Marc Zumoff, Broadcast Coach

Too old? Internships lead to broadcasting jobs

Attention college grads.  Those contemplating career changes in your 20’s, 30’s or even 40’s.  All of you who are dying for a career in television broadcasting, here’s an important note:

Become an intern.
   
We’ve talked many times before about the benefits of an internship for college undergrads.  But becoming an intern is also an option for those of you who think you’re too old to be one; those of you who would have expected to already be employed as a news or sports broadcaster.

The benefits of internships are myriad.  You learn on the job and you make wonderful connections.  The vast majority of News anchors and Sportscasters started their broadcasting careers as interns.  Some internships even lead directly to on-air positions. 

So, just because you’re older, you can still be an intern!  If you’re unemployed, become an intern and get another job to make money (you must have some other skills, right?).  And if you are employed, well, you have off time, including nights and weekends, correct?  Remember for you older folks, the time to hustle is even more imminent.  

One issue you might face as a college graduate is the fact that many media outlets require you to receive college credit for your internship.  If that’s the case, talk to a counselor at a local college or university and see if there isn’t something that can be worked out, be it taking a course or simply enrolling as a non-matriculating student.

Hey, just because you’re a grown-up, doesn’t mean you’ve outgrown becoming an intern.  Even if you’re older, you can still get the same on-the-job training and networking benefits, benefits which could soon land you on-the-air.

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Too old for Radio or TV broadcasting jobs.

Gatorade has been feeling wistful lately.  Or at least, they have a heart for former high school football players in their 30’s.  More specifically, giving former high school players in their 30’s a second chance.

You see this past weekend, two archrival high schools played a football game.  A springtime game played by guys who are hardly spring chickens.  These are grown men who once met on the football field in 1993.  And 15 years later, Gatorade brought members of the Easton Pennsylvania and Phillipsburg New Jersey high school football teams back to play, or perhaps more specifically, play it again.

It’s something men approaching middle age might only dream about.  Point is, Gatorade made a dream become reality.  And as someone in your 30’s, 40’s or even beyond, you can too. 

Maybe it’s the economy.  Maybe it’s a crisis of midlife.  Whatever the reason, it really doesn’t matter.  Fact is, I do get my share of inquiries from perspective clients in their 30’s, 40’s and even 50’s.  Often times, these are men and women who’ve always wanted to have careers in television broadcasting but, for one reason or another, never made it a career.  These people may have great jobs as doctors, attorneys, accountants or what have you, only to lament they never answered their earlier yearnings. Instead, they now look back, wishing they had taken the road “less travelled by” as Robert Frost wrote in his poem about important choices in life, “The Road Not Taken.” 

If you want a TV journalist career or radio career or you want to be a sports anchor, don’t be afraid to deal with those yearnings. Put them in perspective, assess your situation and your talent level then decide. Also appreciate that, as Steely Dan once said, you can “go back, Jack (and) do it again.” You’d be surprised at what can happen at your age.

As the late comedian Jack Benny once said, “Age is strictly a case of mind over matter. If you don't mind, it doesn't matter.”  And often times, it really doesn’t. 

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Harry Kalas: Indoor Soccer Announcer

“You get a one game audition,” said the program director of WPHL-TV to the 22-year old kid.  “You pass it, you got the job.  If you don’t, well…”
A gentleman named Zvi Shoubin spoke those words to me at a dinner for two in September, 1978.  The plan was to have me audition on Channel 17 for the position of play-by-play announcer for an indoor soccer team, the Philadelphia Fever.  And with my dream of becoming the voice of a pro sports team actually within reach, I was starting to get wigged out.

Maybe that’s why on that Saturday afternoon in Hartford, Connecticut when I left my hotel room to travel to the arena and meet my destiny, I did not meet the guy who was supposed to be my color analyst for that fateful telecast.  Instead, as I rendezvoused with the producer for game in the hotel lobby, he introduced me to a guy I grew up aspiring to be just like: Phillies voice Harry Kalas. 

Harry Kalas?  Well in retrospect, it all makes sense to me now.  Green as I was, the folks at Channel 17 weren’t about allow me to take my maiden voyage without an escort.  And so, as a favor, Harry agreed to fly to Hartford.  It didn’t matter what Harry may or may not have known about indoor soccer.  What mattered was that Harry was well-known to Philly.  He would not only give the telecast instant credibility, he’d be there to hold young Zumoff’s hand.  Channel 17 would have peace of mind knowing if the Zumoff kid screwed it up, Harry would be there to fix it. 

