Nicole Abuid

Eleanor Boudreau
ENC 2135

Project One: Investigative Field Essay

The field of televised sport production is incredibly complex and has been in existence

almost as long as the television itself. In fact, NBC televised a college baseball game only a few

weeks after it started broadcasting the very first television signals. Before television, sports were

broadcast over the radio, again being one of the first things to go out over their airwaves. And

before the radio, sports were broadcast through telegraph wires.

Televised sports broadcasting is the behind the scenes of how sporting events both local

and national are on millions of television screens across the globe. Broadcasters provide live

coverage of events in order for sports fans to be able to follow the action as the event is

occurring (Teitelbaum, 16). There are a variety of positions within live sport event production,

each of them with a specific purpose, each of them highly essential to the overall success of the

broadcast. The positions work off of one another, and whether they are in the control room (the

room where the central technical decisions for the production are made and carried out) or out on

the field, they all must be in-sync and communicate with one another in order for the broadcast

to run smoothly.

The positions which interest me the most are that of director, producer, and technical director

(this particular job is my top choice). As stated in Teaching the Control Room- Producer and

Director, the producer comes up with the game plan, calls the plays, and the director executes
the plan. The director gives direction to the technical director, who sends out each shot, graphic,

and transition, live on air. These positions are at the top of the hierarchy of televised sport

production. They are the highest paying positions and have the most power with decision making

and carrying out orders. Lower-level positions in the hierarchy, which by no means are less

important in the production of the game, include replay and playback operator, and graphic and

audio operator.

I became interested in this field because I was highly involved with my high school's

television production program during my senior year. In our program, we would broadcast the

home games of our sports teams which would be live-streamed on our programs website. We

would thoroughly plan each live event, create a rundown to be handed out to each crew member,

arrange a pre-game meal, set up all the equipment needed, and start broadcasting half an hour

before the game started. Each game we would switch crew positions so that everyone would get

experience with each job. I loved the intensity of the atmosphere, the connections I made with

my crew, and how there wasnt one moment where I was bored.

I decided to research the field of televised sports broadcasting and life within it because I

want to determine if my perceptions of the field are accurate. I want to discover whether the

experiences I had in my high school program are similar to that of the professional atmosphere of

this career. This research will help me in my process of finalizing whether this career is truly

right for me, and whether I will enjoy dedicating my studies and my life to it.

Methods
 Before I began my research, I already had a few people in mind who I wanted to interview,

and who I believed could give me reliable and valuable insight about my chosen field.

One of my close friends, Cameron Guck, who was my high school television production

programs live event director, came to mind as a potential interviewee for my research. Only

three months after graduating from Cypress Bay High School, he is already working as a Grip

for the professional basketball team the Miami Heat, and is two months away from completing a

television production program (which typically takes two years to complete) at McFatter

Technical College. As someone who is so accomplished at such a young age, I knew he would

be able to provide me with useful information for my research.

The next person I had in mind to interview was one of the head anchors at the WVFS 89.7

radio station, FSU senior Michael Hudak. I recently joined the FSU sports radio station, and after

hearing Michael speak about his experiences in the sports broadcasting field, I immediately knew

he would be a great resource of information. Although his expertise leans more towards radio

sports production, I believe he can provide me with insightful information regarding televised

sports production. The mediums of radio and television and their broadcasting of sports may

have distinct differences, but they also share many similarities. Andrew Tolson states in Media

Talk: Spoken Discourse on TV and Radio that with televised broadcasts, viewers are watching

the televised construction of the event, while with radio broadcasts, listeners are able to construct

their own version of the event.

 I also wanted to interview my public speaking teacher, and the head of the WVFS 89.7 fm

radio station, Dr. Misha Laurents. I interviewed her because I believed that she would be able to

provide me with insight regarding communication and discourse communities within my field, as

well as information regarding the broadcasting field and what skills I need to be successful

within it.

Mark Rodin is the last person I interviewed for my research. He is the Executive Director of

Seminole Productions, Florida State Universitys professional production group. As stated on

their website, Seminole production produced over 80 live sporting events each year and provide

courses which students can take for credit in the Digital Media Production major (which I intend

on majoring in).

I asked my interviewees questions specific to their knowledge and experience of aspects

relative to my chosen field. I interviewed them all in person, recorded their answers, and

transcribed them. Question topics included the availability of jobs within this field, how one can

move up the ranks, what skills are essential within this field, the best and/or worst parts of jobs

within this field, and more.