicago White Sox. He can be found on Twitter @Andy_Masur1 or you can reach him by email at [email protected].
BSM Writers
Will Women Dominate March Madness in 2024?
“Recognizable names matter. They are what draw interest from casual fans and keep them coming back. It’s something the men’s game has been missing for a long time.”
Published
9 hours agoon
March 19, 2024Fields for both the men and women are set. It’s time to go dancing in college basketball. The sport more defined by its postseason than any other in America steps into the spotlight this week.
I believe we could see something extraordinary happen this year. While ratings for the women’s tournament climb each year, with last year’s title game setting a viewership record, the men have held on to the advantage. With the two trending in opposite directions though, I am ready to call my shot.
2024 will be the year the final of the NCAA Women’s Tournament overtakes the final for the NCAA Men’s Tournament.
There are bona fide stars in women’s basketball. You know all about Caitlin Clark at Iowa, but she isn’t alone. USC freshman Juju Watkins and UConn’s Paige Bueckers stole their share of headlines too. Hell, LSU’s Angel Reese was in Sports Illustrated’s iconic Swimsuit Issuelast year.
Everywhere you look, there’s celebrity in the women’s game. Mike Krzyzewski, Jim Boeheim, and Roy Williams have retired. Dawn Staley and Kim Mulkey are better known than most men’s coaches now. Geno Auriemma may be the last true icon left coaching in college at all.
Recognizable names matter. They are what draw interest from casual fans and keep them coming back. It’s something the men’s game has been missing for a long time. The best men’s teams somehow seem extra anonymous this year. It’s not to say there aren’t good players. I just don’t really know their names or what they look like.
I’m not just touting star power here. There are trends that say this very well could be the year the women take over. Last year, while LSU and Iowa were setting the good kind of records, UConn and San Diego State were moving the men’s final in the opposite direction.
There were a lot of reasons for the ratings drop on the men’s side. That lack of star power is big, but so is the lack of brand power. San Diego State is a mid major program. UConn may be a blue blood, but it’s a blue blood from an area of the country that doesn’t dedicate a ton of time to college sports. Coming off of a 2022 final that featured Kansas and North Carolina, a ratings drop of only 15% should maybe be celebrated.
Right now, there are major brands in women’s college basketball that are doing a lot of winning. South Carolina is the overall top seed. Clark, a brand all her own, has lead Iowa to a number one seed. Last year’s champ LSU will be a high seed as will schools with big, nation-wide fan bases like Texas and Ohio State.
ESPN also creates a real advantage for the women. The network has devoted a lot of attention to Clark’s records and to South Carolina’s undefeated season. It’s all in service of synergy. Yes, other networks may have some games, but the biggest event in the sport is on ESPN and ABC, the networks that put its stars front and center.
Conversely, the men’s tournament is spread across four networks that don’t show very much regular season college basketball. CBS starts airing doubleheaders on Saturdays beginning in January. TBS, which will carry the Final Four, doesn’t show any college basketball. Neither do TruTV or TNT.
I like the way the quartet covers the men’s tournament. I think the broadcast crews (now that Jim Nantz is out of there) are great and I enjoy the energy Charles Barkley brings to the studio show. I do not think for a second that CBS or the WBD networks are doing anything to hold men’s college basketball back. What I think is that the game itself is in a stage where it could use a central network acting as hype machine and broadcaster.
Audiences have proven over and over again in the last 18 months that there is an appetite for women’s sports on television. ESPN boss Jimmy Pitaro makes no secret of the fact that he believes it is the best opportunity for ESPN to find new audiences.
It may only be for one year. It may not even be a huge lead. Everything just feels like it is moving in the right direction for it to happen though. That’s why I’m calling it now. The NCAA Tournament will be the crown jewel of what has already been an extraordinary season for women’s college basketball.
This will be the year that the women’s final overtakes the men’s final in the ratings. If ESPN is lucky enough to get Dawn Staley and South Carolina against Caitlin Clark and Iowa in the championship game, we could see a number it takes years for either final to top.
Demetri Ravanos is the Assistant Content Director for Barrett Sports Media. He hosts the Chewing Clock and Media Noise podcasts. He occasionally fills in on stations across the Carolinas. Previous stops include WAVH and WZEW in Mobile, AL, WBPT in Birmingham, AL and WBBB, WPTK and WDNC in Raleigh, NC. You can find him on Twitter @DemetriRavanos and reach him by email at [email protected].
BSM Writers
The NFL Leads the Way With the Most Stars Turned Television Analysts
This could become the new normal in these sports, we’ll see how sports executives adjust in this ever-changing media climate.
Published
9 hours agoon
March 19, 2024Last week the NFL league year began, thus free agency started around the sport. And with that we watched the reports on television as tons of years and millions of dollars were thrown around.