Little did they realize that working with Harry would make me even more nervous!  Why I remember 1971, being in 10th grade at George Washington High School in Northeast Philadelphia.  One March day, I ran home from school with a friend to switch on the radio and hear the first words of this brand new Phillies announcer doing a Grapefruit League game, this guy named Harry Kalas.  Even his first syllables were impressive.  My friend and I smiled at each other, knowing this guy was already good. 

The audition?  I passed it, though I can’t recall much about it.  What I do remember is the interaction with Harry after the game, the dinner he took me to, the bottle of wine we shared, his calming influence and his wonderful counsel. 

“Marc,” I recall him saying in that god-like Basso Profondo of his, “you did well, a great job.” 

Harry, so did you my friend.  So did you. 

Thanks for being there.

#   #   #

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Broadcasting Schools

Perusing the internet has left more questions than answers as it relates to the Connecticut School of Broadcasting.  Apparently, the school abruptly closed its doors and filed for bankruptcy in early March, only to reportedly re-open a couple of weeks later. 
I can’t say definitively whether the Connecticut School of Broadcasting is actually operating and when it does, if it’s actually for you.  What I can say is, if you’re thinking about enrolling, please be careful.  What I can also say is, if you’re a broadcast performer, we can help you to break into the business for less than a third of what it apparently costs to enroll in a broadcasting trade school.  And we specialize in highly-personalized, one-on-one coaching

At www.marczumoff.com, we hear your dreams and together with you, come up with a plan that helps you to achieve those dreams.  We’ll help you assess your education and experience, coach you in broadcast performance—be it news, sports or any other area of expertise—produce your demo DVD, craft your resume and then carefully coach you through the process of career development.  As we like to say, we’re personal, comprehensive and accessible.  We’re available by telephone, email or in-person consultation as often as necessary and for as long as it takes to help you break into the business.  And here’s the best part: we’re with you for the lifetime of your broadcasting career, helping you with coaching and career development long after your first gig. 

Trade schools?  For less than a third of the price, why not get private, personalized, thorough one-on-one coaching that will help you get where you want to be—that will help you achieve the dream you’ve always had?

Get in touch at www.marczumoff.com.  We’ll be happy to tell you all about it. 

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Producing a Demo

Just last week, one of our clients spent the day shooting stand-ups and interviews.  Soon, we’ll choose the stand-ups we like best, script the reporter packages and anchor segments, then hit the studio to put the finishing touches on what promises to be one terrific demo DVD. 

What’s it like preparing the material necessary to show your best?

Our first step is to coordinate with you exactly what your reporter stand-ups will look like, where they’ll be staged and just what you’ll be saying.  You then “script” the stand-ups--that is, you write out generally what you would like to say.  We then spend part of a single day shooting those stand-ups and any other “live shots” and interviews we want to put on your reel.

When that’s finished, we schedule you for a second half-day to record the voice-over segments for your reporter packages and we fire-up our studio for the anchoring portion of the reel which you have also scripted yourself. 

Soon, through the magic of editing, you have a bright and tight representation of your best work which you can show prospective employers.  You’ll receive a DVD as well as a special webpage.  You can e-mail the link for that webpage to news and sports directors and anybody else for quick downloading of your reel for viewing. 

But of course, that’s just part of it.  We then become your personal consultants every step of the way, plotting a course of action where you can meet the right people and network to the openings in one of the most competitive fields there is, broadcast performance.  We do this on your schedule, staying in constant contact with you via telephone, e-mail and personal consultations.  And we do it for as long as it takes.  Even after you land that first job, we’ll continue to look at examples of your work and give you feedback so you can improve and eventually move up in the business.  We do this for a lifetime, because that’s how long our agreement with you runs, literally for a lifetime!

Contact us at www.marczumoff.com and we’ll be happy to talk with you about how to start your career as a broadcast performer.   

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Take the job you don’t want

The radio newscaster was happy, delivering news in the afternoons and occasionally going out to municipal meetings and the like in the evenings.  It was a good gig at a solid, well-respected station in the market.  His boss was fair.  His co-workers were nice.  The equipment was good and the overall working environment was satisfactory. 

