(June17, 2020) Few TV jobs include the opportunity to do TV sports hosting, reporting and play-by-play but Kenny Schierlinger has found one. An STAA member, Schierlinger is joining WHVL in State College, PA. His title is TV Reporter/Production Assistant but his duties are much more.
Schierlinger’s responsibilities will include covering Penn State football games, practices and press conferences, hosting WVHL’s off-season football show and play-by-play for area high school football and minor league baseball.
“I knew I wanted to make the jump into a full-time television position,” he says. “I also knew I didn’t want to take just any TV job. It was important to me that the position would be in a great location and a place I could grow as a broadcaster. With this position, I’ll get opportunities to host shows, broadcast live sports and work with highly experienced professionals within Penn State athletics and Central Pennsylvania.
“I saw the job come in through an STAA Job Leads email and was immediately interested given the job description and location. After contacting them I felt an instant connection with WHVL and felt it would be a great fit.”
Schierlinger’s resume is heavy on radio, so landing a TV job wasn’t easy. However, overcoming obstacles is nothing new for him. “I got into broadcasting later than most,” he says. “Up until my junior year in college at Miami (OH) University, I was a student coach for the Redhawks football team. I decided after fall camp that I wanted to make a jump into broadcasting.”
The first steps in Schierlinger’s sportscasting career were on Miami’s student radio station. “Most of my experience up to this point has been in radio, holding positions as the No. 2 with the Daytona Tortugas and being the radio voice of the Stetson Hatters. Luckily at Miami, I was able to sideline report for ESPN3 broadcasts in addition to making feature stories for Stetson’s ESPN+ broadcasts. Fortunately that was enough to get the offer at WHVL.”
The opportunity to call play-by-play was a key part of the WHVL opportunity. “Ultimately play by play is what I want to do,” Schierlinger says. “The goal is to make it to a national network one day calling football, basketball, baseball and golf all around the country.”
A friend’s recommendation prompted Schierlinger to join STAA in March 2019. “Fellow STAA member Connor Onion said that it would be a great idea,” Schierlinger recalls. “I remain with STAA because it’s a great resource to improve your broadcasting, get inside leads to jobs and always have Jon [Chelesnik] in your back pocket if you ever have any questions or need advice.”
Schierlinger’s suggestion for anyone just joining STAA is simple. “Get on the website frequently to learn how you can better yourself as a broadcaster. You will be hard-pressed to find an organization that is as good as STAA for your career.”