Behind the scenes of Liverpool comeback from sportscasters perspective
It’s probably up there with the Miracle on Ice, the 2004 ALCS or maybe even Tiger Woods most recent Masters triumph. Comeback stories are the…
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The Art (and strategy) of perfecting the soccer goal call
GGOOOOOOOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL!!!!!! Honestly when you think of ‘soccer’ and ‘goal call’, chances are you immediately go to the prolonged scream that you hear from Mexican, South…
Joe Buck speaks on silence, homerism and peeing
Joe Buck might be the most polarizing character in American sports broadcasting. Everyone in the industry has some sort of opinion on him and fans…
Mets PA Announcer delivers custom introductions during pandemic
With sport around the world essentially on an indefinite hiatus thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, many sports broadcasters are finding different ways to share their…
Work from home: Produce broadcast TV at home
Today we’re going to learn about technical broadcast production from Conan O’Brien. Ok not quite, however the quarantine has forced many talk show hosts to…
Voice over editing: one simple trick for your recordings
Whether it’s pre-game intros or scripted reports, we’ve all had to voice over some elements for our broadcasts. They can go easily or be long-drawn…
How to Improve Your Skillset During Quarantine
Quarantine. Social Distancing. Coronavirus. COVID-19. That’s all that’s flooding our feeds, our inboxes, and unfortunately our lives. There’s no doubt how big of an impact…
How often should you say the time and score?
When everything else is equal…when voice and vocabulary and veracity are all comparable, the ability to seamlessly work in the time and score of a…
Three tips to protect your sportscasting gear investment
For those lucky enough to own your own equipment, you know it’s an investment. For anywhere between $500 and $5000 you can purchase a couple…
Al Michaels’ “Miracle on Ice” call: Behind the scenes
It’s a call that’s stood the test of time. Al Michaels’ iconic “miracle on ice” call from the 1980 Winter Olympics, on home ice in…
Handling breaking news on the air
On Saturday October 27th, 2012, I was broadcasting a game between my team and a divisional rival on the road. The game itself wasn’t overly…
Nicknames and First Names; How to Use Them
Dale Carnegie once wrote, “A person’s name is to him or her the sweetest and most important sound in any language.” As sportscasters, we say names more than anything else throughout…
Am I Being Too Harsh? Credibility in the Booth is the Lowest Ever
The ‘Am I Being Too Harsh’ series is your chance to talk about today’s sportscasting current events. We want to hear your thoughts! Head on…
Broadcasting different sports: what can you learn?
It’s common wisdom for athletes to cross-train. Seldom to the world’s best focus strictly on one sport, twelve months a year…they branch out, they try…
Resources to achieve your sportscasting resolutions
Happy New Year (almost)! January 1st is a great time to stop and reflect on the year just gone, as well as the year to…
The challenge of getting ‘in the zone’ on air
Get in the zone. It’s great advice for new sportscasters. Players know it, they know when they’re in the zone. For sportscasters, our location of…
Five must have sports broadcasting apps
Technology has come leaps and bounds in recent years with countless ways developing to get online, share information, stream, broadcast and present. Everyone has a…
Three life hacks for sportscasting road trips
Being a sportscaster and road trips go together like peanut butter and jelly (unpopular and unrelated opinion: I hate peanut butter and jelly). In fact…
25+ Stocking Stuffers for Sportscasters under $25
Christmas is right around the corner. With that comes (hopefully) a bit of time off to spend with family and friends, eating way too much…
The Hunt for the Perfect Call
Before every single broadcast, we put together hours of prep, research dozens of players, and comb through previous games looking for the diamonds in the…
Crafting a cover letter to apply for sportscasting jobs
Applying for sportscasting jobs can be extremely stressful. There is a lot of competition paired with minimal opportunity to stand out from the crowd. That’s…
Questions to ask a coach in a post-game show
In November 2016, Sportscaster Life wrote about questions to ask a coach before a game. It’s consistently one of the most searched for and asked…
How to deal with losing your sportscasting job
Losing your sportscasting job is a horrible feeling. Whether you’re fired, laid off or squeezed out, losing your ability to broadcast live sports can leave…
Three things to tell an aspiring sportscaster
Recently I had the opportunity to speak to a high school class on the nature about sportscasting. The class was filled with grade 10 and…
Vrooman family affair with Portland junior hockey team
Imagine having an immensely experienced sportscasting mentor available to you 24/7 in your own home. For Todd Vrooman, that was a reality with his father…
Scripting: When It’s Okay To Read Prepared Text
We work in a business which relies on our skills to swifly describe what we see to those who aren’t in attendence, so it might…
Broadcast Prep: How to cover the bare essentials
In an ideal world, your broadcast prep would be expansive, detailed, well researched and organized in a way that allows you to easily reference or…
Erin Andrews succeeding in a male dominated industry
For many, Erin Andrews has become synonymous with sportscasting. A fixture on just about every network in the United States, Andrews hosts a wide array…
Stay in the Moment: Not Getting Ahead of Your Call
In the past decade or so, the idea of instant replay and this notion of constantly checking and double checking plays has had a negative…
What’s the worst sportscasting booth setup you’ve had?
If you follow Sportscaster Life on Twitter, you may have noticed on Friday afternoon we sent out a tweet for followers to offer up topics…
Be Ready for Anything when you’re on air
Sports is something where anything can happen, and as sports broadcasters, we have to be ready for anything that might occur before, during or after…
Tips on Being a Helpful Sportscast Host
At times, being on the road can be rather stressful for a sportscaster. Whether it’s a new venue that you’ve never been to before or…
Jason Benetti living dream as White Sox announcer
Sportscasting for a career is a dream for many young broadcasters…especially at the major leagues. But for Jason Benetti, the path to the show not…
What’s your broadcast horror story?