But being a radio newsperson had its limitations.  That is, it wasn’t exactly what he wanted to do in the business.  It wasn’t the perfect fulfillment of a lifelong dream.

Then one day, the newscaster got wind of the fact that the play-by-play voice for the college football and basketball team in the market had been relieved of his duties.   The station for which he was working was the voice of the school’s games and when he heard of these developments, he took swift action.  He literally walked down the hall to the station manager’s office, knocked on the door, entered the room and said, “I don’t mean to be presumptuous but I can do play-by-play and, well, I’m of the understanding you might need someone to do the games on our station.”

The station manager, in a pinch for somebody to broadcast the games, quickly acceded and the newscaster soon began fulfilling his lifelong passion of doing play-by-play sports. 

If you haven’t gathered by now, the announcer is me, and the lesson is simple.  Even though I had always wanted to be a play-by-play announcer, I’d spent the first five years of my broadcasting life as a newscaster.  Doing news gave me several advantages: experience in the areas of journalism, writing, reporting and being live on the air.  It also allowed me to be in the right place at the right time.  When the opening finally came, I was there ready to claim it.  Suffice it to say, I never went back to news again.

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll counsel you on all opportunities as part of a comprehensive method of developing your career as a broadcast performer. 

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Re-inventing TV

Recently, an article posted on a Chicago Tribune blog reported that news producers, writers and editors at an NBC-owned TV station in the Windy City had to reapply for new, multi-faceted positions.  The article said that staffers at WMAQ-TV were told this because of increasing demands to provide content not just for TV but the Internet, mobile devices and other emerging platforms.

Media are converging quickly.  Distribution channels are being developed at a rapid pace.  And with it are the demands for television news and sports people to be multi-dimensional in order to meet these demands.

That goes for broadcast talent as well.  At Comcast Sportsnet, the station that employs me as play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, I also have to fulfill requirements to provide content for the station’s website, csnphilly.com  http://www.csnphilly.com/pages/main.    This includes filing a video report on the team following every game and writing a weekly column on the Sixers called Zoo’s Views. 

Interestingly, I’ve also seen reporters in the field for the Philadelphia Inquirer newspaper filing video reports for their website as they experience their own media convergence.

The message for those of you trying to break into the business as broadcast performers is clear, come to the market equipped with a number of tools.  Be ready to write, learning through a combination of course work and experience at a school newspaper or other publication.  Also, be sure you know at least the rudiments of shooting and editing.  Of course, this latter point is true anyway given the fact that at many small market stations, one-man bands in the field are often commonplace.

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll help you to be prepared for the rapidly changing world of media, how it’s distributed and your role in it.

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Big Fish

It was a Friday night around midnight back in the day, and my best friend was taking my girlfriend out on a date.  I knew this because they’d come to visit me at a major market radio station where I was getting ready to work the overnight shift as a low-level assistant.  Funny thing was, I had already obtained a fulltime job as a radio newscaster at a nearby small market radio station.  But I was also working weekends—in effect, seven days a week.

This was the broadcasting equivalent of functioning as both a big fish in a small pond and as a small fish in a big pond.  In other words, I was working as a performer at a smaller market station while at the very same time, holding down a bottom-rung position at a major market station in the evenings and on weekends.

Because of this, I was unable to go out many weekends, hence my best friend accompanying my girlfriend on a date.  But at the time, I could see the bigger picture.  I had rationalized there eventually would be time to go out with friends.  I was young and this was the time to hustle. 

If you can possibly keep a foot in both a smaller market and larger market outlet at the same time—while getting adequate rest and maintaining your sanity of course—this could have a significant benefit on your career.  It’s simple really—while you’re getting your on-air experience at one place, you’re effectively “in the door” at a larger facility.  So, say after a year or so of being on the air at the smaller market station, you could begin to shuttle samples of your work to the people who matter at the larger station.  That process made so much easier by the fact that you’re in the door already, that you know the important people there and perhaps even more significantly, they know you. 

This is best accomplished by acquiring employment at a small station that’s within a reasonable driving distance of where you live and the larger place where you might work at other times.  If you can do that and put your social life on a temporary hold, it could have greater professional benefits for you in the future. 

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll help you with becoming a big fish in a small pond and a small fish in a big pond.  


