TV News: The Secret to Sports – Always be Local!

BiB Contributor | Anonymous News Director

This week, I thought I’d write to aspiring sportscasters. Young women and men alike are competing for these jobs and it is becoming more and more difficult to land them. For starters, a number of stations are making the bold move to eliminate sports from their daily broadcasts. The time a sportscaster has for his or her daily program is shrinking in many markets.

So what is an aspiring sportscaster to do?

Don’t sweat it. Sports has a place in local newscasts. Many News Directors believe it; I happen to be one of them.

The main thing to remember is sports is a microcosm of the broadcast industry. They’ve both changed. The ones who succeed must change along with the industry.

While it is true people who want scores and highlights will go to ESPN and the internet, local sports, when done right, has something no network or internet service can provide.

For sports to stay relevant in this highly competitive world, it must provide a service no one else does well. Community sports journalism (local sports) is the only way to go. This is why high school sports shows are so popular. Television is the place parents and community members go to get highlights on local events.
There are many, many, ways to branch off of this style of community-oriented journalism. I’ll leave it up to your creativity to conjure up the ideas.

The lesson is this: if you’re looking for a way to set yourself apart from other candidates for sports jobs, be prepared to demonstrate how your sportscast can captivate a local audience. How can you captivate people online? Showing national highlights and scores are not the answers. Always be local.