It’s Halloween. A day to celebrate all things scary and spooky. When it comes to sports broadcasting, few things are truly ‘scary’. However there is…
Preparing for a major broadcast
A few weeks ago, the eyes of the state of Indiana were on New Palestine High School. Charlie Spegal, the Dragons’ senior running back, entered the…
Three words you should stop using on air
Do you ever find yourself going back over audio or video and finding words you hate, words you should stop using? The average sports broadcast…
Live Look-In: A Q&A With An NHL Broadcaster
As a hockey broadcaster myself, it’s no stretch to imagine what the ultimate goal is. To broadcast in the NHL. It’s what many of us…
Self-Critiques and How To Do it Right
Like any good broadcaster, I self-critique. Simply put, it’s a vital part of doing this job to the best of our abilities. How else can…
Social Media Language: We vs Them
Let’s start a debate about social media language. In the past, Sportscaster Life has covered the various aspects of social media. How to create cool…
Writing Five Different Types of Sports Stories
For most of us, along with the sportscasting comes many other duties including sports writing. We’re tasked with being our team’s media relations manager, as…
Communicating With Your Color Analyst
A little while ago, Alex talked about the differences between broadcasting a game solo versus having a go with a partner. Sometimes, the most difficult…
Producer and Play-by-play: When you’re on your own
“… with 12:25 left in the second period, the Fuel lead Kalamazoo 2-1. You’re listening to Indy Fuel hockey.” For years, the outcue is a signal…
Do you need a sportscasting degree?
Having a college degree can be a major asset in your career. Studies suggest a college degree opens up more avenues for job growth, more…
Mauro Ranallo rides sportscasting wave
There are few challenges in sportscasting as demanding and unique as broadcasting professional wrestling, and one of the best is Mauro Ranallo. As we’ve discussed…
Five Non-Broadcasting Friends To Have in Your Corner
Sometimes when networking or building a book of connections, we forget that it’s not only coaches who can help us advance our careers and improve…
Networking: Four examples of why it works
Ask any professional worth their salt and they’ll tell you the number one thing that is required in just about ANY industry to move up…
Broncos broadcaster had hardest job in sportscasting
Put yourself in Humboldt Broncos broadcaster Rory McGouran’s shoes at the start of the 2018/19 junior hockey season. You’re in your first year with a…
My Pocket Notebook Makes Me a Better Sportscaster
Anyone who’s known me long enough knows that since high school, some 13 years ago, I’ve always had a small notebook tucked in my back…
Positivity in Play-by-Play
I grew up a fan of the Chicago Cubs and Buffalo Sabres, so it goes without saying that my childhood sports fandom was full of…
Three Personal Traits for Sportscasting Success
Being a sportscaster is perhaps one of the most unique jobs on the planet. Few people in the world get to experience the thrill of…
How eSports broadcasting is changing the game
Ten, or even five years ago, the notion of giving eSports the same attention and coverage as traditional sports would have been absurd. Who wants…
10 Tips to Keep Your Equipment In Good Health
For many winter sports broadcasters, the season is right around the corner. As for the summer sports gang, the season may soon be coming to…
Broadcast backups for when things go wrong
The single most important thing a broadcaster can do is prepare. You’ll see it all the time in spotting charts and research on teams and…
World Cup to set new broadcast benchmark
The Rugby World Cup kicks off today in Japan. It’s the 7th most viewed sporting event on the planet, behind things like the Olympics, the…
Why Broadcast Positions Get Axed and How to Avoid It
There’s a trend in the broadcasting and the media world which might have many of us scared. More and more teams are axing the play-by-play…
Point A to Point B: The Secret to the Industry
How do I get my dream job? The million-dollar question above has been asked for years and many people provide different answers depending on their…
National Anthem: To air or not to air
Just about any sporting event, in any venue around the world, at any level will begin with one thing. The National Anthem. Whether the Star…
NFL 100: A Century of Iconic Broadcasting
One of the more interesting things, I think, about the American sports landscape is the NFL. Of the major four sports, the NFL is the…
Finding Inspiration in Other Sports
As sportscasters, we’re often told to vary our words and phrases to keep viewers/listeners engaged and sometimes the inspiration to say new things lies in…
Why testing equipment before a game is crucial
The notion of testing equipment is somewhat of a no-brainer for me. You arrive at the venue, you setup and test your equipment. But I…
12 Things to Ask Before Pursuing Voice-over Work
Let’s face it, sportscasting alone rarely pays all the bills. Countless sportscasters need to supplement their sportscasting dream by pursuing things like sales or marketing…
Tell Me I’m Wrong: Silence is Golden
Tell me I’m wrong, but this might be the most ‘perfect’ game winning call in the history of sportscasting. And it’s because of silence. The…
Excitement and Passion In the Booth
I’m a firm believer in measured excitement. In fact, previous articles on Sportscaster Life have focused on keeping your cool on air, and not being…
Three Secondary Skills To Aid in Job Security
A while back, we discussed the importance of secondary skills in sportscasting, the notion that sportscasters could no longer just rely on being the voice…
The Importance of Secondary Skills in Sportscasting
Today we’re back and talking about secondary skills. It’s been over a month since Sportscaster Life saw some new content posted. A website that has…
Talking with Coaches After Tough Incident
One of the most challenging aspects of sportscasting has to be dealing with coaches. If there is a bigger ‘chalk and cheese’ in sports media,…
The Best (Non-Skype) Options for Podcasting
Podcasting over the last few years has grown from a fringe segment of the audio market to a mainstay and multi-million dollar enterprise. What started…
The Five Basic Principles of Sportscasting
I truly love sportscasting. The thrill of being live, the satisfaction of executing a great game broadcast and the joy of getting paid to watch…
Behind the Scenes of Super Bowl LII
Sunday’s dramatic Super Bowl 52 between the Eagles and Patriots was from all accounts one for the history books. Both offences marched down the field…
Diary of a Sportscaster: The Last Seven Days
Regular readers on Sportscaster Life may have noticed a bit of a lull through the latter stages of January and into the start of February.…
When an Analyst Ruins Great Moments
The importance of the relationship between a play-by-play announcer and a colour analyst can’t be understated. Analysts allow play-by-play guys to focus on sculpting the…
Handy Life Hacks for Sportscasters
Although I have no way to prove it, I had been thinking of this topic for a while before Logan Anderson and his excellent sportscasting…
Broadcast Bucket List: Sports I Want to Call
It’s 2018 and with the turn of the calendar year, comes the making of New Years Resolutions. I’m personally not one to make many resolutions,…
Self Critique Score Sheet for Better Broadcasts
As one year closes and another one begins, many people often look ahead to the year to come and set resolutions or goals for the…
Business Savvy Key to Career Success
Forging a career in sports can be incredibly difficult. Not only do you have to have the drive, talent and dedication to make it happen,…
Three Packing Tips for Sportscasters
For many sportscasters, travel comes with calling games. Whether it’s a quick trip down the road to the high school gym, or a cross continental…
Keys to Creating a Personal Brand
One of the most crucial, yet overlooked aspects of sports broadcasting is the creation and development of a personal brand. A successful brand is your…
Your Boss Is Leaving, Now What?