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Obama: anything is possible

 
Trust me when I tell you, there are plenty of people who never thought they’d see an African American elected president of the United States.  “Not in their lifetime,” they thought. 
 
Barack Obama’s inauguration as the 44th President of the United States should serve as inspiration to all of us.  Partisan politics aside, it’s not about policy here.  It’s about a black man being elected to lead the most powerful nation on the globe—and who among us thought that was possible?
 
It’s time for a little idealism, especially since we’re living in a time in which we could use a heavy dose.  And while you’re at it, apply it to your desire to develop a career as a broadcast performer, an industry that, when you’re on the outside looking in, appears as though it’s sealed off by some sort of code. 
 
Before you summon up some of that idealism and optimism, base it on a little reality.  Watch the news or sports coverage in your neck of the woods and ask yourself, “Who are these people?”  Are they ordained somehow?  Are the blessed in some way that I am not?  Are they necessarily better-connected or even more talented? 
 
Remind yourself that those you are watching are regular people just like you.  More times than not, the breaks that they attained were earned; that they achieved what they achieved as much on just plain hard work as they did on talent—and a little idealism. 
 
Idealism helps to fuel dreams.  Dreams help to propel you into achieving a goal.  If you don’t visualize it, chances are you may not make it. 
 
Barack Obama had a dream.  Martin Luther King, Jr. had a dream.
What’s yours?
 
At www.marczumoff.com, a heavy dose of idealism comes free of charge.  It will help you achieve your dream of breaking into the business as a broadcast performer. 

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Versatility is key

“I want to anchor the news.”
“I’d love to do play-by-play sports.”
“I see myself as the next Oprah”

Goals?  Dreams?  Love ‘em.  Keep ‘em.  We should all have ‘em.  As the television play-by-play voice of the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers, I’m living my dream and so I consider myself one of the luckiest people on the face of the earth. 

But what about the journey?  How did I get where I am today?  Well, in no particular order, I was in radio as a news anchor and reporter with only limited play-by-play experience.  When I made the jump to television in the early 80’s, I assumed a number of duties that not only included anchoring and reporting but writing, producing, editing and even camera work. 

The ability and the willingness to become a versatile broadcaster was the key for me.  It allowed me an entrée into the business and ensured my viability.  While I never lost sight of my dream to become the voice of a professional sports team, I learned and subsequently embraced other aspects of the business.  Ultimately, it helped me to become a better sports announcer because I’d grown to appreciate other parts of the business.  I grew to respect the roles of others, hopefully making me a better teammate in the broadcast.  In all, it gave me an intrinsic appreciation for what it takes to produce any sort of program for television.   

As it relates to you, well, the dream or vision of playing a particular role as a broadcast performer will ultimately provide the drive you need to break into the business.  But your willingness to do other things will accelerate that career development and enable you to work in the business as you continue to work toward your ultimate goal.  If you’re worried about becoming “pigeon-holed” in a particular role that’s not necessarily your goal, well, that’s something you can deal with when the time comes.  Fact is, it’s much better to be in the broadcasting business—albeit in a particular position you might not ultimately want for the rest of your life—than to be on the outside looking in.  You can always work to eventually “cross over” into a position that, if not exactly what you’re ultimately looking for, could certainly be a lot closer to that ultimate goal.

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll help you to prepare for the versatility and flexibility that’s necessary to develop and ultimately flourish in your broadcasting career.

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Be Positive

It’s hard to be positive. Negativity can be so much easier. Just look at the odds that many people say you have of breaking into broadcasting! A thousand to one?  A hundred-thousand to one? A million to one?

It’s no wonder the world is full of motivational speakers. Negativity is often so pervasive that people often need help—either overcoming their own poor self-concept, their own doubt or simply, the overwhelming negative attitude pervasive in our own action space in particular and throughout society at large. 
I’m not asking you to ignore the reality of the situation. Breaking into broadcasting is a daunting task. It takes good performance coaching, a solid demo reel and the comprehensive networking skills we help to teach you at www.marczumoff.com.  But in order to put your total career development program into effect, you have to have a positive outlook. It’s a must.
 
Negativity will stop you in your tracks. Enlist all the help you can muster.  If you’re not positive about your situation in general, chances are you won’t get anywhere. Negative attitudes and negative energy are a waste and will handcuff you in your efforts to become a broadcast performer.
 