Andrew Brandt, former Green Bay Packers General Manager and current professor at Villanova Law, is a great follow on X. Brandt does a great job translating NFL contracts, and what they really mean.
What does that have to do with sports media? Well, I was thinking how after a star or known NFL player or coach retires, the immediate thought is ‘what network could bid for his services?’ We saw that this off-season with Bill Belichick and Jason Kelce. I would not be surprised if the recently retired Aaron Donald gets mentioned.
However, this is not the same in the other major sports. Let’s take hockey out of it for a second, because there seems to be an established guard around the sport. Most of the same analysts that work for NHL Network and TSN also work for the national U.S based networks. As far as baseball and basketball, it’s rare to see legit first ballot Hall of Famers on the TV screen.
Studio Analysts on National TV | MLB | NBA | NFL |
Players to Debut in 21st Century | 3 | 0 | 8 |
Players Who Won Championships | 6 | 2 | 8 |
Hall of Famers | 3 | 2 | 4 |
*MLB: ESPN, FOX, TBS
*NBA: ESPN/ABC, TNT
*NFL: CBS, ESPN/ABC (Sunday & Monday Countdown), FOX (NFL Sunday), NBC
Note this chart does not include JJ Watt and Rob Gronkowski who are both likely headed to Canton. Notably on that chart though, you see players from the 21st century are lagging.
Football has multiple advantages. For starters, playing careers are shorter, money is less guaranteed, so more players may look to television. Also, it is one day a week and that’s it. Even with ESPN, their Hall of Famer on their desk is Randy Moss. Moss does not get the same treatment as Ryan Clark, Marcus Spears, Dan Orlovsky or others. The Hall of Fame receiver works only on Sunday NFL Countdown and maybe a feature here or there. The rest of ESPN’s NFL analysts are on multiple shows.
Basketball and baseball are multiple days a week. Hall of Famer Shaquille O’Neal works twice a week for TNT on Tuesdays and Thursdays during the regular season. Hall of Famer Charles Barkley works once a week during the regular season. If you look at ESPN’s desk for the NBA Finals and marquee games on ABC, there’s not one former player. Occasionally you will see Kendrick Perkins, but he is not a hall of famer.
For baseball, FOX’s desk is probably the most beefed up it has been in its 29 seasons. With Alex Rodriguez, David Ortiz, and Derek Jeter, plus segments with 2003 NL Rookie of the Year Dontrelle Willis, it is one of the most star-studded desks in sports.
However, for FOX we will see that desk twice during the regular season. Once in June during the Mets-Phillies London Series, and in July at the All-Star game. Turner’s desk features 3-time All-Star Curtis Granderson, 2007 NL MVP Jimmy Rollins, Hall of Famer Pedro Martinez, and last year they brought in future hall of famer and 3-time MVP Albert Pujols. But for Turner, having a non-exclusive game package, not many will tune in and see that crew until October.
These are not the days when you can get Jim Palmer, Tom Seaver, Bill Russell, and Magic Johnson to do games. I mentioned the NFL’s lack of guaranteed contracts and short playing careers, well the players in the MLB and NBA play more years and have guaranteed contracts, for a lot of money, especially if you’re a top echelon player. That is what makes Tom Brady’s move to the booth so unique, because he could’ve easily chosen the Peyton Manning route where he could pick and choose his opportunities.
The podcast boon in basketball has already seen hall of famers Dwayne Wade and Kevin Garnett leave their regular obligations with TNT to pursue podcasts. League-owned networks also make it much easier. MLB Network and NBA-TV have hall of famers on their roster, but with their networks on every day, they can work around their schedules to get a CC Sabathia or Chris Webber to work in their studios.
During the conference call held by ESPN last week surrounding this season’s upcoming baseball coverage, VP of Production Phil Orlins was asked about the ongoing process of looking at recently retired players and adding them to ESPN. Orlins said “I would say my own personal thing is just trying to figure out how progressive the person is thinking about the game and also how ready they are to work. A lot of times, I’d rather find a guy four years after he’s done playing when he’s figured out it’s really, really time to get to work and passionate about it, than in some cases the guy that walks right off the field.”
This could become the new normal in these sports, we’ll see how sports executives adjust in this ever-changing media climate. All things to keep in mind with Amazon and Apple looking to join the NBA fray soon.
Moses Massena is a Sports Television veteran, working for Regional and National Networks. Most recently the Seton Hall University Graduate spent 14 years at MLB Network, working in roles from researcher to segment producer to Producer at the league-owned network, winning 7 Sports Emmys for his contributions to “MLB Tonight”. The New York native has also worked a producer at MSG Network, and served as a researcher for FOX & ESPN. Moses started his professional television career working at SNY from 2007-2009. To connect with Moses, find him on Twitter @MosesMassena16.