It happens in every industry across the world, and it happens to all of us at least once in our professional lives. There will come…
The Tech Behind Live Streaming
Note: The post on Live Streaming contains affiliate links to products on Amazon. If you purchase products using these links, a small percentage of the…
Tell Me I’m Wrong: Spotting Boards Don’t Matter
Tell me I’m wrong…but your spotting boards do not matter. Ok. Let me clarify. Spotting boards are a crucial part of any sportscasters prep. They…
On the Road with Junior Hockey Broadcaster
The life of any professional sportscaster can be a bit of a lonely one, constantly on the road. Sure you’re surrounded by countless athletes, coaches…
How to Incorporate Live Streaming into your Broadcast
Live streaming is the way of the future, so much so that it’s already the way of the present. Our cell phones can go live…
The Best Shortcut to Finding A+ Demo Reel Material
Building a demo reel can be an extremely tedious task. You not only need to follow a lot of the rules associated with producing a…
Calling Games Solo vs With Colour Analyst
There is a huge difference between calling games on your own and having a colour analyst in the booth with you. Chances are throughout a…
Radio Finding New Place in Audio Landscape
In 1979, the Buggles claimed that video had killed the radio star. In many ways they were right. However nearly 40 years later radio is…
Dealing with Bad Injuries On Air
In the light of Gordon Hayward’s ankle injury on national television to essentially open the NBA season, the topic of injuries is front and centre in…
Tell Me I’m Wrong: Toughest Sport to Call
Tell me I’m wrong…but I think that golf is the toughest sport to broadcast. It’s certainly one of the most challenging to produce. In my…
Ways to use LinkedIn to Advance your career
In terms of social media, places like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram are king for networking, sharing and photo-ing your world. But for professionals, the Facebook…
Call Any Game, Anywhere With Spalk
The following article is sponsored by Spalk – Crowd Sourced Sports Commentary. To learn more, you can visit http://www.spalk.co. Imagine broadcasting any event, anywhere in…
Mantar Bhandal’s Ride Junior Hockey to the NHL
This one is quite close to home. Mantar Bhandal was the voice of the Merritt Centennials during the 2016/2017 season of the British Columbia Junior…
Delivering Crystal Clear Audio to Radio Station
For thousands of sportscasters across North America, their broadcast seasons have recently gotten underway. Whether football, basketball or hockey this time of year, there is…
The Legacy and Career of Dave Strader
Earlier this month, legendary NHL voice Dave Strader passed away at the age of 62 after a long battle with bile duct cancer. As to…
Why Players Turned Broadcasters Ruin Sportscasting
There is a disturbing trend in sportscasting that is both worrying for existing professionals and aspiring sportscasters, and it’s the increasingly large presence of former…
Female Sportscasters Fight Constant Uphill Battle
For the last few years there has been a revolution brewing with not only women’s sports, but women in sport. More female sports athletes are…
Four Announcers You Should Follow on Social Media
Although most of society utilize Social Media as a way to connect with friends, share photos and to look at crying jordan memes… Learning can…
Tips for ‘Op-ing’ Your Own Radio Broadcasts
If you’re lucky enough to have regular radio broadcasts, then you are well versed in the advantages and disadvantages of having a board op back…
When Sportscasting is More Than Just Calling Games
Not too long ago, Sportscaster Life contributor Ryan Lepper talked about his time in Junior A hockey and how he balanced wearing various hats. He…
Sports Talk Hosts “Click-baiting” On Air
Last week, Jon Chelesnik over at STAA posted a short video (part of his “Fired Up Sportscasting” series) on sports talk. The video promoted the…
Handling Training Camp as a Sportscaster
Late August and early September mean many hockey, football and basketball teams are holding their annual training camp. It’s an opportunity to shift back into…
Prep for a New Season and Four Things to Consider
If you’re like me, August means two things. Hot temperatures with plenty of time in the area lake/river/ocean. And secondly, having one eye on the…
Superstitions in the Broadcast Booth
In sportscasting, there are two main questions that broadcasters will debate on until the end of time. First, is Joe Buck a good sportscaster? And…
Tech Tips: Photography for Sportscasters
Having the ability to troubleshoot your own technical issues, or being able to bring secondary skills to the table can be a huge asset in…
How to Handle Championship Celebrations
Players play for a championship. To win that last game of the season, to raise a trophy above their head and to raise a banner…
Five Ways a Broadcaster Can Kickstart Their Career
Editors Note: This article was submitted to Sportscaster Life by John Vicari, a High School Senior and broadcaster looking to pursue a career in sportscasting.…
Three Favourite Sportscasting Venues
On a recent podcast involving Say the Damn Score’s Logan Anderson and a couple of other sportscasters, the topic of favourite places to visit came…
Passing the Torch, Knott’s Legendary Career
He might not be a household name, but what a career it’s been for Virginia high school PA announcer Bill Knott. 51 years at the…
Broadcasting Games off a Monitor
A couple of weeks ago I had a unique opportunity. From my home office in Powell River, British Columbia, Canada…in my pyjamas…I broadcast group stage…
Women Taking Advantage of Broadcast Landscape
Women’s sports have undergone a revolution of sorts in recent years. The rise and prominence of genuine female sports stars on the level of their…
Three Types of Mentors You Can Benefit From
You might have heard the phrase “self-made man” thrown around from time-to-time. Personally, I have a problem with the term. In my mind, there is…
Five Alternatives to Soundcloud for Sportscasters