The best way to be positive is to surround yourself with positive people. Football and basketball teams have cheerleaders. Why not you? Pompoms aside, you need the support of people who believe in you and what you want to do for yourself. Parents and other family members, friends, business associates, whoever you choose, make sure you surround yourself with people who are…positive. Those nattering nabobs of negativity, well, you can’t avoid them.  But you can answer them with a positive position on your future that is not only embraced by you, but the majority of the people with which you spend your time.

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Breaking into broadcasting: success in a recession

The job of breaking into broadcasting is tough enough.  Now, you have to do it in the middle of a recession, a time when reduced revenues are forcing stations to cutback.  This not only shrinks the amount of jobs available, but it also swells the unemployment pool at the same time, especially with people who already have experience!

Before you get too bummed out, take heart.  The competition was going to be fierce no matter what.  So recession or not, you still need to be ready with the tools necessary to give you a leg up on the competition.  Here’s a review of some of the mandatory assets you will need to succeed in your quest to break in as a broadcast performer:

1.) Believe in yourself.  This is the first step, the foundation for success.  You have to believe that you can do the job, not only in the face of competition, but also in dealing with being rejected.  And as you probably know, you have to be lucky sometimes even to be rejected because telephone calls and e-mails are often never returned.
2.) Surround yourself with positive people.  This will help you to believe in yourself.  Negativity only leads to doubt and a drain on your energy.  Sports teams have cheerleaders.  Why not you?
3.) Have the right demo DVD.  This includes putting your best stuff first and having it professionally produced. 
4.) Network to the right people.  This includes scheduling informational interviews and constantly following up. 
5.) Remember the three P’s, Passion, Persistence and Patience

All of this won’t do anything for anybody’s 401k, but it will help increase your chances of breaking into the business as a broadcast performer, during or even after the recession.  At www.marczumoff.com, we provide lifetime assistance in all phases of the process that is, breaking into broadcasting. 


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Put your best stuff first

15 to 20 seconds. 

Sometimes, that’s all the time it took Paul Gluck to make a decision on someone’s career.  Gluck, currently an associate professor at Temple University’s School of Communications and Theater, was at one time a major market news director.  And he says when he had an opening and was judging demo reels that were sent his way, often times he would decide whether or not a person was worthy of being on the air at this station…

…in 15 to 20 seconds…

Recently, I had the privilege of speaking before one of Gluck’s classes at Temple.  When the subject of what to put on a demo DVD came up, the former producer, writer, executive producer, executive editor and V.P../ station manager spoke from years of experience, not to mention hundreds of hours of looking at demo after demo after demo.

This 15 to 20 second example is meant as a simple reminder for all of you who are feverishly editing demo reels and wondering what exactly to put on them.  While chances are a news or sports director will look at a bit more than the first 15 to 20 seconds, the principle is still the same: be sure to put your best stuff first.

Often, I recommend putting a montage of stand-ups at the top of your reel to give some quick depth and breadth to your work.  Ironically, Gluck told his class that when he was a news director, he had preferred at times to see a full report at the top of a reel. 

This is not meant to confuse you, only to enlighten you to the importance of putting your absolute best material first on a demo reel.  And that includes leaving out  any bad edits, video hits, graphic mistakes or other imperfections that might be present in some of your material.  While any or all of these errors might not be your fault, the fact that you are including them as examples of your work is your fault.  In other words, it might show a news or sports director that your judgment is clouded—that you’d be willing while working in his or her shop to allow these mistakes to hit air—and that’s simply not good. 

So no matter what it is, make sure you hit them with your best shot.  Whether it’s a montage, a full report or something else you’ve done, make it your best work.  Indeed for some, 15 to 20 seconds might be all the time you have. 

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll help you produce and edit fresh material for a demo reel to be sure you’re putting your best stuff, first. 

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Double-check everything

So here I am in Charlotte, broadcasting the 76ers-Bobcats game, and in my preparation for the telecast I run across the name of DJ Augustin. I find out the rookie from the University of Texas is playing pretty well, that he's a pure point who can score and I assume he pronounced his name AUG-US-TIN.

Not smart. 

Here I am, in broadcasting for 32 years and I'm making assumptions. It's the very thing I preach against--to never assume. And what do I do?  I get lazy.  I ended up pronouncing his name AUG-US-TIN.