BSM Writers
Nick Wilson is Enjoying Life Back Home at 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland
“It doesn’t mean that other sports towns don’t have this, but maybe the sports towns I’ve encountered don’t have it to this degree. Clevelanders really take pride in their loyalty to the Cleveland sports teams.”
Published
9 hours agoon
March 19, 2024It’s been almost two years since Nick Wilson left a successful run in Charlotte to return home to Cleveland to replace Adam “The Bull” in afternoon drive at 92.3 FM “The Fan.” Wilson had some big shoes to fill and now the chemistry has been building with Dustin Fox to the point where it has been a seamless transition.
“Now that we’re almost two years in, okay now we can push that throttle a little bit more,” said Fox. “Now we can see we’ve built the trust and laid the foundation. Now let’s go ahead and really examine everything we do and see what’s working for us and what isn’t. It’s been a really fun journey and I really like where we are.”
The scenario that Wilson returned home for was unchartered waters for him during his radio career. When he moved to Charlotte, he was new but so was his co-host. When he was paired with a new co-host, he was the established host. And now after returning to Cleveland, Wilson was the new guy.
It would not have been appropriate to step into the huddle like a quarterback and bark out the signals.
“I couldn’t just come in and be like we’re doing these five things differently and this sucks and this doesn’t work,” said Wilson. “That show had been the backbone of the station for 11 years. Adam and Dustin did a good show so I didn’t want to disrupt that rhythm for the audience.”
Much like the Cleveland sports fans and the teams they root for, Wilson brings a lunchpail type of work ethic to his show each and every day. Like an athlete who doesn’t take a play off, a game off or a season off, Wilson goes into each and every show with the same intensity and the end goal to win each day.
And that’s his objective every day when he comes to work.
“I look at every show as a living breathing entity,” said Wilson. “You have to treat it with that kind of reverence. I am in the business of making things as fun as they possibly can be.”
A native of the Cleveland area in Ohio, Wilson was working for his hometown sports station when he made the quantum leap to go to Charlotte for a new and wonderful opportunity to take his sports radio game to another level. He loved working in Charlotte, but when the chance to come home came about, he jumped at the opportunity.
For Wilson, that opportunity was there because, to steal a line from “The Who”, the new boss was the same as the old boss.
“Andy Roth has been the brand manager since day one,” said Wilson. “He was the guy who hired me. He’s the guy who hired me again. He’s the guy who was very cool in letting me explore the Charlotte option when he didn’t have to.”
Charlotte was good to Wilson, but there’s no place like home so he clicked his heels and came back to Cleveland to talk to his hometown listeners.
“With all due love and respect to the good people in Charlotte, it is much easier,” said Wilson. “I’m speaking to myself when I’m talking to the audience.”
But coming home still came with an adjustment period of getting used to a new co-host, to make sure the show continued to produce good ratings and to make sure his work life was in concert with his family life.
“It took a hell of lot more energy than I remember it taking either time in Charlotte simply because it was a completely different approach,” said Wilson. “It was probably at some point in this second football season that I looked around my work and my life mirrored each other.”
And Wilson, being an Ohio native, certainly was aware of the audience he was coming home to talk to. Cleveland is a very unique and special sports town. The fans rally around the Browns, Guardians and Cavaliers to the point where it’s more than just fans rooting for a team and sports radio hosts talking to the fans about those teams.
It’s a community effort.
“It’s family,” said Wilson. “It doesn’t mean that other sports towns don’t have this, but maybe the sports towns I’ve encountered don’t have it to this degree. Clevelanders really take pride in their loyalty to the Cleveland sports teams. It’s like your family. I can bitch about them so you better not say it if you’re not from here. If you have not lived these wars, I don’t want to hear you talk about it.”
Wilson’s approach each and every day he hosts the show with Fox is to make sure that the audience buys into what they’re talking about. It’s sports radio but it has to be both entertaining and informative. You can’t fool Cleveland sports fans so the content has to jive with what the listeners expect.
And that’s what Wilson and Fox deliver on a daily basis.
“My North Star is pretty much I just want to walk out of that studio feeling like I just delivered something that nobody else can but is something that is up to a standard that people can trust and respect,” said Wilson. “To me, that begins with having fun and being energetic and being on point with what people are talking about at a bar with their buddies.”
And now that Nick Wilson has established that chemistry with Dustin Fox and afternoon drive continues to be the anchor of “The Fan,” there is a buzz as to what lies ahead.
“I’m really excited to see how the next 18 months evolve,” said Wilson.
Peter Schwartz has been involved in New York sports media for over three decades. Along the way he has worked for notable brands such as WFAN, CBS Sports Radio, WCBS 880, ESPN New York, and FOX News Radio. He has also worked as a play by play announcer for the New Yok Riptide, New York Dragons, New York Hitmen, Varsity Media and the Long Island Sports Network. You can find him on Twitter @SchwartzSports or email him at [email protected].