For those that missed it, news broke last week that indicated Soundcloud, the popular audio sharing network, only had enough money to survive for a…
Advice from Vin Scully to Dodgers Replacement
It’s no secret the love that the sportscasting fraternity, and sports fans in general, have for Vin Scully. The now retired LA Dodgers broadcaster for…
Staying “On” During the Off-Season
If you’re a fall/winter sportscaster like me, you may be smack in the middle of a much-deserved off-season. If you’re a spring and summer sportscaster…
Tech Tips for Sportscasters: Audio Cables
Having the ability to troubleshoot your own technical issues can be a huge asset in many ways. First, it makes your more valuable to an…
Importance of a Summer Break for Sportscasters
Summer. It’s that time of year that makes me both happy and sad as a sports broadcaster. It’s sad because high school sports is finished…
Know Your Role and Shut Your Mouth
Former WWE superstar and current Hollywood box office draw Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson famously said “know your role and SHUT YOUR MOUTH!” during his wrestling…
Five Places to Find Your Dream Job
Getting that big break, or earning your way up the sports broadcasting ladder can be a real challenge. You have to practice, gain experience, network,…
Doc Emrick Q&A After Sports Emmy Win
We here at Sportscaster Life love Doc Emrick. A search of Doc Emrick on the website yields 16 (now 17) different stories where he’s either…
Getting a Career Started Yourself
One of the most common questions we get here at Sportscaster Life is “how do I get started and become a sportscaster?“. It’s one of…
Five Things Sportscasters are Tired of Hearing
Sportscasting is an amazing job. We get paid to watch sports, witness incredible moments and tell stories. We get to travel extensively and in some…
The Key to Creating your Personal Brand
Ask anyone who has been involved in media or sportscasting for a while and they’ll tell you how important networking is in this industry. In…
Teams Creating Their Own Broadcast Opportunities
Consistently over the past decade, the internet has become a bigger and bigger part of the sports media landscape. Just recently, the NFL steered away…
Setting Up OBS for Live Stream
It was unplanned, but last night Managing Editor Alex Rawnsley did a live stream on Facebook Live. There are always lots of questions about streaming…
Sportscasting vs Being a Homer
Being a homer is one of my sportscasting pet peeves. Sportscasters are story tellers first and foremost, so I always wonder how homer sportscasters can…
What to expect when you’re expecting (a Sportscasting Job)
Entering the world of sportscasting can be a very exciting time. You’ve put in countless hours of volunteer and contract work and you’re on the…
Following a Legend of Sportscasting
Finally getting your big break and calling games at the highest level your sport has to offer is a daunting enough task. Making that step…
How to Get Fired from Sportscasting
There is lots and lots and LOTS of talk about getting hired in Sportscasting. Take a look at the top Google searches for sportscasting and…
High School Sports Broadcasters get early start
They say that it doesn’t matter how good you are, how much experience you have…there’s always someone younger and cheaper ready to take your job.…
Thank You Coach (A Sportscasters Guide to Coaches)
Growing up we all played for at least one good coach. Good coaches not only helped us with our skills on the field or court…
How to Create GIF Highlights for Social Media
One of the more popular media choices for teams and sportscasters over recent years is actually something quite old. Creating GIF highlights for easy sharing…
Quit the Politics and Let Sports Be Sports
We live in a very “look at me”, “listen to me”, instant gratification, politically polarized society. Everybody wants their opinions heard and validated. This is…
How to Use YouTube or Facebook for Live Broadcasting
One of the biggest advances in sportscasting over the last few years has been the accessibility of live broadcasting video online. What started out with…
Behind the Scenes of Hockey Broadcast
When the NHL first started pushing outdoor games, they were something special. A New Years festival of hockey in its purest form. What made them…
Having a Catch Phrase vs Quality Broadcasting
Working in radio full time is a dream come true for me and I am incredibly blessed. Over the years I have had the privilege…
Using Google to Land a Dream Job
Using Google to help in your career is given in this day and age. Think back…has there been a game where you’ve prepped and NOT…
How to Sell Yourself Without Being Pushy
There’s an old saying in sportscasting…it’s not what you know, it’s who you know. Networking and self promotion can be crucial in landing higher level…
Say the Damn Score Profiles The Life
Those who know me know that talking about myself is one of my favourite subjects…and that any opportunity for a bit of publicity is well…
Five Truths (and One Lie) About Sportscasting
One year ago tomorrow, Sportscaster Life posted an article that would go pseudo-viral among the sportscasting fraternity…Five Myths (and one fact) About Sportscasting. The article…
Joe Buck admits he is a “Lucky Bastard”
A polarizing figure in sportscasting there has never been. Hall-Of-Fame Sportscaster Joe Buck is certainly one of a kind. But it seems to have gotten to…
Misunderstanding Sportscasters on Air
The average words per minute that humans talk at is somewhere between 145 and 160 words per minute. For sportscasters on air, it’s likely a…
Three Ways to Get Started in Sportscasting
You love watching sports. You love to talk. And a career where you get paid to go both of those things seems like it’s too…
Tackling Gender Bias in Sportscasting
Last week, we posted a story on Cassie Campbell and her climb up the sportscasting ranks in Canada. It is an excellent read and provides…
How to Call a Pro Wrestling Broadcast
