RTV4030: Sports Broadcasting Spring 2013 Tuesday, Period 3 / Thursday, Periods 3-4 G037 21 st Century News Lab I N S T R U C T O R Kevin Hull Office: Office Hours: E-Mail: Twitter: Webpage: Phone: G044, Weimer Hall Wednesday: 10am-12pm, Friday: 1pm-3pm, other times available by appointment kevhull@ufl.edu @kevhull45 www.kevinhull.net 352-846-1155 (I prefer E-mail, as I share my office phone with others) C O U R S E D E S C R I P T I O N A N D O B J E C T I V E S The course is designed to provide an overview of the sports broadcasting industry. You will learn the basics that all sportscasters will need to excel, and have an opportunity to practice these skills with various projects. Some projects will require you to work in teams, while others will be completed alone. Tuesday s class will be lecture based, with the introduction and discussion of a topic. Thursday s class will be more hands-on, as we will take the lessons learned on Tuesday and put them to work. It is important to attend both days. By the end of this class, students should be able to: - Know the difference between, and how to create, a sports news story and a sports feature story - Write sports scripts - Create a rundown - Film and edit highlights of a game - Properly interview a coach/player to get the information they need - Use social media to enhance their coverage for the audience - Recognize the importance of local sports - Survive in a small market - Create a resume tape P R E R E Q U I S I T E S Students should have completed RTV3303, RTV4301, and RTV3280 before taking this class. The techniques taught in those classes are crucial to your success in Sports Broadcasting. While not a requirement, it is highly recommended that you have a more than just a basic knowledge of sports and what is going on in the current sports world. While you don t have to be a die-hard sports nut, having zero sports knowledge will put you at a severe disadvantage as we move forward in the semester. R E Q U I R E D T E X T Schultz, Bradley (2005). Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning (Second Edition) ISBN: 978-0240807317
O T H E R M A T E R I A L S You will need a SD/HC card to use when filming video. I recommend purchasing at least an 8gb card. If you do not already own one of these cards, please buy one quickly as we will be filming soon. While not necessary, I recommend you have a large flash drive or portable hard drive to store your video. A T T E N D A N C E Due to the hands-on nature of the course, attendance is very important in this class. Students should make every effort to attend all classes, as missing even one day could put you very far behind. If you are unable to attend class, you are still responsible for the material covered. If you miss a class for a legitimate reason (attending a conference, illness, family emergency), please contact me before class to let me know. C L A S S R O O M P R O C E D U R E S Some simple rules to make the class run smoother Please arrive on time. No food is allowed in class. Since we are in a fancy new room in Weimer Hall, we want to keep things as crumb-free as possible. We will take a break during the Thursday session, so you can eat something in the hall then. Drinks are allowed, but they MUST have a lid. We don t want any spillage on the computers. Please turn off your cell-phone. Please only use computers for class-related business. Facebook, Email, and Twitter will still be there after class, so please give me your full attention during the period. E Q U I P M E N T C H E C K O U T At multiple points during the semester you will have to check out equipment from the Telecom Department. All students in this class MUST sign the Gear Liability Pledge before they are allowed to check out any equipment. Key points include: 1. You are liable for full replacement costs for damage from any cause. 2. Equipment must be returned by 9am on the scheduled day. The late return (15min+) of field gear (or other violation) triggers automatic suspension of checkout privileges (1 week on first offense and this applies to an entire group if a group checkout, then 2 weeks for second offense, then 1 month, etc.), and you will also face a course academic sanction (reduction of points). 3. You are responsible for staying through each review of your gear after check-in; if you leave for any reason you are waiving all rights and must accept the equipment room staff s later judgment about the condition of the gear. More information on checkout can be found on the full Equipment Policy that you should have reviewed in a previous telecom class. If you need another copy of this policy, please let me know and I will get you one. All students are responsible for knowing all equipment policies.
