0240807316.Pdf
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Sports Media Planning, Production, and Reporting Sports Media Planning, Production, and Reporting By Brad Schultz, Ph.D. AMSTERDAM • BOSTON • HEIDELBERG • LONDON NEW YORK • OXFORD • PARIS • SAN DIEGO SAN FRANCISCO • SINGAPORE • SYDNEY • TOKYO Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier Acquisitions Editor: Amy Jollymore Project Manager: Paul Gottehrer Assistant Editor: Cara Anderson Marketing Manager: Mark Hughes Cover Design: Eric Decicco Interior Design: Julio Esperas Focal Press is an imprint of Elsevier 30 Corporate Drive, Suite 400, Burlington, MA 01803, USA Linacre House, Jordan Hill, Oxford OX2 8DP, UK Copyright © 2005, Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Permissions may be sought directly from Elsevier’s Science & Technology Rights Department in Oxford, UK: phone: (+44) 1865 843830, fax: (+44) 1865 853333, e-mail: [email protected]. You may also complete your request on-line via the Elsevier homepage (http://elsevier.com), by selecting “Customer Support” and then “Obtaining Permissions.” Recognizing the importance of preserving what has been written, Elsevier prints its books on acid-free paper whenever possible. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Application submitted British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library. ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80731-7 ISBN 10: 0-240-80731-6 ISBN 13: 978-0-240-80731-6 (CD-ROM) ISBN 10: 0-240-80732-4 (CD-ROM) The first edition of this book was authored by Brad Schultz and titled Sports Broadcasting, © 2002, Butterworth-Heinemann. For information on all Focal Press publications visit our website at www.books.elsevier.com 050607080910 10987654321 Printed in the United States of America My sincere thanks to the many industry professionals who contributed invaluable insights to this book, including Gary Kicinski at USA Today, Ron Franklin of ESPN, Rick McCabe, Jeff Price, and David Bauer of Sports Illustrated, Michael Wallace of the Jackson Clarion-Ledger, Gregg Ellis of the Northeast (MS) Daily Journal, Mike Lageschulte at the University of Utah, Angela Renkowski of Drake University, and Howard Schlossberg of Columbia College. Thanks also to all our sports heroes we’ve enjoyed through the media, past and present, especially mine: Jack Nicklaus and Roger Staubach. You’ve given me countless hours of enjoyment, and continue to do so even today, thanks to ESPN Classic. Contents About the CD-ROM xiii Preface xv Introduction xix CHAPTER 1 Foundations 1 A Look Back 1 From Victoria to Jazz 1 Changing Times 2 The New Media Environment 3 Implications 6 The Future 9 Growth 9 Convergence 10 Competition 11 Entertainment 12 References 15 CHAPTER 2 Reporting 17 Approach 17 Types of Approaches 17 What Determines Approach? 21 Style 23 Different Styles 23 Opinion 23 The “Homer” 24 Criticism 25 vii Contents First Person 26 Social Commentary 26 Techniques 27 Planning Ahead 28 Deadline 28 Communication 28 Research and Background 29 Interviewing 30 Objective 30 Audience 33 Respect 34 Specific Questions 37 Story Outline 38 At the Scene 39 References 41 CHAPTER 3 Print 43 An Overall Framework 43 Specific Types of Reporting 45 Game Stories 45 Developed Game Story 45 Beat Game Story 46 Beat Reporting with Michael Wallace 46 Game Day Sidebars 51 Feature Reporting 51 Context 52 Personalization 54 Magazines 55 Sports Magazines: Past, Present, and Future 56 Niche Magazines 59 Content 59 Sports Magazines with Sports Illustrated 63 The Print Experience 65 Print Reporting with Howard Schlossberg 65 References 68 viii Contents CHAPTER 4 Broadcast 71 Writing Strategies 71 Active Voice 71 Grammar 72 Words and Numbers 73 Simplicity 73 Solid Reporting 74 Broad Education 75 Creativity and Originality 75 Personalization 75 Using Sound 76 Outside Elements 77 Leads and Terminology 79 Packages, Voice Overs, and Voice Over/Sound on Tape 82 Voice Over 82 Voice Over/Sound on Tape 82 Packages 83 Scripting 84 Television 84 Radio 86 References 87 CHAPTER 5 The Internet 89 By the Numbers 89 Content Considerations 92 Functionality 92 Versatility 93 Uniqueness 95 Resources 96 Internet Sports Sites with Gary Kicinski 97 References 100 CHAPTER 6 Video and Visuals 103 Event Photography 103 Shooting on Location 106 Football 106 Basketball 109 Baseball 111 ix Contents Other Sports 113 Feature Photography 113 General Rules 115 Practicing 116 The Photography of NFL Films 118 Editing 118 References 121 CHAPTER 7 Anchoring and Play-by-Play 123 Anchoring 123 Control 124 Personality 125 Creativity 126 Entertain 127 Play-by-Play 128 Raised on Radio 132 The Electronic Eye 134 The Role of the Analyst 136 Final Advice 138 Style 138 Practice 138 People, Not Statistics 138 Play-by-Play with Ron Franklin 139 References 142 CHAPTER 8 Production 145 Daily Sports Production 145 Print 145 Broadcast 149 Daily Sports 149 Special Productions 