Critical components of a TV sports anchor/reporter demo

A TV news director was hiring a sports anchor/reporter. One applicant caught his attention but his reel featured a highlights montage and nothing else. The employer liked what he saw but didn’t ask the applicant to send additional video. He already had enough similarly qualified applicants whose reels provided what he needed.

Don’t miss out on a job because your reel is improperly constructed.
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Is my Webstream play-by-play a radio or TV demo?

Many play-by-play announcers broadcast their games on video Webstreams. If there’s only a single camera, some broadcasters will lean towards doing a radio call. Because there’s a picture, others will use more of a TV style.

Do you then use that game on your radio demo or your TV demo?
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How to pull demo segments from a video stream

Many play-by-play broadcasters who are doing Webcasts get frustrated when they go to the online archive of their broadcast only to find they can’t download the video. They wonder, “How can I put this broadcast on my demo?”

The answer is easy. Not necessarily inexpensive, but worth it.
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6 steps for requesting demo critiques

An NFL play-by-play broadcaster was contacted by a college student who had asked him to critique their work. The request was presented in a long-form email. The message said nothing personal to the veteran broadcaster. Instead, it detailed the student’s broadcasting career before wrapping up with a request for a critique. Attached was a 20-minute audio clip.

requesting-demo-critiques

It is the only critique request to which this NFL broadcaster did not reply.
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The Time-Saving Key To Choosing Demo Material

Two years into my first job in McPherson, Kansas, the play-by-play gig at the University of Kentucky opened. Cawood Ledford had passed away. I naively thought I could go from doing McPherson High School games to the Kentucky Wildcats.

I must have spent 20 hours trying to find the best stuff for my demo.

Stupid.
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Is Your Demo Overwhelming Employers?

A sportscaster invited me to listen to the demo on his website. He pointed me to a specific basketball play-by-play track he wanted me to listen to. It was one of several on the page.

If you have a single sample you want to be sure an employer reviews, make it the only sample of that genre of sportscasting that you provide.
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What To Do If Your Play-by-Play Demo Is Old

A sportscaster said, “I’ve applied for a couple of hockey play-by-play jobs. I worked for a team six years ago but it was my first job. I’ve grown a ton as a broadcaster and that hockey is representative of what I would do now.

“What should I do?”

There are two solutions for replacing old demo material.
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