(June 4, 2015) Brian Schnee knew that his path to TV sports might be an indirect one. After spending time in play-by-play, sports talk radio and TV news reporting, Schnee has finally achieved his ultimate goal. An STAA member, Schnee has accepted the Sports Director job at KDRV in Medford, OR.
A New England native, Schnee has been a General Assignment News Reporter/MMJ at CBS 3 in Springfield, MA since June 2014. As he looks forward to moving across the United States for his new gig, Schnee appreciates that he has a lot of work to do. “I’ve got to learn the area, learn what keeps viewers engaged in the local market and focus on building relationships with athletic department heads and coaches.”
While Schnee’s has considerable reporting experience, his time at the anchor’s desk is more limited. “I look at anchoring like my intro to a live TV play-by-play broadcast. There is some face-time, but at the end of it all, the video helps to tell the story and I’m confident that with a little ‘trial by fire’, I can grow quickly as an anchor.”
Local TV sports jobs can be hard to come by, so Schnee suggests that taking a news job can move a person closer to their goals in sports. “I learned that news positions prepare you for anything. Time management, accurate reporting, building relationships with key players in your designated market area and dealing with pressure came with the territory. All of those things helped me grow and allowed me to build up confidence when applying for a job that I’m passionate about.”
Schnee also recommends that broadcasters be eager to try their hand at everything. “I’ve already held a full-time sports radio position, a full-time TV position and have juggled play-by-play responsibilities from high school to college to professional sports. I think prospective employers like knowing that you can do it all if needed.”
A graduate of Keene State College in New Hampshire, Schnee has been an STAA member for more than two years. “Thanks for providing such a great resource,” he says. “I constantly recommend [STAA’s] services to people in and out of the business who are interested.”