I love pro-wrestling. It’s a guilty pleasure that I truly enjoy for a multitude of reasons. First it’s entertaining. The production value, the presentation and…
What It’s REALLY Like to be a Sportscaster
People who want to be a sportscaster as a profession know how tough it is. On the surface, a career as a sportscaster is awesome. You…
The Future of Sportscasting and Play-by-Play
The future of sportscasting. It’s an interesting thought. In the last 50 years we’ve seen such amazing advances in media and the coverage of sports…particularly…
How to Achieve Great Basketball Prep
Today we’re talking preparation, specifically basketball prep. Prep is arguably the single most important aspects of sportscasting. You can be an average play-caller and have…
Managing a Work-Life Balance in Broadcasting
Sportscasters work hard. Sportscasters work long hours. Sportscasters miss a lot of family events and sportscasters sacrifice a lot for their career. But it can…
The Hardest Name I’ve Ever Had to Pronounce
We all have them. Those names on the roster sheet that just fill you with dread every time you see them. You know one of…
Superbowl Winning Touchdown from Nine Broadcasts
The term “greatest game ever” is often quite subjective. But one of the few exceptions was Superbowl 51. The New England Patriots came back from…
Social Media Party Fouls for Sportscasters
There are around 7.5 billion people on the planet. Just over a quarter of those people have a social media account. Facebook has around 1.5…
Five Ways to Promote Yourself When Job Hunting
Job hunting is a bit like high-stakes speed dating. Rushing from interview to interview, trying to promote yourself in the best positive light, and looking…
Financing your Passion: Making Ends Meet
It’s no secret that sportscasting is not a lucrative career. Don’t get me wrong, top network talent are earning MEGA BUCKS, but for the large…
Metko’s Musings: Ten Lessons From Ten Years
Friday marks a pretty significant anniversary for yours truly. On the 20th of January way back in 2007, I took everything that I was able…
Broadcasting Hockey in Non-Traditional Markets
When you think hockey, chances are the NHL comes to mind. The world’s best players plying their trade, having grown up on a healthy dose…
Sound Off Podcast Features Sportscaster Life
A little but of shameless self-promotion never hurt anyone right? The Sound Off Podcast is the brain child of Canadian broadcast Matt Cundill. Matt takes…
20 Questions with Maple Leafs Voice Joe Bowen
For those that follow hockey, you’ll know it’s been a tough couple of decades for the Toronto Maple Leafs. Hockey’s answer to the Chicago Cubs,…
Five Tips to Becoming a Play-by-Play Announcer
It’s the number one, most asked, most requested question that comes with the most complicated, most non-descript, most sought after answer…….”how do I become a…
How to Job Hunt in the Digital Age
The art of job hunting has certainly taken a different direction in the last 10-15 years. Gone are the days of sending tapes or CD’s…
Trials and Tribulations of Broadcasting a Football Game
It’s not easy being a sportscaster. The long hours, the travel, the prep…but boy is it fun. It’s a topic we’ve covered many times before…
How teams are creating their own broadcast opportunities
It’s been said more than once….technology is changing the world we live in on a daily basis. From a sportscasting point of view it’s generating…
The Star of the Broadcast is Always the Game
It was October of 1993. I was barely a month into my WHL broadcast career as the Voice of the Prince Albert Raiders and at…
What broadcast gear is in my travel bag?
My first year covering hockey full time was rough, and in particular my first couple of months. Making the jump from calling 20 or so…
How to Be a Sports Broadcaster by Gina Miller
It’s the number one biggest question asked by those with a remote interest in being paid to talk about sports for a living….how do I…
Dealing with a Difficult Coach
So I want to tell a story. This happened to me a few years back where I ran into a coach who didn’t see eye…
Working Towards Your Big Break in Broadcasting
A year and a half out of school, my life in the broadcasting world has been a blur. The same can be said for friends…
Three Great Social Media Management Tools for Sportscasters
In a world that is dominated by social media, keeping up with everything can be a huge challenge. If you’re a sportscaster with one or…
Komets Broadcaster Bob Chase Leaves Lasting Legacy
Long time Fort Wayne Komets broadcaster Bob Chase has passed away at the age of 90. Bob Chase was truely a legend in the hockey…
The Career Path of Famous Sportscasters
Last week we posted some advice from Dick Enberg on how to become a sportscaster. Advice is fantastic, but it’s another thing to actually go…
Metko’s Musings: A Plethora Of Profound Thanks
Well, look at the calendar. It’s that time of year where many of us will gather with loved ones and friends, eat a whole bunch…
Five Keys to Being a Good Roommate
As a team where our nearest divisional opponent is eight hours away, there’s a lot of time on the bus, a lot of time in hotels…
My Big Break: Five Reasons Why You Didn’t Get It Yet
When will I get my big break? Sportscasting is a cut throat business. There are thousands of people interested and toiling away at the high…
How Does One Become a Sportscaster?
After a glittering career ended at the conclusion of the MLB regular season, Dick Enberg can rest knowing that he leaves sports broadcasting as one…
Three Ways to be a BETTER Broadcaster
There is so much focus and attention given to getting a job in sports broadcasting. It’s an industry that can be incredibly difficult to break…
Commentator Curse Denies Milestone
You’ve probably heard about superstitious broadcasters refusing to comment on pending perfect games or super-close shutouts…in fact it was a topic on a recent Voice…
Metko’s Musings: “Patience Through The Mishaps”
We’re talking patience. If you’re in this industry, and something either before, during or even after a broadcast hasn’t gone according to plan at least…
What Questions should you ask a Coach before a game?
