{"id":207241,"date":"2018-08-29T16:04:41","date_gmt":"2018-08-29T20:04:41","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/college-of-communication-and-media\/?p=207241"},"modified":"2018-08-29T16:04:41","modified_gmt":"2018-08-29T20:04:41","slug":"school-of-communication-and-media-team-scores-a-home-run","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.montclair.edu\/college-of-communication-and-media\/2018\/08\/29\/school-of-communication-and-media-team-scores-a-home-run\/","title":{"rendered":"School of Communication and Media Team Scores a Home Run"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

<\/a>Just one week before the start of the Women\u2019s Softball World Championship in Chiba, Japan, award-winning digital sports provider Eleven Sports asked the School of Communication and Media for help in producing the tournament\u2019s global English-language broadcast.<\/p>\n<\/header>\n

The School responded quickly by partnering with Eleven Sports to deliver play-by-play calls of 72 games from August 2 to 12. \u201cThey came here and set up three different live feeds from Chiba to here,\u201d explains School of Communication and Media Clinical Specialist Mark Effron. \u201cOur announcers sat in three different rooms and called the games as they were coming in. Basically, we were an international production facility for the Women\u2019s Softball World Championship games.\u201d<\/p>\n

This, as Effron is quick to note, is a pretty big deal, as the tournament winner \u2013 the USA team \u2013 automatically moves on to the 2020 Olympics.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis event allowed us to do what we truly aspire to accomplish, which is partner with cutting-edge media properties to give our students and recent graduates hands-on, professional experiences that place them at the forefront of the industry,\u201d says School of Communication and Media Director Keith Strudler, who set the pace by calling the first game. \u201cWe were able to move so quickly because the first instinct of our hard-working students, faculty, staff and alumni is to see possibilities where others might see roadblocks.\u201d<\/p>\n

Stepping Up to the Plate<\/strong><\/p>\n

To get things moving, 2018 graduate Keanan Carter was hired as project manager. To assemble a team, he contacted Annabella Poland, general manager of campus radio station WMSC-FM, for names of students and recent graduates with broadcast experience in calling sports events who would be interested in being hired for the project.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe assembled a team of six current students, five recent Montclair State alumni, as well as a few recent graduates from Seton Hall and Hofstra,\u201d Carter recalls. While the team of announcers worked 12-hour shifts for the duration of the championship, the 12-hour time difference between Japan and New Jersey meant all announcing happened overnight. \u201cSometimes three different simultaneous feeds were happening between 9 p.m. and 9 a.m.,\u201d he says. \u201cWe were guinea pigs \u2013 one of the first to do this for Eleven Sports.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe scrambled,\u201d says Effron. \u201cKeanan got broadcasters together overnight. And we all worked together to help the Eleven Sports team set up. It was a milestone for the School that we were able to come together so quickly and so well.\u201d<\/p>\n

Senior Engineer for Television and Digital Media Adam Goldberg worked with Eleven Sports \u2013 which uses a variety of platforms to reach sports fans, from traditional cable to over-the-top and social media \u2013 to make it all flow seamlessly between continents.<\/p>\n

Once the championship games began, the Montclair State announcers watched the video feed from Japan and added play-by-play and commentary, which was then transmitted back to Eleven Sports, which distributed it internationally to English-speaking fans. Viewers could follow the action through Eleven Sports\u2019 streams that were broadcast globally via YouTube. Additionally, all games in the U.S. and Canada were streamed by FloSports, another emerging sports network.<\/p>\n

Making Broadcast History<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cWe knew we were making history,\u201d says Effron. \u201cWe were doing something never done before at Montclair State, which was calling an international sporting event from here that was broadcast to different platforms around the world.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sean Martin \u201918, who had announced football, basketball and baseball games as a student for WMSC, called three games. \u201cThis was my first time calling softball and I wanted to take part just to feel what it\u2019s like to be back on the air,\u201d he says. \u201cI enjoyed calling a new sport and seeing these national teams represent their countries.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI wanted to take part in this because it represented a chance to get more real world experience,\u201d says 2018 graduate Nick Flaherty, who called 13 games. \u201cI enjoyed being back on the mic the most. I really missed this work and wanted to get back at it \u2013 and this was a great chance to do that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Both agree with Carter that while the hours were long and tiring, that was part of the challenge \u2013 and the fun. All three would definitely repeat the performance if the opportunity presented itself in the future.<\/p>\n

With more than 17 million paying customers, Eleven Sports\u2019 varied, fan-focused delivery system is carving a niche for itself as a viable alternative to traditional TV sports coverage. \u201cThey were thrilled,\u201d says Effron. \u201cWho knows what we\u2019ll be doing next. We\u2019re at ground zero of this new world.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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