Radio Announcer displays poor sportsmanship!!

[wildcatfan]

Thelma,

I will just say that I agree that announcers are hired to call the game( I guess we prefer to be called on air talent, but thats just picky- announcer is fine). But let me add a little twist (this is off topic i guess)- I do the Farragut games and I was hired to appeal to the farragut fans- to make thier enjoyment of the game my goal- not say the bearden fans or the mcminn fans- they have their own radio. so when i do a game on the Admiral Network on WVLZ 1180 AM (ESPN RADIO-Knoxville) i am not going going to make the other squad look bad, but I am not gonna go out of my way to make them look good. There is some bias in this business- the only radio station that shouldn't show bias in say knoxville is WNOX 990 AM and 99.1 FM- and John Wilkerson does a great job. He is fair to each team. As an announcer I will admitthat from time to time i might be guilty of embellishment, but not frequently- but turning a dismal game into an interesting one is one of the hardestthings to do. Everyone needs to realize that pXp announcers are there for your entertainment- and what you say as a pblic rarely gets rid of a local voice- if he doesn't sell his spots, he will be told to take a hike. there is a ifference between sour grapes and being honest. even at the high school level one has to be honest about waht he sees. if not, then the listener at home is cheated of the full game experience.

[commish5238]

First of all, I have no allegiance to either team in this situation. However, having some experience in the booth, I feel compelled to add my two cents. Calling someone "classless" is an extreme step and, lacking any actual knowledge of the situation, probably a gross exaggeration and a very poor choice of words. That being said, if any event were to occur that would call into question a player's sportsmanship, I think it is certainly a broadcaster's right and to some extent his duty to comment on it. His job is to paint the best picture he can of the action on the field. I have discussed sportsmanship issues on the air both for players on my team and against. Once again, "classless" is a stretch, but I feel that saying "The coach won't be pleased with that behavior" or something to that effect should do and get the point across. We cannot dismiss unsportsmanlike behavior by just saying, "Oh, it's no bother. They're just high schoolers." Certainly, one instance does not suddenly brand someone as classless; rather, it can turn into a valuable learning experience. To completely ignore the issue, however, only contributes to the problem.

 

Also, to say that, because it occurred during the postgame show, it was well-thought out in advance by the broadcaster in question may be incorrect. I know from my experience that the post-game show was often the most hectic and impromptu part of the whole broadcast; it was the time when I found myself fumbling around the most for words.

 

Once again, I really have no knowledge whatsoever of the situation here, so I'm basically just responding to the general statement that sportscasters have no right to report on such matters in high school.

 

By the way, for those in the Knoxville area, give wildcatfan a listen on Friday nights. I know he is greatly missed by the BGA community, and he does a fine job.

[Indian]

Is anyone going to get on here and say what brought these comments on?

[wildcatfan]

Thats a good question Indian. I would like to know what the kid did. No radio guy is gonna say anything out of whack if there wasn't at least something that caused him to form an opinion.

[wildcatfan]

VIC,

 

I want to correct you- there is no place for insults in public radio- but I assume the sation that does your games is a for-profit operation which means it isnt public. A major misconception that people have is that the government pays for radio- they dont. They actually profit from the sale of licenses. So you have ZERO, 0, ZIP ownership in a station. Odds are your tax money doesn't support the station in question unless it is run by the school. Radio stations make their money through the sale of advertising and recieve no money from uncle sam. Private radio can say whatever they want as long as it isnt slanderous or against FCC regs. The FCC doesn't require to be polite and not have opinions on air about people. The FCC doesn't care what the guy says about your son, and odds are, even if you called them it would be filed away and probably never looked at. If you have an issue with the broadcaster, you should call the station that employs him. If I were you, I would be very polite too and not take an attitude of arrogance, because that will get you no where with them. no where at all. But good luck. WHat did the guy say anyway?

[DCCATVOICE]

I have been asking that question since this thread started. Wildcatfan I guess we will run into each other at the Oak Ridge game. Maybe we will know by then what he said.

[wildcatfan]

Posted by DCCATVOICE:

I have been asking that question since this thread started. Wildcatfan I guess we will run into each other at the Oak Ridge game. Maybe we will know by then what he said.

Do you do the oak ridge games?

[DCCATVOICE]

Yes I do the Oak Ridge games and I have for a while now. There is nothing better than a Friday night in the booth. I just hope that I never have a thread about me like this one.

[wildcatfan]

Well, we shouldn't if we just say what we see. Although I will say that today we are more likely to have a thread on here for nit picky things as opposed to legitimate complaints. skin is toooooo thin these days.

[dandy82]

mrorange....... I will tell you about your attitude,it's flippant. I teach my kids about the world and they have enough thrust at them without 3rd parties making statements. With your attitude I guess anything goes. Maybe teachers should belittle kids in class.Great lesson by your standards.Make a bad grade? Post on school message board.How about a little screaming at the little tykes.AAHH, lets just beat em. 3rd parties have no business downing anyone.

[ohreally]

David,

 

Your reputation is above reproach. You are the most agreeable radio personality I have ever heard... except for Dewey Warren, who agrees with everyone. Dewey never met a caller who did not have a good point!

 

Obviously, we will never know what the situation was concerning the incident that prompted this thread. It is a waste of time to discuss an event when no one knows any of the details.

[Edited by ohreally on 9-24-02 10:24P]

 

[Indian]

Posted by ohreally:

David,

 

Your reputation is above reproach. You are the most agreeable radio personality I have ever heard... except for Dewey Warren, who agrees with everyone. Dewey never met a caller who did not have a good point!

 

Obviously, we will never know what the situation was concerning the incident that prompted this thread. It is a waste of time to discuss an event when no one knows any of the details.

[Edited by ohreally on 9-24-02 10:24P]

 

I would bet those who were at the game know what prompted the comments by the announcer. For some reason they'd rather just focus on his comments instead of telling everyone what happened. I was not there, obviously, so I can't say for sure until someone with some credibility explains things on here. But maybe someone is afraid we would agree with the announcer?