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Video clips from interviews with

professionals in sports media....

and two from the vault.

George Grande

  George Grande was one of the first faces seen on ESPN when the all sports network was launched in 1979.

After a decade at ESPN, George served as play by play announcer for the New York Yankees and St. Louis Cardinals. (Not at  the same time!) In 1993, he joined the Cincinnati Reds where he called games on Fox Sports Ohio with former pitcher Chris Welsh.

  In April 2009, I travelled to Cincinnati to visit with George. Good timing, too: at the end of the 2009 season, George Grande retired from the Reds television team.

  In addition to his many years in sports broadcasting, George was a standout player for the USC Trojans baseball team and he has been the master of ceremonies for the National Baseball Hall of Fame inductee weekend since 1980.

     -He’s also a great judge of talent. After all, he hired me to work at ESPN in 1984!

Special thanks to the Keene State College Adjunct Faculty Professional Development committee, who helped made this trip to Ohio possible .

Vantage Point:

Think about it: baseball broadcasters almost always call a game from the broadcast booth behind and above home plate. For the viewer, the primary view is from the centerfield camera with the shot being pitcher, batter, catcher and umpire.

  I asked George if that is something he must keep in mind.

People Business:

Whether you cover City Hall, the State Legislature or in this case,  Major League Baseball, relating information about the people              you meet can give the audience a better experience.

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The broadcast team:

There’s more to a great telecast than chemistry between the play by play man and color analyst. A broadcast team is comprised of many people and a good broadcast depends on those people doing their job well.

Preparation:

I was listening to a ball game on the radio the other night and play by play man said

“That’s his first home run, I guess.”

Now that's frustrating. I'm listening to the game for information and that broadcaster can't be bothered to do his homework.

To be a good broadcaster, you have to prepare.

So You Want to be a broadcaster:

So many things in mass media are changing.                                Newspapers are folding, television news departments are cutting back and even eliminating sports departments.

  But one thing will never change: you have to write well.