C L A S S E X P E C T A T I O N Since this is a class about sports broadcasting, I expect you to watch sportscasts at night. In my personal experience, I found many tips and hints by watching others. Sometimes you will find techniques/writing styles/camera angles/etc that you like and will want to use yourself. Of course other times you will find techniques that you disagree with that will make you say, I ll never do that! However and this is important please do not watch ONLY Sportscenter. There are many options out there for sports, and you are truly doing yourself a disservice by only watching one station. You should be watching the local sports guys and gals they re on at about 6:20pm and 11:20pm, and only on for a few minutes. If you choose this as a profession (and I hope you do), your first job will likely be on the local news not Sportscenter. You ll learn much more from watching them. And flip around don t watch the same person every night. Also while PTI and other talking head (screaming head?) shows are entertaining, please avoid them for the purpose of this class. We want to examine the journalism part of Sportscasting, and those shows often don t qualify. G R A D E D A S S I G N M E N T S Percentage Assignment 10 Script Quiz 10 Rundown Quiz 15 Game highlights 20 Video Game Recap 20 Radio Interview 25 Sports Feature Project (5-10 minute feature story) 100 Total A brief description of each assignment more detail will be given as the assignment gets closer. Script Quiz (10%) Students will be given information on a sports event and have to write a 30-second script. Rundown Quiz (10%) Students will be given a list of sports stories for the day, and have to create a rundown for their sportscast. Game Highlights (15%) Students will watch part of a game, and then edit highlights based off that game and write an accompanying script. Video Game Recap (20%) Students will film a sporting event themselves and interview a player/coach afterwards. They will then turn this into 2:00 recap package. Radio Interview (20%) Students will interview a player/coach for a three-minute segment that includes an intro and tag. Sports Feature Project (25%) The final project for this class is a long-form feature story (5-7 minutes) about a sports-related topic. Project can be for either radio or television based on the student s interest.
G R A D I N G S C A L E A = 100-93 A- = 92-90 B+ = 89-87 B = 86-83 B- = 82-80 C+ = 79-77 C = 76-73 C- = 72-70 D+ = 69-67 D = 66-63 D- = 62-60 F = Below 60 A C A D E M I C I N T E G R I T Y University of Florida students must have read and signed the University Honor Code before taking this course. Academic dishonesty is not tolerated, and could result in your failure for the course. To review the University of Florida Honor Code, visit: http://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/honorcodes/honorcode.php S T U D E N T S W I T H D I S A B I L I T I E S Students requesting classroom accommodations should contact the Disability Resource Center (http://www.dso.ufl.edu/drc/ or 352-392-8565). If approved, the center will give you documentation to allow for these accommodations. Please take care of this as early in the semester as possible. S C H E D U L E Class schedule begins on the next page. If you have any questions or issues about assignments or what we covered in class, please do not wait to bring those to my attention.
T E N T A T I V E S C H E D U L E O F T O P I C S A N D A S S I G N M E N T S Date Topic Assignment Due January 8 Tuesday Intro to class / Overview / Requirements January 10 Thursday Sports Broadcasting History Read chapters 1 & 2 January 15 Tuesday Script Writing Read chapter 4 January 17 Thursday Script Writing practice January 22- Tuesday Script Writing quiz Script writing quiz (in class) January 24 Thursday Creating a rundown Read pages 149-158 January 29 Tuesday Creating a rundown January 31 Thursday Highlights off TV Rundown take-home quiz February 5 Tuesday Highlights off TV Meet in G215 February 7 Thursday Game Highlights project Meet in G215 Game Highlights proj. (in class) February 12 Tuesday Filming your own highlights Read chapter 6 February 14 Thursday Filming your own highlights February 19 Tuesday Interview technique Re-read pages 30-41 February 21 Thursday February 26 Tuesday February 28 Thursday March 5 Tuesday March 7 Thursday March 12 Tuesday Interview technique Meet in G215 Work on game recap Work on game recap No Class Spring Break No Class Spring Break Intros and Tags March 14 Thursday Radio Interview Game recap package March 19 Tuesday March 21 Thursday Natural sound News vs. Feature packages March 26 Tuesday What makes a good package? Radio Interview March 28 Thursday Package techniques and tips Final Project proposal April 2 Tuesday Ethics and Gender Read chapters 11 & 12 April 4 Thursday Economics Read chapter 9 April 9 Tuesday Importance of the Internet Read chapter 5 April 11 Thursday Employment / Resume Tape Read chapter 13 April 16 Tuesday Resume Tape Sports Feature Project April 18 Thursday April 23 Tuesday Sports Feature viewing Sports Feature viewing