158 Live Sports Production 159 Television Production 160 Chain of Command 163 Radio Production 173 Live Events 173 Sports Talk Radio 176 The Future 177 References 179 x Contents CHAPTER 9 Economics 181 The Bottom Line 181 The Ratings Game 182 New Approaches 186 Economic Synergy and Breakdown 189 References 193 CHAPTER 10 Public and Media Relations 195 The Sports Media Perspective 195 Local Media Information 196 On Campus 197 Sports Information with Mike Lageschulte 200 The Big Leagues 205 Sports PR with Gregg Ellis 206 The Public Relations Perspective 208 References 211 CHAPTER 11 Ethics 213 Conflict of Interest 214 Media Ownership 214 Boosterism 215 Relationships 217 Perks 219 Homers 219 Advertising 220 Other Issues 222 Manipulation and Honesty 222 Privacy 223 A Double Standard 225 The Bottom Line 226 References 227 CHAPTER 12 Gender and Race 229 Women’s Work 229 Crashing the Men’s Club 229 Sports Information with Heidi Soliday 234 “Sexploitation?” 237 xi Contents The Color of Sports 239 Minorities in the Media 239 The Reporting of Race 242 References 243 CHAPTER 13 Employment 247 The Bad News 247 The Numbers Game 248 The Money Pit 249 The Good News 250 Experience 251 Portfolios and Resume Tapes 253 Employer Expectations 255 Resumes, Cover Letters, and Interviews 256 Agents 260 Final Comments 261 References 263 Glossary 265 Index 275 xii About the CD-ROM This book’s companion Sports Video Tutorial CD-ROM was designed by Buzz Hoon as an instructional tool for college sports live event productions. Hoon originally created the CD-ROM for his Western Illinois University students. College productions present special challenges, since each semester brings with it a new student crew. While many students watch sports, they rarely recognize the responsibilities of the various cameras shooting a particular game. The tutorial includes suggestions for camera layout at basketball and football games. From the layout section, you can select a camera and see recommendations on field of view, framing, and other shot assignments. Several video examples are included on each camera. The narrative next to each video explains how the cameras work in unison for effective storytelling and a quality sports production. The tutorial also includes suggestions for shooting video at team practices. Enjoy! xiii Preface At the annual convention of journalism educators in Toronto in the summer of 2004, a movement began. Several educators and researchers met privately during the convention to discuss the state of sports media, and how to create a Journal of Sports Media. The journal would fill a niche in the academic and research commu- nity by focusing on all areas of sports media, including broadcasting, print, and the Internet. Several interesting observations came out of the meeting. No one can disagree that in the U.S. sports media touches almost every aspect of life. For example, the firestorm over Janet Jackson’s appearance at the 2004 Super Bowl eventually involved several issues, including popular culture, politics, government regulation, ethics, and economics. This is why the sports media are important in this country. From an economic perspective, the sports media are multi-billion dollar industries. Broadcast and cable networks currently have an 8-year, $17.6 billion contract to televise National Foot- ball League games to U.S. audiences. Other professional sports contracts for baseball, basketball, and hockey run into the hundreds of millions of dollars. The Entertain- ment and Sports Programming Network (ESPN) is a good example of the growth of sports media within the past 20 years. ESPN started as an obscure cable outfit in 1979, but has since grown into a powerful sports media conglomerate. ESPN now has 25 domestic and 6 international networks, and programs more than 10,000 hours of sports each year reaching into more than 200 million homes worldwide. In 2003, ESPN had revenues in excess of $2.8 billion. These high dollar figures indicate the importance American culture places on sports and sports media. The late sportswriter Leonard Koppett wrote, “As mass entertainment, sports plays a larger role in American culture than in any other society, past or present.” This is reflected in the fact that of five of the ten highest rated shows in television history are sporting events. What happens in the sports media can have profound consequences in American society, as witnessed by events of the 2004 Super Bowl. When Janet Jackson exposed xv Preface part of herself during the halftime show, it focused national attention on the issue of sports media and culture. Jackson, the National Football League, and the CBS network all received a tremendous amount of criticism for showcasing the event in prime-time network television. “I am outraged at what I saw during the halftime show of the Super Bowl,” said Michael Powell, then chairman of the Federal Communi- cations Commission (FCC).