Media Participation Project-Sarah Oberink

For my media participation project, I got a job working for the Big Ten Network basically doing whatever job they needed to have filled at the time. This was my first experience with sports journalism and while I am working mostly behind the scenes, being able to be part of the production is really eye opening. At first I thought I only wanted print journalism but after this experience, working in broadcast journalism is definitely a possibility.

I had to do a similar assignment in my junior year of high school. For that project, I decided to do a three day internship at the WETA studios in Washington DC. That experience really helped me understand the world of broadcast journalism. I was able to meet Judy Woodruff, Gwen Ifill, Jeffery Brown, and many of the tech crew members. While getting a feel for the studio and watching the filming of PBS Newshour, I established a lot of really great connections that I kept in contact with. When one of my contacts heard that I was attending UMD, he helped set me up with a job with the Big Ten Network, for which he often serves as the producer.

Most of the work I have done is behind the scenes. I’ve worked as a time-out coordinator at a men’s soccer game against Michigan State and working talent stats at a field hockey game against Ohio State. With each of these jobs, I get an up close look at what it takes to create a successful broadcast. I found talent stats most interesting because I was able to jot down relevant facts about players in the game, how many goals they had scored that season, their personal records, the team records, etc., and hand them to the anchors as talking points.  As for most exciting, time-out coordinator definitely beats out talent stats. As time-out coordinator, I signal to the referees when they should call a time-out so that the network can cut to a commercial break. As a lover of sports, I was thrilled to be able to stand on the sidelines of the game next to the coach and the players and be able to be a part of the tension and energy that is not always seen in the stands.

My next two jobs are this weekend. I am working as a runner at the football game vs. Michigan State on Saturday and at the men’s soccer championship game on Sunday as the time-out coordinator. I am so excited to be able to see the football game from the sidelines. It’s not something that everyone gets the opportunity to experience. Both Saturday and Sunday will be filled with high intensity play and I am excited to work in that kind of energy. After this weekend, I will post an update about my experiences at the football game and the soccer championship.

Being able to work with professional producers, anchors, and crew members has been a great way to expand my knowledge of what I thought broadcast journalism is. There is very high energy with this job and I have definitely enjoyed my time working so far. I’m excited to continue to work for the Big Ten Network.

*UPDATE*
This past weekend I was able to work at both the Michigan State football game on Saturday and the Maryland-Indiana soccer championship on Sunday. Saturday was so exciting because I was able to sit in the huge tractor-trailer truck that they bring in to broadcast the game, and I was also able to go down onto the field to watch the game up close. I didn't last long on the field because it was so cold, which was okay because in the truck, I was able to watch how all the graphics and interviews are created and incorporated with the game. I was able to meet the commentators and really absorb  everything I was seeing.

On Sunday, I worked as a time-out coordinator at the soccer game. The time-out coordinator is the one who lets the referee know when to call a time-out so the network can go to a commercial break. Because there are usually no commercial breaks for soccer, my job was very easy. Sunday was very exciting as well, not only because we won, but because I was again able to be part of a team that delivered the game and all the commentary, stats, etc., to the viewers. I really liked being able to hear what was going on in the studio in Chicago while, at the same time, watching what was happening raw on the field. I've been able to learn so much about broadcast and sports journalism and these experiences have definitely opened my eyes to all the other possibilities within a journalism career.