You can't have one without the other, right? I read two fascinating books that cover the relationship between the sport and the medium, each with its own distinct angle.
Terry O'Neil's 1989 autobiography, "The Game Behind the Game : High Stakes, High Pressure in Television Sports" covers how professional football is presented on a network television broadcast. O'Neil is a former director and producer at ABC Sports and CBS Sports; after this book's publication, he went on to head NBC Sports and was the brains behind the notorious "plausibly live" Olympic coverage in Barcelona that ushered in an era of tape-delay to maximize U.S. ratings. He then joined the ownership of the New Orleans Saints and now...Well, his Google trail has gone cold. Anyone know what he's up to these days?
"The Game Behind the Game" is a great read. I was lucky enough to grab it for 67 cents in a used book shop, but if you can track it down, it's worth much more. It's not all about broadcasting the NFL--he starts the book with compelling stories about the infamous 1972 Munich Olympic Games and has memorable stories about the Pan-Am Games--but that is the heart of his account. He gives himself a lot of credit for developing many of the innovations we take for granted now, but he apparently deserves it, and he is also honest about his mistakes.
O'Neil discusses the development of the Pat Summerall/John Madden broadcast team, the telestrator known as Madden's CBS Chalkboard, and how he introduced the notion of comprehensive game-week preparation for Sunday games. It's a given now that announcers and key technical personnel will arrive early on site and set up shots, interview coaches, etc., but O'Neil shows us how a complacent CBS could let a director arrive in town on the day of a playoff game to guide the day's coverage.
Anyone interested in sports on TV should read this book. You get a reminder of just how passionate and good John Madden was in his prime, as he's a vivid presence here. It's great reading about how committed he was to relating the essence of the sport to the viewers, and it's a riot learning how hypercompetitive he was in the touch football games the crew played.
You get all sorts of entertaining and insightful glimpses into the behind-the-scenes aspects of TV sports production, both during the game and in the boardrooms. All this, plus a little gossip about legendary figures like Howard Cosell and Brent Musburger. O'Neil knows TV, and he knows football, and his well-written memoir is essential. I only wish he had done a follow-up with more details on other sports, as well as his tenure at NBC.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
2 comments:
A behind the scenes look at the inside of sportscasting, broadcasting, and journalism would be essential to anyone wanting to be in this line of work. So getting trained with professionals working on live projects would be the key to not just networking, but also tricks of the trade from those who know. It's better than reading a book or sitting behind a desk with 30-200 other people while trying to learn.
Yet, finding a door to a great career in sportscasting and radio broadcasting is about the getting the best training. And getting connected inside the industry would be the first place to start. Radio Connections Programs starts underneath a professinal in a matchmaking service for your career choice. They are located across the USA and Canada. http://www.radioconnection.com
Knowing people inside the industry will be helpful when handing someone your resume. It’s an upper-hand that you need today. For 25 years Radio Connections has been providing cutting edge education in all forms of radio and broadcasting skills in The U.S., Canada and the U.K. The Radio Connection is also fully accredited through The National Private School Accreditation Alliance (NPSAA) and has been recognized by SLM Financial / Sallie Mae (the world’s leading lender for loans for college) as an institution of higher learning worthy of their full support and partnership. We also are proud to be fully recognized by the Better Business Internet Bureau and ICOP as a valid program with an outstanding record. Just take a second to look at the comparison chart among top Radio Schools/Programs http://www.radioconnection.com/radio-comparisons.html and find out why they work for you and for today.
Why thank you, regular reader with an interest in the subject matter who commented because of the post itself and not to futher an agenda of any kind!
Post a Comment