Students in the Introduction to Broadcast Journalism, Broadcast Journalism I and Broadcast Journalism II classes, along with Upper School Communications Department Head Jim Burns, communications teacher Max Tash and middle school English teacher Michael Chavez, visited the Fox Sports complex Feb. 14.
“It was really great for all of the broadcast students to be able to get a real behind-the-scenes look at what they have already been watching on television and listening to on radio,” Tash said. “Now, they get to see how it’s all put together. Some may be interested in a future in broadcasting, not necessarily even in front of the camera but behind the camera.”
At the headquarters, the students participated in a Q&A with Fox Sports President Mark Silverman, Fox Sports Executive Vice President of Research Michael Mulvihill and MLB and NFL Play-by-Play Announcer Kenny Albert.
During the Q&A, Mulvihill, Silverman and Albert spoke about how they began their careers with Fox Sports. They also gave advice to future aspiring broadcast journalists, Chronicle Assistant Broadcast Editor Yoohan Ko ’20 said.
“I think for broadcast students, being able to see the work done by professionals makes you realize if this is what you are interested in,” Ko said. “This is a time when students really figure out what their interests are, and from seeing a sports production from behind the scenes, I could tell that students were either ecstatic to do this in the future or overwhelmed by the effort it takes to put a piece together.”
The students and teachers also got to see the production room, highlight room and behind the scenes of “The Herd with Colin Cowherd” during their visit.
After watching Cowherd record the next episode of his show, students participated in another Q&A session.
“Meeting Cowherd was definitely a once-in-a-lifetime experience,” Ko said. “It was mind-blowing to see such a successful media personality in person and listen to how he got where he is. He was very supportive of young journalists. It was the same with Silverman. He seemed captivated by our questions, and overall, I think it was an amazing experience for both broadcast students and professionals. We had the opportunity to seize the time we had with them and further our journalistic status by getting contact information for future interviews.”
Tash said he hopes that this visit to Fox Sports will be an annual trip for broadcast students.
“Burns and I have already talked about adding another field trip throughout the year because the NGL Network is in town and ESPN is in town, so we may be going again soon,” Tash said.