Into the fourth quarter we go and after a basket by Augustin, I hear the PA announcer in the background yell, "DEE...JAY....AUG-US-TEEN. AUG-US-TEEN, I thought to myself, and the entire telecast I'd been saying AUG-US-TIN. Frankly, I had no one to be upset with but myself. 

OK, I'm human.  We all make mistakes. But mistakes like that are preventable with a little bit of work beforehand. What I should have done (and honestly, what I need to do more of) is to make certain accuracy checks like that are routine, even if the answers are what I expect them to be (i.e. how else do you pronounce Smith or Young?)

This lesson about double-checking, and accuracy in general, can be taken to cover areas like your own career development. For example, when writing a letter to a potential employer or informational interviewer, you need to be certain you have all of his or her information correct. That includes spelling, proper titles, address, etc.  And when you get on the telephone with or meet this person, you need to know how to correctly pronounce his or her name...beforehand.

Needless to say, as my example so poignantly shows, accuracy is of the utmost importance once you get into the business. News and sports anchors and reporters need to know their facts and pronunciations are correct.  It's not only critical in terms of accurate reporting, but continued inaccuracies or mispronunciations can call into question your credibility. 

So remember the carpenter's credo, measure twice, cut once. An ounce of prevention will help preserve a pound of accuracy. And again...the players name is D.J. AUG-US-TEEN.

Even though I made this mistake, at www.marczumoff.com, we teach aspiring broadcasters how to prevent them. Visit us, opt-in for our newsletter and tips on how to develop your career as a broadcast performer. 

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One-on-one

Last Thursday night (November 6), the 76ers were on national television while playing the Magic in Orlando.  It was an exclusive telecast, meaning our local telecast on Comcast Sportsnet Philadelphia was not permitted.  It gave me the chance to watch the game while sitting with and listening to Tom McGinnis, the 76ers outstanding radio play-by-play man.  It was a chance for me to hear McGinnis reinforce the importance of a broadcaster communicating one-one-one with his or her audience. 

McGinnis is one of the best in the business, conveying the descriptions and accounts of the game vividly for the radio audience.  But one of his best qualities is a quality that all broadcasters should embrace, be they sports or news, radio or television.  During brief stoppages in the action, McGinnis would digress, providing personal and at times intimate commentary of his views and opinions to the listening audience.  His remarks were directed as if he was speaking to me, the guy next to him, as if we were a couple of guys sitting in the stands watching an NBA game.  He wasn’t merely “broadcasting,” he was communicating.  And there is a difference.

Broadcasting in my mind takes me back to the 40’s, where many a newscaster, sportscaster or radio performer would “bark out” a performance, as if he or she was speaking to an audience of thousands or even millions.  While indeed that was the case then as it is now, it’s important to remember one thing: the viewer or the listener on the other end isn’t a thousand people; it’s simply one person, a person that’s receiving the message of a single person.  And that message is most effectively communicated when it’s done in a personal, one-on-one style. 

Admittedly, that’s not always an easy thing to do, especially when looking into a camera lens.  It can be difficult to visualize that there’s actually a single person “out there somewhere” who’s watching you talk and listening to what you have to say.  In this case, it’s incumbent upon the performer to indeed visualize such a scenario and to have your performance reflect this. 

This is something that could take time to accomplish.  If you’re an aspiring performer or even one who’s already employed in the business, watch or listen to your tapes with a critical eye and ear.  Try to imagine yourself on the other end, impartially watching and listening to what you have to say.  Ask other professionals to critique you as well and see if they perceive the image you’re ultimately looking for.  That image would be of a true communicator, delivering a message in a clear, concise, personal manner that makes the viewer or listener feel that they’re the only one in the audience.

At www.marczumoff.com, we help those developing their broadcast performance careers to become personal, one-on-one communicators. 

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Less is more

As a passionate, lifelong Phillies fan, I did something that many would consider somewhat odd.  On Wednesday night October 29, as the long-delayed Game 5 was coming to its intoxicating conclusion, as reliever Brad Lidge built strikes against Tampa Bay pinch-hitter Eric Hinske, I did not join in on the building crescendo of the crowd.  Normally a rambunctious fan, I instead grew quieter and quieter.  Finally, as Hinske went fishing after fate, swinging and missing at Lidge’s final offering, I stood perfectly still as the sights and sounds of delirium simply poured over me.  I wanted to drink it all in; to perceive this monumental moment with every molecule of my being.  And I did it by doing nothing at all.

