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Students work to improve sports broadcasting at WMSR studios

Hunter Olson, Mike Cohen and Patrick Murray say they strive to make the sports division at WMSR more professional.
Hunter Olson, Mike Cohen and Patrick Murray say they strive to make the sports division at WMSR more professional.

Erika Hadley

Hunter Olson, Mike Cohen and Patrick Murray say they strive to make the sports division at WMSR more professional.

With all of the athletic events at Miami University, it's difficult for fans to attend some of the games. Whatever the circumstances, be it a game that requires a tent just to save a spot in line, a championship on the road, or an ill-timed contest the night before a big exam, WMSR makes it possible for fans to still tune in to cheer for their favorite Miami athletes. This interview provides an insider's perspective from the incredible sports broadcasting trio who bypass the lines, travel with the team and work seamlessly to bring Miami sports updates to all fans who care to listen. Sophomores Patrick Murray and Mike Cohen run the commentary, while junior Hunter Olson, WMSR's chief engineer, takes care of the technical aspects of things. Here is what they had to say ...

Erika Hadley: So tell me, how did you initially get into the position of being a sports broadcaster?

Patrick Murray: I started out just doing music stuff with WMSR ... and at some of the general meetings the sports director from last year would ask for anyone who was interested in doing games to come talk to him. So I did, and I started doing color commentary for hockey games last year. Then they were looking for a new sports director and ... so I took that over last year. Mike transferred from (the University of) Missouri this year, and he's been a lot of help to me. Between the two of us, we've really been able to turn the station around, at least in terms of the sports department, but I think we've been a part of a bigger movement at the station as well. It's been a good year.

EH: And Hunter, you've just decided to spread your engineering knowledge around wherever it's needed?

Hunter Olson: At the beginning of the year Pat came to me and said he wanted to be able to do live broadcasts. We had some of the equipment already, but most of it was in a state of disrepair. We were able to put together a system where we can produce a professional sounding broadcast live from anywhere where there is an Internet connection.

EH: Hunter, do you feel a lot of pressure with your job, having to make sure that everything goes smoothly with the technical aspect of the sports broadcast?

HO: Oh yeah, I remember the first broadcast of the year I was sweating bullets because we'd gone over to the stadium and tested it, but we'd never tested it in a live environment. We ran into a few hiccups along the way but got them worked out. The first few games were nerve-wracking because everything has to go smoothly and you're live, so there are no mistakes. However, we quickly got into the groove of things. From both a production and a technological standpoint every game we do gets better and better.

EH: Can you tell me about what goes into coordinating broadcasting on the road and any specific road trips you've taken this year to travel with the teams?

PM: Earlier this year we went to Detroit (for the football Mid-American Conference Championship game), and I think that you just need enough time in advance so you can reach out to the people who are going to be there. That makes it do-able, and that's what we did in Detroit... They put us in a booth in Ford Field, which was just unbelievable, and that went really smoothly. And that's something we're really going to look at next year, especially for football games. You know, we've got the Michigan football game, and if we could do a broadcast in the Big House, that would be really exciting. Plus, of course, other road games in the MAC.

Mike Cohen: The fact that we got to Detroit and were broadcasting a game in Ford Field ... it wasn't the Detroit Lions, but we were still doing a game in an NFL stadium, which is something that I had never dreamed of doing. Hopefully this will just lead to more. I think our goal this year was just to conquer sports in Oxford, which we far and away have done that. The next step, I think, is going on the road. We just heard an idea from Kent State (University), talking about trying to get a student broadcast union with all the teams in the MAC so that we can have interviews back and forth, analysts back and forth and possibly make it easier to find places to stay when we're on the road.

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EH: So what is your favorite sport to cover and why?

MC: By far hockey. Don't get me wrong-I love football and basketball's fun, too, but coming from the University of Missouri, which is a big football school, I'm so used to seeing 60,000 fans in a football stadium. But I remember the first hockey game we did against Vermont, and I'm looking at lines all down the streets on two separate sides of the arena with it completely filled, louder than any football stadium I'd ever been in. Getting there ahead of time and just seeing it all unfold is a tremendous experience.

EH: What would you say your favorite part of your job is in a nutshell?

MC: Just being able to watch everything unfold. It's a unique experience. Doing these games and being there as a fan are two very different experiences. Being up in the box, you can see everything. You're above everything, and it's easier to see some of the calls that are being made and what plays are being carried out. It gives you a much greater appreciation of the game.

HO: Mine would be not having to wait in line for hockey and the press box food. Delicious.

EH: Have you guys had any funny mishaps up in the press box? Any good stories?

PM: Well, this probably shouldn't be put in the paper ... But the moral of the story is that any time there's a microphone in front of you-MC: Be careful!PM: -assume that it's on. But funny stories that I would want to put in the newspaper?MC: We've had some funny stuff that's happened up there. Like when Pat introduced himself as Pat Cohen.PM: And getting cheered and booed.MC: I think that's my favorite one. At the Michigan (hockey) game, I literally had people gawking at me. I mean, I am not a hockey player. And I didn't have one of those knit caps-(the hockey players) all wear the knit caps-and that should've indicated it. But on air things are generally pretty smooth.

EH: Have you guys forged any kind of close relationships through this job?

MC: The athletic department has been so good to us ... In turn, we've tried to show that we're serious about this by being on time and consistent and dressing up, hence the suits ... I think the people in the athletic department know now the dedication that we're putting into this. We didn't miss a football game. We didn't miss a hockey game. The only reason we've missed a basketball game is because of weather. And I think the turning point may have been when we did the two hockey games and the football game in the same weekend ... I think that that showed the athletic department that we're dead serious about this.

EH: How good would you say you look in a suit on a scale of one to ten?

HO: I would say in the 11 to 12 range.MC: He's definitely the best dressed.PM: He switches it up.MC: That's the thing. We wear the same ties to every hockey game. Hunter just keeps switching it up.HO: I'm all over the place with the ties.PM: See, I don't like wearing suits, but I'm better than (Mike).MC: I'd say, personally, I'd probably rate about a seven. I don't tie a tie very well.PM: Yeah, I gotta give him points off for how many times he's come into my room and it's time to go to the game and he's still trying to get the tie on ... I guess I'd give myself an eight arbitrarily, but I've gotta be better than (Mike). But I can't put myself anywhere close to Hunter.MC: Hunter's clearly the best.

EH: So you guys a re basically the new face of WMSR sports broadcasting?

MC: We hope so.PM: We're hoping there will be a statue.