A radio station sports director in the Midwest is concerned that his employer’s decision to move their play-by-play broadcasts online is going to hurt the legitimacy of his career.
Are those concerns well-founded?
The sports director says he’s not sure he wants to continue in the position if it’s mostly an online stream. He considers being the sports director for an online stream, “A dead end, and a detriment to my career.”
He asks, “Where should I go from here?”
Embrace it!
Online streaming is the wave of the future
The tide has been growing for several years and the waters are finally starting to lap the shore.
In the 2018-2019 NHL season, the LA Kings became the first pro sports franchise (NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL) to not have a radio broadcast. Their games are on TV but if you want audio only, it’s online. Many more teams will follow when they see the success the Kings are having with it.
It won’t be long before online streaming for pro sports is the rule rather than the exception. It’s a fraction of the cost to broadcast online and you have international reach. Your audience is boundless. That is attractive to fans and advertisers.
But what about my resume?
The other concern our sports director friend has is about his resume. He need not worry. His demo sounds exactly the same regardless of whether the broadcast was on-air or online.
Similarly, the experience looks identical on his resume. He simply writes that he is the voice of the local college or high school. He doesn’t have to specify that the broadcasts are online or on-air. Employers don’t care.
Don’t sweat the move to online play-by-play. Embrace it. It’s the wave of the future.
