FSN broadcast many different sporting events, including football games. During the game on Sept. 24 against Avon, Fishers won 35-25. Photo by Kailey Santiago.
Support student broadcasters Local networks, athletic associations need to provide more assistance to students
T
he NFHS Network helps provide opportunities to student broadcasters through affiliations with high schools across the country. Many high school student broadcasting networks in different states are part of the NFHS Network. In a similar manner to the NFHS Network, local television networks and high school athletic associations need to give student broadcasters more opportunities to get on the air. This is especially important coming out of a pandemic that has led to student broadcasters having very limited opportunities and stalled growth. The IHSAA already has its own broadcasting network, IHSAAtv, which the Fishers Sports Network (FSN) at FHS is an affiliate of. This is a good way to get student-produced broadcasts to a larger audience, but more can be done to help high school student broadcasters. In Indiana, most of the state finals events are broadcast on Bally Sports Indiana meaning they can be viewed on television in most parts of the state. Those opportunities should be given to high school student broadcasters.
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Tiger Times
Ben Rosen
rosenben000@hsestudents.org
If networks are going to televise these games, meaning they are featuring the players and value showing them on television, then they should equally value student broadcasters and let them broadcast the games. Any high school state finals event in the state of Indiana, whether it be on IHSAAtv or Bally Sports Indiana, should be broadcast exclusively by high school student broadcasters. . These broadcasts could lead to someone in the broadcasting business hearing a student broadcaster, being impressed by their work and giving them more opportunities to broadcast to a larger audience. By giving deserving student broadcasters a chance on that kind of broadcast, it might lead them to other opportunities that they likely would not have gotten otherwise The opportunities that FSN presents are amazing and have given me valuable on air experience. However, for the most part, a large audience is not present to listen to those broadcasts, with the majority of the audience likely family members of the athletes. Viewership can be increased through more promotions on social media and at school. The
viewership matters because sponsors look at it to determine whether or not they want to sponsor FSN. Another thing that can be done to help improve high school student broadcasting is more information being made available. In high school sports, limited information about the teams and players is available, and some coaches do not bother to update MaxPreps, a useful resource for high school sports statistics. At the collegiate level, schools have Sports Information Directors who create game notes for the broadcasters. These provide valuable notes to broadcasters. In addition to game notes, major sports networks have large research teams and databases to give additional information. Student broadcasters need to be able to have access to these resources. It would be great to reach a point in which student broadcasters are calling state championship games on networks like IHSAAtv and Bally Sports Indiana. If these changes it would help support the future of sports broadcasting and set up students who have professional broadcasting aspirations up for success in the present and future.
December 2021
