High school senior wanting to major in Sports Broadcast Journalism.
Anyone have input or experience about the degree programs at these schools? OU, KU, Mizzou, Nebraska, Tennessee,
(not interested in Syracuse, Northwestern or AZ State).
Looking for the best school experience for hands-on infront of the camera, sports broadcasting behind News desk, play-by-play for live games, impromptu interview skills, human interest stories, podcasting, plus internship opportunities.
Thanks for your advice.
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So I went to Syracuse - and I sat in on a recent presentation with two of my classmates who are at the top of their craft - one calling Sunday Night Football and the other a CBS/NBA/NFL announcer who will be the top NCAA commentator for CBS soon. Ian said to the students today - you have an I Phone - everyone can practice today. So it’s not a question of access you get to their facilities - because even when I went and the great rep - college radio and TV were “competitive” - meaning it’s by tryout - and in class, I played newscaster once, sportscaster once, and weatherman once. I was never given or earned a play by play opportunity. My friend had to drop out and went to small school Montana her last two years and they had way more access. Had I had a cell phone back then, I could have practiced!!
Today - that access is important but in many ways it’s not. And that was Ian’s point - you don’t need it today - or you can practice and hone your craft on your own - simply by having a phone.
So - you have Kevin Burkhardt who went to William Paterson, Joe Davis on Fox who went to Beloit, and so many other top sportscasters who went to so many schools you haven’t mentioned - but Syracuse gets the notoriety because they’ve branded themselves that way - even though few make it.
My point is - visit and find the right school for the student - because they can work toward their craft anywhere - but also ensure they get a double major (Syracuse required at the time) because the pay potential and the amount of kids who will ever find a job in the field…is small.
Get them out at HS baseball, college baseball games with their phone and start honing their craft.
In this case, it really is about the kid moreso than anything - and right place, right time.
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I also would choose the school based on fit, looking beyond just the sports broadcasting journalism major. Look at the vibe of the students in the major too…are they competitive or collaborative with each other? Do alum actively support the school/major? Are there plenty of opportunities to get involved in broadcasting at the school?
I would also encourage you to not necessarily focus on sports only…some non-sports broadcast journalism majors will be competing against you for internships and jobs in sports. Having broader skills can increase one’s chances of ultimately working in the industry.
Regardless, schools won’t get you the internships and jobs…that is up to one’s ability to network and hustle. Good luck.
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I went to school with Steve Levy. Linda Cohn and Al Roker also went to the same school (SUNY Oswego).
I entered as a broadcast major (ended up switching) but when I went to the broadcasting admissions presentation at SUNY Oswego, their pitch was that at a place like Oswego, I could start working in broadcasting right away, whether it was on their TV station, radio station or the NPR station that they had there at the time. At a “fancy” place like Syracuse’s Newhouse School (which is awesome, I’m sure), I wouldn’t get a crack at any of that until much later in my college career. They were right - I was working on both radio stations my first semester freshman year. Plus, for NY residents, SUNY is much cheaper than Syracuse.
So, I would look for a place that lets you get involved right away. I would say that 80%+ of finding success in broadcast journalism of any kind, is your ability to hustle and create opportunities for yourself - not the place where you get your degree. Steve Levy and another guy who also lived on my floor, used to call the play by play on the hockey games, which was the big sport at our school.
Sports journalism is tough because many of the jobs go to retired pro athletes - they may not be the best broadcasters, but they get the ratings.
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If you haven’t already done so, I suggest you reach out to minor league play-by-play announcers or smaller market sports anchors you admire. Ask them for recommendations and advice. They will have relevant experience and likely be on the younger side, so they will hopefully have some suggestions for you.
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Have you looked at Elon and the University of Florida?
I would think about where you can get the most practice. So that means airtime on the college radio/tv stations, but also additional opportunities. Minor league sports teams, or even high school sports teams (some areas of the country have rabid fan bases for high school football or basketball, etc.). I suspect that smaller markets will have an easier time to break in if you also try to get any airtime on standard broadcast stations, but perhaps the college station might have you cover professional sports for them (i.e. NFL, NBA, etc).
