(July 2, 2014) You’ll never know what you can do until you try. Jim Sannes didn’t think he had a chance to land the sports opening at a station in Minnesota, but he applied anyway. Good thing he did. An STAA client, Sannes is the new Sports Director at KATE 1450 AM in Albert, Lea, MN.
“I was shocked, in all honesty,” says Sannes. “I didn’t think I had a shot when I applied, but I knew it was a position I really wanted.”
Getting the job wasn’t the only surprise for Sannes. As it turns out, the position includes more than he bargained for.
“The coolest part of this gig is the wide range of things I’ll have the opportunity to do. High school play-by-play is insanely fun, and the people in the area really seem to care about their sports. Then when you toss in anchoring news updates, hosting my own show at night and doing production work, it’s more than I dreamed it to be when I applied.”
A 2014 graduate of Northwestern University, Sannes gained both radio and TV experience while in Evansville. His play-by-play resume includes the past three summers with the Wisconsin Woodchucks of the Northwoods League. Sannes has been an STAA client since November.
“STAA’s services have helped me so much,” says Sannes. “I only knew of the [KATE] position because it was in the STAA Job Leads email. In addition to that, though, all of the tools on the site have made my resume and cover letters so much better over the last few months. When you add in all of the great guest speakers Jon is able to get to do videos for the site that can make you a better broadcaster, it’s really a no-brainer if you want to do sports broadcasting. “
Sannes’ best piece of advice for other sportscasting job seekers is to always take the shot.
“It’s always worth it to send in an application, even if you think your odds of getting the job are low.”
(Visit Jim’s STAA Talent Page).