The pre-game interview. It can be a fantastic addition to a pre-game show or like trying to extract your own wisdom teeth with a pair…
Inside the Cubs Broadcast Booth for the World Series
It’s always fascinating to see the setup of a broadcast booth and how different broadcasters go about their business at different levels of their chosen…
Thank You Family: How to Handle an Invested Audience
Not many people (if anyone) are tuning in to my broadcasts because they’re a big fan of just the team. My demographic is going to…
How I Got My Start in Broadcasting
As I’ve mentioned here before, I’m a fan of Logan Anderson’s blog, Say the Damn Score. It’s a good look at his view on sportscasting…
Conversation Between Vin Scully and Dick Enberg
This one popped up over on the Facebook Group Play by Play Announcers, Sideline Reporters, Color Analysts, Studio Hosts, which is a group that has grown…
Metko’s Musings: More Than Just “A Game”
“The Cubs Win The Pennant”. Granted, Chicago had the best record in their league during the course of this season, but let’s be honest; nobody…
Travel Survival: Eight Must Haves for Long Road Trips
Travel. It’s part of the job. If the idea of sitting on a bus with sweaty, stinky athletes for hours at a time (and sometimes…
How to Manage Many Hats in Sports Broadcasting
For many of us in the broadcasting community, calling games isn’t the only role we play. There may be a second job on the side,…
Get the Most from your Pre and Post-Game Shows
Every broadcast should start with one, and every broadcast should end with one. It’s not a whistle, or a buzzer or a gun….it’s a ‘show’,…
Personal Ethics vs Professionalism – Why Announcer Won’t Say “Indians”
Ahead of Friday’s opener in the ALCS between the Cleveland Indians and Toronto Blue Jays, a story has surfaced about CBC (Canada’s public broadcaster) announcer…
Vin Scully’s Prep Techniques
On Monday we talked about Vin Scully’s final game, final year and final call of his illustrious career. However in the process of gathering articles…
Metko’s Musings: “Greetings And Salutations One And All”
For the last several years, I’ve placed those words, in that order, in every pre-game opening to commence a broadcast. I must admit, I don’t…
Vin Scully Retirement Wrap
It’s hard to think of a larger story in the sports broadcasting world over the last while than the retirement of Vin Scully from the…
Soccer Cheat Sheets: Arlo White
A while back I shared a beautiful set of spotting boards and scoresheets that were produced by BBC’s Nick Barnes. The feature was done by…
How Aspiring Sportscasters Can Build A Demo Reel
It’s perhaps the single most important piece of any job application…the demo reel. While it’s not the only important piece, I’d argue that you could…
Sportscasting Advice from Basketball Broadcaster
I stumbled upon the blog of college basketball announcer Adam Young recently. In search for information on spotting boards, I found a series of posts…
Top iPhone Audio Recorders
Last week I posted my list of my Top Three Audio Recorders for Android. Being a non-iPhone user for the past 8 years, I didn’t…
Remote Play-by-play Takes Olympic Sized Step
With the 2016 Paralympic Games just complete in Rio, we can say goodbye to another cycle of the world’s biggest sporting event. The 31st Olympiad…
Top Three Android Recording Apps
Whenever I leave for a road trip, I have to pack everything. Over the years I’ve gotten better at streamlining things to make sure I’m…
Soccer Cheat Sheets: Nick Barnes
I love what you can find when you’re not looking for it. When doing some research and scouting around for some imagery on another story,…
Using Google News Alerts for Better Prep
Being a sportscaster is a tough tough job. You’ve got to be eloquent, knowledgeable, expressive and trustworthy. You have to manage your emotions, but convey…
Devlin is a true utility player
It’s hard enough broadcasting for one sport at the pro level. The travel, the research and the pressure are all dialed up to 10. However…
Can A Broadcaster Be A Sore Loser?
My favourite podcast right now is Sean Aronson’s The Voice Behind the Voice. It’s pretty much a series of broadcaster biographies in audio form, but…
Inside the world of Arena Football PBP
One of the most fascinating things about broadcasting for me is the ‘how’. How other broadcasters setup, how they prepare, how they work their way…
How to Prep for Games When Info is Unavailable?
This post stems from a conversation I had with fellow hockey broadcaster Jonathan Kliment. Kliment reached out to Sportscaster Life to discuss prep techniques, namely…
How to Get Your Dream Job
It’s the stuff of movies right? The intrepid young announcer reaching for the stars in pursuit of a childhood dream to call that Championship winning…
Friedman Owns Olympic Sized Mistake
If you’ve been taking in any of the Olympic coverage over the last week and a bit, you’ll no doubt have witnessed the very best…
Create your own Internet Radio Station
It’s no surprise that given how ingrained the internet is in our culture and society that more and more radio stations, sports teams and individual…
Doc Emrick Nails Baseball Broadcast
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll know that I’m a huge Doc Emrick fan. This is evidenced by the stories I’ve done…
Fandom vs Journalism: When the Game Changes You
I’m not a fan. I haven’t really been a fan for the past 7 or so years. I might be in the minority, but as…
Is This A Scary New Trend in Job Interviews?
Everything these days is becoming automated. Banking…ATM’s. Ordering food…there’s an app for that. But job interviews??? Surely not! Well, not so fast. According to Brian…
Q&A: Should I Go Digital or Radio?
Last month I did my first Q&A video, where I took questions that I’d been asked or found online and gave my spin on them. In…
450+ Football & Basketball Describers
Logan Anderson’s blog “Say the Damn Score” has been on fire lately. His last two posts in particular are something to take note of for…
Behind the Scenes of Indy 500 Radio Broadcast
Three of my favourite words when it comes to sports broadcasting is “behind the scenes”. I love peeling back the curtain that surrounds the industry…
Wyatt Nelson Lives His Dream
This one is a feel good story. Wyatt and Gerry Nelson are from Saskatoon and are die-hard Blades (Western Hockey League) fans, but not your…
What is “Game Day” Like for a Sportscaster?
There was an interesting question on a popular Facebook group for Sportscasters the other day…what does your day of prep look like? There were other…
The Best PBP Announcers Group on Facebook
This one is a short one, but one a long time coming. I wanted to provide a small shout out to Channing Edward Ewing who…
Three Free Multimedia Resources for Broadcasters
Production value. Two words that too frequently get over looked in sports broadcasting. At the Network and higher levels of the industry, the tasks of…
Five Must Haves for Purchasing Your Own Gear
Buying your own gear can be a very smart investment in your sportscasting career. While many teams, schools and programs have gear already, the ability…
Atrocious Tweets Read to Female Sports Writers
Being a sports broadcaster, you have to have a thick skin…criticism is part and parcel of being a public figure. But “criticism” doesn’t even begin…
Switching out Audio for Highlights with Adobe Premiere
For every game that I do, I produce at least one (if not more) video highlights to post on YouTube, Facebook and Twitter. I don’t…
Capitals 24/7 Network with John Walton
In 1981, MTV claimed that ‘Video Killed the Radio Star’. Since then, we’ve not only seen radio live, but thrive in the area of live…
Inside the Life of a Play-by-play Broadcaster
I had read this when it first came out in 2013, however it wasn’t until my recent post on the Myths about Sports Broadcasting that it…
Pick Your Pipebomb: Stick vs Headset Mics
Sportscasters are faced with a number of very important, bordering on critical choices for a broadcast. Are you a blue pen or a black pen…
Five Myths (and One Fact) About Sports Broadcasting
Do a search on sports broadcasting, and the number one question that pops up EVERYWHERE is ‘how do I become a sportscaster’? Sure it comes…
Guest Post: My First Hockey Experience
Hi, I’m Logan Anderson, I’m a sportscaster from South Dakota. Alex has invited me to write about the challenges of doing play-by-play for an unfamiliar…
Quick Tip: Automatically Highlight your Key Stats
In this quick tip video, I show you how to use conditional formatting in Microsoft Excel to highlight key statistics in several different fashions. It’s…
DIY Sound Dampening for Audio Recording
A Twitter follower, Joey Keeran (@joeykeeran) posted on Twitter last week a photo of his DIY audio dampening setup to file reports for his team/radio station.…
How to Podcast Live Radio for Self Critiques
Getting honest feedback on your work can be one of the toughest things to obtain. Friends and family often hold back in fear of offending…
Sunday Quick Tip: Using Skype for Interviews
In the first of my Sunday Quick Tip series, a look at using Skype for Sports Broadcasters.