With all that in mind, I went looking for area with multiple minor league teams that weren’t overrun with college students. Regardless, though, this is definitely a field where you need to be a go-getter. Nobody is going to hand you this on a silver platter.
Allentown/Bethlehem (Lehigh Valley), PA
- Phantoms, AHL
- IronPigs, AAA baseball
- United, USL League Two
Consider Lehigh, Muhlenberg, or Moravian
Birmingham, AL
- Stallions, USFL team
- Squadron, NBA G League
- Barons, AA baseball
Consider U. of Alabama – Birmingham, Birmingham-Southern, or Samford
Charleston, SC
- Stingrays, ECHL team
- Riverdogs, Single A
- Battery, USL League
Consider College of Charleston
Charlotte, NC
- Checkers, AHL team
- Knights, AAA baseball
- Eagles, USL League Two
- Independence II, USL League Two
Consider UNC – Charlotte or Queens
Des Moines, IA
- Wild, AHL team
- Cubs, AAA baseball
- Menace, USL League Two
Consider Drake
Fort Wayne, IN
- Mad Ants, NBA G League
- Komets, ECHL team
- Tin Caps, High-A baseball
- Fort Wayne FC, USL League Two
Consider Purdue – Fort Wayne
Grand Rapids, MI
- Gold, NBA G League
- Griffins, AHL team
- Midwest United FC, USL League Two
Consider Calvin, Aquinas, or Grand Valley
Greensboro, NC
- Swarm, NBA G League
- Grasshoppers, High-A baseball
- Fusion U23, USL League Two
Consider UNC-Greensboro, North Carolina A&T, or Guilford
Hartford, CT
- Wolf Pack, AHL team
- Hartford City FC, National Premier Soccer League
- AC Connecticut, USL League Two
- Yard Goats, AA baseball
Consider Trinity or U. of Hartford
Houston, TX
- Gamblers, USFL team
- Roughnecks, XFL team
- Dynamo 2, MLS Next Pro
- Space Cowboys, AAA baseball
- AC Houston Sur, USL League Two
- AHFC Royals, USL League Two
- Houston FC, USL League Two
Consider U. of Houston or Rice
Indianapolis, IN
- Fuel, ECHL team
- Indians, AAA baseball
Consider Butler, IUPUI, or U. of Indianapolis
Las Vegas/Henderson, NV
- Vipers, XFL team
- Legends, National Premier Soccer League
- Aviators, AAA baseball
- Ignite, NBA G League
- Silver Knights, AHL
Consider UNLV or Nevada State College
San Antonio, TX
- Brahmas, XFL team
- Cornithians, National Premier Soccer League
- Missions, AA baseball
Consider Trinity, St. Mary’s, or U. of the Incarnate Word=
Toledo, OH
- Toledo Villa FC, USL League Two
- Walleye, ECHL
- Mud Hens, AAA baseball
Consider U. of Toledo
Wilkes-Barre/Scranton, PA
- Penguins, AHL team
- Shock, National Premier Soccer League
- RailRiders, AAA baseball
Consider U. of Scranton, Marywood, or Wilkes
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In looking at the schools mentioned in post #7, these schools offer a major in offer a major in sports communication, radio and television, journalism, or broadcast journalism AND have their own college tv station according to College Board’s Big Future site. Unless specified otherwise, all of these campuses are classified as residential ones, and I kept it to within about 45m of the targeted minor league-heavy city.
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Bowling Green State (OH): 25m from Toledo, about 13k undergrads
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U. of Findlay (OH): 44m from Toledo, about 2200 undergrads
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U. of Toledo (OH): Classified as a commuter campus with 52% of first years living in college housing; about 12k undergrads in Toledo.
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Simpson (IA): 28m to Des Moines, about 1200 undergrads
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Quinnipiac (CT): About 35m to Hartford, about 6200 undergrads
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Marywood (PA ): About 1800 undergrads in Scranton
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U. of Scranton: About 3400 undergrads in Scranton
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Grand Valley (MI): About 19k undergrads; about 23m to Grand Rapids
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U. of Houston (TX): About 33k undergrads. In Houston.
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Did you apply to any schools already? What is your budget/stats? Edit: have you been accepted to the broadcast program at your listed schools?
KU tends to be strong in anything related to television.
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