First time sports producer

[smalltownmrktgrl]

Ok, I think the title of this entry says it all... But, I'll explain further.
I am a first time sports producer. I've been the fill-in for the orginal producer off and on for about 2 years. But, Now the orginal guy is gone for good and I'm stuck with a mornig sports talk show, 5 days a week. The previous guy, really set a bar. And so far the callers and the Host has been really awesome about just letting me catch up.In fact... they think it's kind of funny... heres why.

I know nothing about sports.

I can run a sound board, take calls, and talk smack with the best of them, But when it comes to sports in general... I'm toast.
Now, I'm not a total blank, I know basic elements of Football, and Basketball; as in how to play the game.
But when it comes to stats, who's who, or what game was an absoulute travisty and why. I could tell you nothing. I just learned what a 500 was last week.
So, I find my self drowning in Wikipedia, and Southern Sports Journal. Checking ESPN.COM and Collegegame day like theres no tomorrow.
I really like doing this.... it has become a great learning experance but,
I feel like I'm never going to catch up..... any suggestions?

Note: Quiting while Im ahead is NOT AN OPTION.

 

[bigtalkradiofan]

Many other people on here, will be able to help you better than I can.

Here are just a few minor suggestions ...

1.) Go to as many local sporting events as you can: pro, college, and high school - become an "insider" of the local sports scene - make a ton of connections with anyone and everyone that will talk to you - working for a sports station is a great "in" to get people talking to you - and that's an easy way to start to familiarize yourself - from there you can work to build up your base of sports knowledge.

2.) Don't be afraid to bring on guests that are local sports personalities (e.g. players, coaches, GMs, retired players, newspaper sportswriters, etc) - they'll do most of the talking, the host just needs to ask some questions and guide the interview.

3.) Daily check the "sports section" of the local newspaper's internet message board/forum - see what other sports fans in the area are talking about it. Notice what "hot button topics" are frequently discussed and elicit a lot of comments - your host can take a position on one of these "hot button issues" and wait for the calls to come in - some will agree, some will tell the host to take a hike - either way, you are connecting and getting listeners to call in.

4.) Get an "advance copy" of the local newspaper sports section - read carefully all stories involving a local pro or college team, and keep updated on the major stories going on in pro and college sports.

5.) Daily check the www.scout.com and www.rivals.com internet message boards/forums of your local pro and college teams - again, see what local sports fans are talking about.

6.) Watch all local and major pro and college sports team's events on TV - but mute the TV, and turn on the radio broadcast of the same event - the radio broadcasters always provide more intelligent information than the TV pbp team - you'll learn far more by listening to the radio broadcast than you ever will with the TV broadcast.

7.) Watch SportsCenter nightly (its' only an hour long), and listen to sports radio as you drive into work - to hear the latest sports news.

8.) When you don't know an answer, and can't "bluff" your way out of it - don't be afraid to ask questions, to help you understand.

 

[GoGatos]

Your situation is remarkably similar to mine was.

I was the fill-in producer for years, and finally was promoted to full-time producer for the afternoon drive sports show. The only difference was, my predecessor was fired for being stupid, rather than leaving on his own. However, he did raise the bar from where it was when he took over, so I had a least something to live up to.

After nearly a year in the full-time gig, I can tell you this: Be your OWN producer. Don't try to be your predecesoor. You have to be your own producer and bring something different to the show. Your ideas are going to be different than his, bottom line. Don't be afraid to throw out ANY ideas, no matter how stupid you think they might be. Dumb ideas are the starting points for brainstorming. If you try to be your predecessor, you'll fail. You have to be YOU.

Congrats on sticking with the BS and landing your gig.