The Secrets to Surviving Long Bus Rides
I’ve been enjoying reading Logan Anderson’s blog, “Say the Damn Score” over the last few weeks. A recent post really hit home for me, as…
The Art of Following Up on a Job
I want to tell a story, about how I got my first real job in sports broadcasting. It was a job that I was drastically…
Trying to Broadcast a New Sport
In the summer of 2011, I had a great opportunity to try something new. Prince George, BC (where I was living at the time) was…
Dan Patrick’s Career Advice for Young Broadcasters
Fox Sports Live hosts Jay Onrait and Dan O’Toole recently interviewed Dan Patrick, a sports talk and broadcast host of his own show and NBC’s…
The BEST Playback System for your Game Audio
ZaraStudio is my favourite, number one, most loved, bestest program on my computer for sportscasting. When I first started out broadcasting, I used either iTunes…
How to Create a portfolio/demo website
As I spoke about in a previous post on demo reels, the use of personal websites showcasing the works of broadcasters is becoming more and…
The Anatomy of a Goal Call
Not long ago, I got an email from a colleague in the BCHL asking about my goal calls. He was looking for ways to change…
Emrick Profiles on HBO
Anyone who knows me, knows I’m a huge fan of Mike “Doc” Emrick. His energy, his vocabulary and his professionalism is all first class. HBO’s…
Top 3 Audio Editors for Sportscasters
When Sportscaster Life launched on January 5th, one of the fresh content blog posts that went along with it was my Top Video Editors for…
Inside Look at FOX NFL Coverage
Thank you to Shawn Sailer for posting this on Twitter. Ever wonder what a major sports production looks like from the inside? Almost 50 million…
What to include in your demo reel
Note: I’ve never hired anyone or been in a position to influence hiring for an on-air broadcast position. The following post is based on feedback…
A Broadcasters Road to the MLB
Full credit to Michael Hirn for posting this on Twitter. The Bleacher Report’s Zachary Rymer recently posted a fascinating look at the life of a minor…
New Dodgers Announcer with Jay and Dan
The future voice of the LA Dodgers, and the man to replace the irreplaceable Vin Scully is Joe Davis. Announced late 2015, Davis will begin…
Getting your reps in: Practice Without Games
The more years I’ve called games, the more I’ve come to believe that play-by-play broadcasting is like riding a bike. Once you learn it, get…
Phil Giubileo’s Blog Offers Great Advice
Thanks to a recent post in the STAA Forums on hockey broadcasting, I got reminded of a fantastic resource from a very very good broadcaster.…
How to Format Broadcast Segments
My background in this industry, the on-camera side of things at least, is all from the school of life and practical experience. I never majored…
TSN’s Nabil Karim Reflects on Rise to Top
He’s one of broadcasting’s “good guys”. TSN reporter and Sportscentre anchor Nabil Karim has had a rapid but very well deserved rise to national television,…
Video: Using Google Docs to Import Stats
In today’s blog, how to import stats into Excel when the original tutorial didn’t work. On some websites, the direct import to Excel feature doesn’t…
Three Favourite Sportscasting Books
I’m not a big reader. Outside of keeping up with league and team news via websites and blogs, I don’t find much joy in it.…
Interviews and Approaching Players
I was reading through the STAA forums recently when I came across a thread looking for help on how to approach players for interviews. Interviews are…
Top 3 Video Editors for Sportscasters
Video is a powerful tool in the sportscasting industry. I’ve been lucky enough to have taken a bit of a different route than most, doing…
Podcasting: Boom or Bust?
Podcasting is one that is both quite old, and relatively new. “Podcasts” have been around for over a decade, however it has never been easier…
Tips for Better Sounding Interviews
Interviews are a broadcaster’s bread and butter…and can often make or break a broadcast. A good interview will draw people in to a game, a…
Calculating your Freelance Rate
Freelancing is becoming more and more popular in many industries including broadcasting where announcers can work for several different teams, covering a variety of different…
Emrick’s Game 5 Scoresheet
Known for his extensive vocabulary and his unique delivery of the game, lead NBC announcer Doc Emrick is often considered in a class of his…
SI Media Podcast with Emrick, Brothers
Richard Deitsch with SI has created a gem of a podcast for broadcasters both professional and aspiring. As of this writing, he’s 6 episodes into…
Hockey Announcer John Forslund ‘Just Living the Dream’
As a small boy growing up in Springfield, Mass., John Forslund had a dream to become an announcer in the NHL. Like many kids with…
7 Essential Skills for Working in Sports Media
Getting a job in the sports industry can be quite difficult. In the world of Sport broadcasting, having the essential skills are key to being…
Social Media Impacts on Job Hunting
The prevalence of social media in our lives means that it has wide reaching impacts on various areas, including both finding and keeping a job.…
Wizards Turn Broadcast to “Radio Party”
Here is a fascinating article on the interaction between broadcasters and fans during Washington Wizards NBA broadcasts. For some time now, veteran play caller Dave…
Using Social Media to Promote Yourself
There is nothing more effective than social media to better promote yourself and your work. However as much of a resource as it can be,…
The Power of Live Streaming
The internet has radically changed the sports broadcasting industry. Tie-lines, instant scores, social media and of course, live-streaming both video and audio. In Australia, where…
Tips for Memorizing Rosters
It can be the toughest part of a broadcasters job, memorizing every fact and tidbit possible about every player so that it’s available at a…
Voice Recorder Comparison: Zoom vs Tascam
While some prefer the trusty iPhone or a small pen-like voice recorder, others prefer the heft and features that a bigger model provides. Two popular…
Optical Illusion Fools Announcer
Announcers work hard for a memorable call…and Syracuse Chiefs broadcaster Kevin Brown now has his, although it might not be one he’ll put at the…
The Story Behind “Matteau!”