Broadcasters—play-by-play sportscasters and even news and sportscaster on news programs—would be wise to utilize silence to enhance their broadcasts.  In terms of play-by-play men, Fox broadcaster Joe Buck is one of the best at doing this.  Frequently, the bigger the moment, the less he has to say, allowing the pictures to do the talking instead.  Finally, when he does add something, those few words he says stand out in bold relief. 

Even if the moment is not a huge one, many play-by-play announcers are advised to “lay out” on occasion during a telecast in order to allow the game to “breath” a little.  Again, the less you say in general, the more meaning your words will take on when you finally do speak.  Even for radio play-by-play men, laying out a bit during the action to allow the fans to hear the sounds of your game or to say nothing after a goal, home run, touchdown or big basket and allow the crowd to fill the void, many times makes for great radio. 

To some extent, news and sportscasters would be wise to allow a little “breathing room” too.  Take written copy for example.  Sometimes during an on-camera segment, a slight pause or a simple gesture might bespeak a lot more than all of those words, words, words you’re trying to cram in.  

So, don’t fall in love with the sound of your own voice.  Instead, when you sense an exciting moment in a sporting event or perhaps you feel yourself needing a proper pause in the copy you’re writing, allow it to happen. 

At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll show you that many times, in any sort of broadcast, less is actually more.

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Q: How to break into sportscasting? A: Get a famous Dad

In 1988, Kirk Gibson’s pinch hit home run in Game 1 of the World Series caused the late sportscaster Jack Buck to bellow “I can’t believe what I just saw!” At the time, his 19-year old son Joe was an undergraduate at Indiana University.  Just six years later, Joe Buck would follow in his dad’s footsteps.  He would become the youngest announcer ever to broadcast a regular slate of NFL games when he was hired by the Fox network.  At the time, Joe Buck was just 25 years old. 

It’s easy to shout “nepotism!” here.  And I think it’s relatively safe to say Joe Buck might not be in the position of a seasoned, award-winning network announcer if not for being the progeny of a sportscasting father.  In fact, Joe himself half-jokingly said in a recent issue of a newsletter published by the American Sportscasters Association that the secret to breaking into the business is being the son of a famous, sportscasting father! 

Fact is, Joe Buck is great at what he does.  And the fact that he’s performing at a network level (much like Kenny Albert, Marv’s son) should not be held against them.  What I’m saying is, it’s not their fault they are who they are and that their fathers’ positions gave them the opportunity to have a leg up.  It’s when you get that leg up, then the question becomes, can you stand on your own two feet?  Can you deliver the kind of performance that’s tantamount to the level at which you’re working?  The answer in both Joe Buck and Kenny Albert’s case is a resounding—you’ll pardon the expression Marv Albert—YES!

No matter who you are in this life, especially if you’re trying to make your way in an ultra-competitive area like broadcast performance, there’s no such thing as an unfair advantage.  The thing to remember for most of you who don’t have famous broadcasting parents is you too can make your own advantages.  This is done through a logical, thorough system of networking to the right contacts that can help you develop your career.

Who’s your  Daddy?  At www.marczumoff.com, we’ll tell you it really doesn’t matter.  Instead, we’ll help you develop your career as a broadcast performer despite your genealogy.

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News or Sports?

So there was Dorothy in the movie Wizard of Oz, walking the Yellow Brick Road, when suddenly the path divided in two.  “Which way to go,” she wondered, when suddenly a voice yelled out, “Some people go both ways.”  With that, we could see the smirking Scarecrow, hanging on his cross,with his arms crossed in front of him, indeed pointing BOTH ways...

Among broadcast performers, some people profess a passion for news.  Others are sports freaks.  But some share an interest in both.  So the question become, “which way to go?”  Perhaps the Scarecrow has the right answer.

I can’t say for sure—I haven’t polled every news or sports director in the country--but I’m reasonably sure a demo DVD that has both news and sports elements to it would be OK.  Let’s put it this way, one of our clients is trying it because he feels comfortable and confident performing in either genre.

