Overheard in the press box

I still find it absolutely hard to believe that high school games are on the radio. If you care about the game, shouldn't you be there in person?

I will give a slight pass for the person who has something better to do who still wants to pay attention for one reason or another (but really, what are you doing? Driving for three hours?) I do not, will not and cannot understand broadcasts that are Internet-only. You can make the argument that someone's grandfather across the country is listening for little Johnny, but then you're only broadcasting for the benefit of seven people - and that's two, sometimes three, seats in the press box that could go to someone with a much larger circulation.

 

I got that one more than once early in my career.

 

Ha! Some games are on 3 different stations.

 

There are two stations in my immediate area that broadcast high school football, and two more that are just outside the coverage area. All four are FM stations. One of them also does high school basketball and two broadcast summer youth baseball. Around here, it's a license to print money.

 

I bet the number of people who listen to the games is minuscule, but every town with a station broadcasts games in my neck of the woods.

 

Some schools like the idea of being on the radio and some folks like prestige of calling the games.

If it's a school radio station, it's really good experience if they let the students do it -- or help in some way.

 

Relative to these rural station's normal audience, high-school games get plenty of audience. I get the impression that people from more metro areas don't understand the following high-school sports can have in an area without anything else going on.

 

One school in our area has a student station that's broadcasting games. The teacher does the play-by-play and students do color, but it's an educational situation. The teacher will call the play and then ask something like, "Johnny, Podunk is running the option. What's the keys to running an option offense?"

Of the two AM stations in our county, one has a foreign language format, the other a religious format. They don't break format for high school football. In my application letter (I was moving from news side back to sports), I sold our section as the only place you could get full coverage!

 

I see many many people in the stands with radios in ear during the games.

 

Why would you put that in an application letter? Does it really matter if the paper is the only place to get coverage? It doesn't make the section any better. All you're doing is pointing out the obvious or calling the boss stupid if they didn't that.

 

Local High had 18 yards in the first half a few weeks ago, prompting someone to remark, "that'll be the Gators in the first quarter tomorrow."

Off by only five yards.

 

Local AM/FM station carries a game on each, plus a couple on the Internet every week.

Oh, several years ago I was yelled at by the press box nazi not to come in — "No press in the press box!" — and we're not talking a rinky-dink press box, either, but a large one running about half the length of the home stands. She did not find the irony in her statement.