D E T A I L E D S C H E D U L E January 8: Introduction to Class Introduction to class Overview of projects Class requirements January 10: Sports Broadcasting History Discussion of the history of Sports Broadcasting Famous Sportscasters Famous calls Read Chapters 1 & 2 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning January 15: Script Writing Proper script format Using active voice What is important Simple, simple, simple Read Chapter 4 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning January 17: Script Writing Practice writing your own scripts Discussion of successful scripts and common pitfalls January 22: Script Writing Script Writing quiz (in class) January 24: Creating a Rundown How to create a rundown What is important to the viewer? Local rundown vs National rundown Homework Due: Read pages 149-158 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning January 29: Creating a Rundown Practice making your own rundown Discussion of rundown issues Hand out rundown take-home quiz
January 31: Highlights off TV Editing a vo for your sportscast How to make sure you use the right highlights for your show Local vs National Use of logs Cutaways Homework Due: Rundown take-home quiz February 5: Highlights off TV Meet in G215 Practice editing a highlight Discussion of completed highlights Is there one right answer? February 7: Game Highlights Project Meet in G215 Game Highlights Project must be completed in the class period February 12: Filming your own Highlights What a good highlight looks like Different games means different styles Where to stand Read Chapter 6 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning February 14: Filming your own Highlights Discussion about highlights Watching the good (and bad) of highlights Highlight staples February 19: Interview technique Interviews for broadcast are different than interviews for print What to ask Plan ahead for multiple reasons Where to interview, set-ups, and the magical folding chair Re-read pages 30-41 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning February 21: Interview technique Meet in G215 Practice Interviews with your classmates Discussion of interviews Practice editing a story
February 26: Game Recap Critique classmates rough cut of game recap story February 28: Game Recap Critique classmates rough cut of game recap story March 5: No Class Spring Break March 7: No Class Spring Break March 12: Intros and Tags Why the intro might be the most important part of anything you do Making your intro and tag sing not just the same old, same old March 14: Radio Interview Combine our interview, intro, and tag skills How to capture the listener s attention without being able to use video. Game recap package March 19: Natural Sound Give your package that extra oomph why Nat Sound is a sports package s best friend What is good Nat Sound, and what is not so great How radio can use nat sound to spice up a boring interview OVERKILL March 21: News vs. Feature packages Identifying the different types of sports packages The difference between news vs feature when to use which Watching examples of both March 26: What makes a good package? There is more to just putting bites and track and video together Different formats Why planning ahead is so crucial Watching examples of successful (and unsuccessful) packages Radio interview
March 28: Package techniques and tips Discussion of your package idea five minute meetings with each student Final project proposal April 2: Ethics and Gender Sportscaster ethics Being a female in a male-dominated industry Read Chapters 11 & 12 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning April 4: Economics The economics of sports broadcasting Where does it stand in the future of news? Read Chapter 9 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning April 9: Importance of the Internet The rise in importance of Twitter in sports broadcasting Using the Internet to your advantage Read Chapter 5 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning April 11: Employment / Resume Tape What jobs are out there? What should you be aiming for in a first job? How do you get that first job? What makes a good resume tape Read Chapter 13 in Sports Media: Reporting, Producing, and Planning April 16: Resume Tape How to make a resume tape Using YouTube, Facebook, and Word Press to your advantage Watching Resume Tape examples Sports Feature Project
April 18: Sports Feature Watching finished Sports Features April 23: Sports Feature Watching finished Sports Features