Stick tap to Alberni Valley Bulldogs broadcaster Evan Hammond for posting this. Deadspin has profiled Howie Rose’s call of the Game 7 OT winner that…
The Doc Emrick Soundboard
The website “Deadspin”, home to all things weird and wonderful on the internet today posted something that sportscasters and tech geeks would consider a work…
Weideman’s Game 6 OT Winner
Courtesy of Tyler King (Fort McMurray Oil Barons Play-by-play Voice), comes John Weideman’s call from Tuesday night’s Game 6 OT winner, propelling the Chicago Blackhawks…
Costas Bails on Broadcast to Pee
Legendary baseball commentator Bob Costas couldn’t hold it anymore, abandoning the booth mid-innings to answer nature’s call. One of the most respected personalities in American sport,…
Review of Audio-Technica BPHS1
It’s perhaps the most popular entry level headset for broadcasters. At $200, it’s also one of the cheapest options for an industry-standard XLR connection to…
Bruins Announcer Jack Edwards Detailed Prep
A lot of words have been used to describe Edwards, with things like ‘homer’ among them, but he is also incredibly detailed and well researched…
McGuire’s Memory Recall
Pierre McGuire is as polarizing character as they come in hockey broadcasting. His undeniable passion is often overshadowed by his delivery and personality on air.…
Improving Your Presentation Skills
Great presentation skills are a powerful asset for a salesperson. Lousy presentation skills are a serious liability. Even if you have the best product, service,…
Jack Edwards Call of Bruins OT Series Winner
Not much to say about this video, that isn’t in the video itself. Here is Boston Bruins network announcer Jack Edwards, with his call of…
The Basics on Video Editing
Video production has become a huge part of the sports broadcasting industry at the grass routes level. Networks extensively have scores of people covering the…
The Art of the Interview
Interviews are a huge part of a sports broadcasters job. Whether it’s intermission or half-time features or your own talk radio show the art of…
Using Social Media in your Broadcasts
Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+…whatever your poison, social media has become a crucial part of the sports and broadcasting industries. No longer are fans content with…
Popular Job Posting Websites
There are several sources online for job postings in the sports broadcasting industry. Here are some popular-North American places: Milkman Unlimited This is not a…
Internet vs Broadcast: Threat or Accelerator
It’s a decision that many teams face and broadcasters must adapt with. Do you invest in and make the push towards AM or FM radio…
Setting Up Your Own Podcast
Podcasting has been around for many years, but it’s only been in the last few that it has become a real force on on-demand audio.…
Land an Interview by following up
No longer is it acceptable to just send in a resume and expect jobs to be offered to you left right and centre. In an…
Scully stays calm during quake
Few broadcasters are more synonymous with their sports as Vin Scully. The long-time broadcaster for the Los Angeles Dodgers, Scully was on air during a…
Cure the Common Cold on the Road
There is nothing worse than a cold when you’re trying to broadcast a game. Faster sports like basketball and hockey provide few chances to clear…
Purchasing your own Equipment, what to buy?
Purchasing your own equipment is a big investment. In this industry, money is usually at a premium, especially starting out, and it can be a…
Editorial: Building a Demo-Reel
Before I start this article, I should clarify something. I’ve never hired anyone, and thankfully never fired anyone, so this article is purely based on…
Online platforms for your broadcast
Broadcasting is trending more towards a totally online platform than ever before. Most games are available for free online, and even major television networks stream…
Editorial: Handling Bad Officiating
It’s happened to all of us. You’re calling a game, everything is going well, and then the referee/umpire becomes memorable for all the wrong reasons.…
The Power of Social Media
The following article is from Sports Networker and focuses on the increasingly huge role social media is playing in the sporting world. The world is…
What are spotting boards?
A spotting board is usually an over-sized, one page chart of all players on a team. It is more useful in some sports than in…
Are you LinkedIn?
LinkedIn is a valuable social networking resource that often falls under the radar. It rarely gets the same attention as Facebook or Twitter, but for…
How to Get Hired: Breaking In
The Carolina Hurricanes recently posted an article to their website from the team’s Public Relations department. After going over a flood of resumes for an…
“Talk About” Your Interview
Scott Feschuk with Sportsnet Magazine featured a great article about reporters getting lazy with their questions: We’re big believers that your best columnists have to…
Voices: Doc Emrick
NHL:Voices is a documentary series that looks at NHL broadcasters and their roads to the top. This episode features long-time Devils and Rangers broadcaster Doc…
Doc Emrick “The Game:365” Documentary
The Game:365 is a documentary series which takes a behind the scenes look at various aspects of the National Hockey League. One episode featured NHL…
Broadcaster turned linesman in Australia
An Australian Ice Hockey League game (yes they plan hockey in Australia) had a scary moment when a linesman was caught in the action and…
Auto-update team stats from web in Excel
Do you spend hours collecting and transcribing information from team and league websites, into a format that’s easily accessible when you’re on air? Did you…
Using VLOOKUP to search stats
Excel can be a powerful tool to help collect and organize information for your broadcasts. The follow video is a step by step tutorial on…
What type of learner are you?
One key aspect of sports broadcasting is the ability to memorize information. Whether it’s a key stat, background story or just a basic roster, being…
Protecting Your Pipes
It’s no secret that your voice is one of, if not your biggest asset. Tools to a tradesman are like a voice for a broadcaster,…
Broadcasters Edge
Broadcasters Edge is a spotting board program, designed to help broadcasters collect information on players, teams and games, and organize them in an efficient manner.…
Zara Studio Radio Automation
ZaraRadio is a radio-automation program, which makes playing commercials and elements during a broadcast extremely easy. Users can build a playlist before a show and…