Even though I’ve been a play-by-play announcer for nearly 15 years and a sportscaster for 28 years, I’d actually spent about the first five years of my career as a broadcast performer exclusively in news.  In truth, I made the transition rather seamlessly, having wanted to be in sports all along.  Being a lifelong sports fan didn’t hurt either.  In fact here in Philadelphia, a major market, two prominent performers made the transition from sports to news while on the air here in Philly.

 Point is, if you can perform, chances are you can be equally comfortable in either news or sports.  And, if your demo DVD reflects both, it would seem to figure you’re making yourself eligible for that many more openings as well.

 By the way, that client of ours who’s producing a demo DVD of both news and sports—we’ve just started on the production.  You’ll see the results of our efforts and be able to view that demo on his client page in the coming months.  Check back frequently here, at Marc's site.

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Buyer Beware

Podcasting.  Professional or amateur, good voice or bad, youcan be a podcaster.  But buyer beware—that downloaded software you’re using to produce your podcasts…well…you might not “own” as much of that software as you think.

I recently discovered this the hard way.  I had been using Roxio’s Record Now Premiere software to record voice-overs for my professional work.  The software had proven to be relatively easy to use and I was able to record commercials and other production work with relative ease.

The Roxio Record Now software was on my laptop.  Recently, I had to have some updates done on the laptop so the hard drive was completely re-done.  That meant everything on the hard drive was going to be erased, including the Roxio software.  No problem, I thought.  I have all of the necessary registration numbers and security codes necessary since I’d properly purchased the software online.  I figured when I get my laptop back I’ll just go to Roxio’s website and re-download the Roxio Record Now software.

So, my laptop is returned, I go to the website and I put in all the necessary codes and passwords in order to re-download the software.  In fact, on the website, there are specific instructions in case you need to re-download software.  However, when I went through all the hoops and hurdles and got to where I needed to be, I was not able to re-download the software.  Instead, up comes a message that tells me I exceeded the 30-day limit for downloading the program.  In other words, when you first buy the program, Roxio then gives you 30-days to do the download.  If you don’t do the download within the 30-day period, you have to purchase the program AGAIN! 

Fortunately, I had another audio software package manufactured by Sony called Sound Forge, and I was able to re-download that without a problem. 

The moral of the story?  If you have to re-do your hard drive or if you want a copy of the software you already purchased for a second or third computer you own, make sure there’s no deadline for re-downloading the software package.  If not, you might have to buy what you already purchased…again!

At www.marczumoff.com, we help you navigate other pitfalls, especially those related to the task of trying to break into television or radio as a broadcast performer.  Visit us today!

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Keep your ego out of it

By all accounts, Larry Mendte had it good.  He was making huge dollars anchoring the 6 and 11pm newscasts for CBS3 in Philadelphia.  A native of nearby Lansdowne, Delaware County, he had come home in July 2003 to help improve the station’s ratings.  He is married to another local news anchor.  Indeed, life was good.

But in late May, reports surfaced that Mendte was under federal investigation.  Authorities reportedly searched his home and confiscated his personal computer.  He had allegedly accessed the private e-mail account of his former co-anchor on the evening news, Alycia Lane.

Mendte is innocent until charged and subsequently proven guilty.  But the point of this exercise is, what if the charge is proven to be true?  And if so, why on earth would somebody of his prominence stoop to this level?

Hopefully, it wasn’t ego.  Ego—that force within all of us that cries to be stroked, soothed and satisfied.  It’s what drives many of us to get into the business of being broadcast performers. 

When I was in college, just hoping somehow, someway to break into broadcasting, someone told me he wasn’t even going to try for a broadcasting career because—as he put it—that business is just a jungle of egos.  And maybe it is.  But that doesn’t mean you have to be Tarzan.

We all have egos.  Nobody is ego-less.  Basically, I think it’s those who can control their egos who end up being the better for it.  Let ego drive you certainly, but only to a point.  Don’t let it interfere with friends or co-workers.  Don’t allow it to ruin your career, as it has for some.  Find a way to channel that ego until it—shall we say—calms down.  Hopefully, you’ll look back on the hurt your ego felt and look at the experience as what it really is--just another instance of pettiness.

Dealing with problems of the ego as it relates to developing your broadcasting career is just one of the many issues we tackle at www.marczumoff.com.