My father is and always has been a dedicated fan of sports talk radio. The car rides of my youth were filled with Cincinnati Reds, Bengals, and Bearcats broadcasts. Those rides were so relaxing to me. Looking back, they were definitely moments of serenity. I remember riding around and wondering what it took to bring one’s voice and opinion to millions of people. I thought that the radio station was a grand place where people sat around and yelled about sports as indignantly and abrasively as possible. Actually, remember the old SportsCenter broadcasts where the camera would pan out and take a sweeping shot of the studio? Remember the televisions and papers strewn across the studio? That’s pretty much how I envisioned the insides of radio studios.
Those days of conjecturing about sports radio seem so long ago. I have been working in the sports department at WKCR 89.9 for over three years and I now feel like a veteran. Last Saturday I was in the studio controlling the broadcast of Columbia football’s 22-13 loss to Central Connecticut State. I decided to write a diary of my Saturday in the studio. This column is that diary.
8:30 – I wake up early after going out on Friday night. My internal clock is set to wake up around 9:30 a.m. so anything earlier than that is rough. But I have to get up at this hour in order to research the Central Connecticut State Blue Devils. I could honestly probably tell you more about the strengths and weaknesses of Columbia intramural football teams than some of these obscure teams that the Lions play. However, the Blue Devils did beat us, so I can’t really talk trash. By the way, I always thought Duke University’s selection of the “Blue Devil” as a mascot was one of the most arbitrary mascots in America. Then, I found out that Central Connecticut State also uses the Blue Devil! What is a Blue Devil? These are just my own personal musings.
9:30 – I arrive at the studio and set up my equipment. Even though the game doesn’t start until 12:30, I wanted to get to the studio early to make sure that everything was in order. I was abroad in the spring, so Saturday is my first time hosting a broadcast since 2008. I guess I have some nervous butterflies. That is the only explanation I can think of for arriving so early at the studio.
10:15 – I walk to Hamilton Deli and get a #7 Breakfast Wrap (bacon, egg, and cheese). If anyone at Hamilton Deli is reading this, you now owe me a free sandwich. I don’t have enough patience to get ten stamps on my gold card. You’re welcome for the shout-out.
11:00 – I set the volume levels for the announcers up at Baker Athletics Complex. (That football facility has like three different names.) Everything sounds good and we’re good to go.
12:15 – I start my broadcast and the only panelist who arrives to help me out is a high school senior from up the block on Amsterdam. Despite this, the show begins and we provide some pre-game analysis before we send it out to the field.
12:20 – My friend Jasmine comes through to the studio to chill with us. Over the next three hours she proves to be excellent company in the studio. She told me a story about how once in high school, Columbia middle linebacker Marc Holloway hit a kid so hard that he spit up blood. Holloway had a great game on Saturday. He had 11 tackles before halftime! I also want to add that he was born in West Philadelphia and he attended West Philadelphia Catholic High School. Somehow I managed to stop myself from saying “In West Philadelphia born and raised!” on-air.
1:35 – The aforementioned high school student in the studio with me is named Sam Weinstein. He’s actually a good kid. While we’re off-air he tells Jasmine and me that while he’s Jewish and Dominican he was raised by a Black Nationalist. He talked about the social implications of his upbringing for like 20 minutes. I have to admit that I was not paying any attention to the football game during this time. Interesting guy.
3:20 – We wrap up a rather normal broadcast. The game wasn’t really that exciting, but I had fun in the studio. Over the course of the game another panelist came in to help provide halftime and post-game analysis. Basically we just chilled in the studio all day and cracked jokes.
The reality of doing a sports radio broadcast is nothing like how I used to imagine it. It’s not glamorous. Announcing sports live (especially basketball games) can be riveting, but if you’re in the studio, you’re basically just hanging out and saying whatever it is you’d say in real life. The theatrics are minimal. Somehow though, being in the studio is cathartic. You sit in a small room, surrounded by huge speakers, and you’re in total control of everything. Kind of like the feeling I used to get riding around with my father while the radio played in the background.
Jelani Johnson is a Columbia College senior majoring in history.
sports@columbiaspectator.com
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