Radio a tool for other projects?

Over the past couple of months at TSN 690 with Matthew Ross, I've come to notice that radio isn't just a way to host a show. It can lead to other things and it can be used to also get your name out there and become involved with other projects. Matthew has helped launch the site, exposnation.com and I think the fact that he has his voice out there and talks about baseball and the Expos often on his show helped land him this role, giving him a link to the Montreal Baseball Project. It's just something interesting to consider at how the radio still is effective, but in other ways. It's good to see that radio still has its place.

I've also learned that you have to do different things today in radio to make sure the medium doesn't become obsolete. I think Matthew does a good job in doing that, as he keeps a blog of his show and posts his strongest segments to get his show out there. Getting as much on the internet as possible keeps  your audience strong and also can rack in younger listeners, which is what more radio hosts should be doing. You can't rely on older listeners forever, as your product will soon go with the generation. It's good to see a radio host understand that and I feel it's been a valuable lesson for me.

I'm also excited about a new task I'm undertaking on April 3rd. Matthew got me passes for an advanced screening of '42' The True Story of an American Legend' which is of course the new movie about Jackie Robinson. I will be covering it for the show's blog which will be a lot of fun, as I've never gotten to cover a movie, much less a sneak peek movie premiere. I'm super excited about that, as I will be able to quote Warren Cromartie, who's hosting the event, and he'll also be discussing the newest developments about the Montreal Baseball Project, so I'll also be able to report on that as part of my piece. When I started this internship, I didn't think covering a movie premiere would be part of it. Nonetheless, I'm excited about the opportunity. It's a new challenge for me.

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Habs vs Pens Postgame Notes March 26

Familiarizing Yourself with a topic

This past week at the station was pretty interesting. Yes, there was the usual work of cutting clips and preparing Habs stats and news, but a pretty noteworthy event took place in Montreal last week. That was UFC 158 in which Georges St. Pierre took on Nick Diaz at the Bell Centre. Normally I don't follow MMA that much, but when GSP is fighting, it's usually the talk of the town, so I found myself following the sport a lot more, because I wanted to be able to competently talk about it and follow along with the coverage the station was giving it.

 I think every sportscaster has to be familiar with multiple sports and has to be aware of what fans care about and not just their own preferences. Too many sportscasters don't know much beyond one sport, whether it's hockey, football, soccer, etc... That usually leads to over-saturation of one sport that's given too much coverage. MMA is one of the world's most popular sports and it keeps growing, so this week served as a reminder that branching out is important as a broadcaster. It applies to every domain of journalism, but it hits home for me in sports. I have to keep trying to learn more every day to become, a 'master of my domain.' It's all about being versatile. I feel comfortable talking about multiple sports, but that job is never done. You can always learn more, and I felt this week served as a great reminder for that.

This coming week, it's back to more Habs stuff, but I will also be familiarizing myself with the Impact more, as they have had a great start to their season and that's a topic worth exploring on the show. As well, on April 3rd, there is a screening of the new movie, '42: The True Story of an American Legend', which is of course a new film about Jackie Robinson. I'm going to cover it, as I think it would be a nice change of pace for my work at 690. Warren Cromartie, founder of the Montreal Baseball Project will also be there, so I could speak with him about the movie and see if I can get any information on the progress on his project.

Post-Production Work

Last night's show going into today was all about pre and post production work. My usual responsibilities were in full effect, looking up Habs stats and storylines for the show as well as keeping up to date on all NFL free agency news. I was happy to do that, because I was going nuts all day looking at all free agency news anyway. Most of my responsibilities though, were to record multiple segments, cut clips from them and post them on the show's blog. The idea is to do everything possible to get the show out there, and I think it's important for those in radio today to be able to market themselves and find new avenue in which to connect with their audience. I think it's smart of Matthew to have a blog, because it's rare today that someone will just tune up their radio at home and listen. Listeners will usually pick up a live stream online and by having a blog, it's something available to a lot of people as they're listening to the show. They can go on the blog, listen to any segments they missed, and check out the articles and comment on them. As I said, it's all about finding new ways to connect with the listeners. My participation included my top 10 list. I was able to incorporate a news story and bring it into sports, so I was excited about that possibility. This Sunday, I hope to be more involved on the show in terms of talking and getting my own opinions out there.

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Change of Pace

My work the past couple of shifts has felt a little different, primarily because my shifts have come at different times of the day. On Sunday, the show was moved up to the afternoon, due to the Habs game in the evening. My workload included helping preview the Habs/Bruins game, and also recording, cutting clips and posting Matthew's interview with Cliff Floyd, formerly of the Montreal Expos. My clips were played throughout Monday on various shows, so I had to make sure the audio was at a good level, that the clips were concise enough and that I took the best clips from the interview. Matthew also posted it on a website he's launching soon called exposnation.com . The site isn't active yet, but he showed me what it will look like. As well, Matthew also invited me to a trip to Toronto he's organizing in the summer. That may lead to me submitting an article to TSN.ca if I go along on the trip. He would be writing for the Gazette and would allow me to submit to TSN which is an exciting opportunity. Last night, was a late show, from around 11:30 to 1:30 and it was more of a continuation to the Habs postgame show. I learned that whenever the Habs lose, almost no prep work is required. The callers easily fill up segments for you. One aspect I did enjoy was being able to interact with the callers. Matthew Ross wasn't in on Tuesday, so I got to interact with callers with Moe Khan and it was a new challenge. You have to remain respectful to callers' opinions, but if you think they're wrong, you have to make a strong case for why you think you're right. It gives you an idea of how truly obsessed Habs fans are. I had prepared topics and information last night, but of course, callers dominated most of the show, so understandably, I had to save my topics for a future date.