Last Saturday became a monumental day for the Department of Communication and the Waynesburg University Sports Network. The first full-scale production in the new remote production trailer was a success, and students from the Department of Communication and sports broadcasters alike were able to watch as a year of preparation for the upgrade came to fruition.

To get to this point, there was a lot of assistance. I’d like to personally thank all of those who helped make this possible. From my peers to those who made donations and everybody in between. We experienced something truly special this past weekend as a group of aspiring sports broadcasters.

Some of the highlights are still gleaming after almost a full week since the first HD production.

 

Putting on the Headset

When I came to Waynesburg in Fall 2017, I knew I wanted to announce for WUSN one day. This past fall, and during the winter, I had the chance to announce for the one-camera production, which we held in lieu of the full production. 

Fortunately, I had the opportunity to announce the first game on Saturday with the new equipment between the Bethany and Waynesburg women’s basketball teams. It was awesome.

From the time I put on my headset and began communicating with the other crew members in the trailer until the time we were told to wrap up and send it to the post-game show, a smile didn’t leave my face.

I had a different feeling on the broadcast, and my excitement level was second to none. The opportunity I’d wanted since my freshman year was delivered, and I, along with my peers had the chance to do a full-scale professional broadcast with new state-of-the-art equipment.

 

Student Participation

As an upperclassman, I’ve experienced a game-day production routine on the crewing and announcing side. However, many of our underclassmen haven’t due to the transition period we had between standard definition and high definition. 

On Saturday, we had excellent participation from seniors down to freshman. Everyone worked together to learn the new equipment and put new initiatives into effect. The overall attitude from students was extremely positive and exciting.

 

What’s Next

At the end of the productions, we all had a sense of accomplishment and pride. Everyone involved with the broadcasts knows there is still a lot of room for growth, but after two production days, there’s no doubt WUSN is back stronger than before, and will be for many, many years to come.