With the spring semester in full swing, the original production on WTOP-10 that I produce and host, “Stick to Sports,” is finally starting up again. 

I first started doing Stick to Sports during the spring semester of my freshman year three years ago. It is crazy to think that when I started, we were still recording shows over Zoom. When I was not on screen I needed to keep my camera off, but that meant that either my name or the picture I had on my Zoom would show in the recording. I am really glad that era of television is behind us. 

When I started I was an assistant producer on the show. My role was pretty simple; I would help keep the two hosts on track by letting them know how much time they had left on each segment. I would also have my own block, where I would go on and talk about stories from the sports world that my friends Zach and Joey were not. 

It was my first introduction to television broadcasting. I remember being extremely nervous my first few shows, but now I feel comfortable getting on camera and talking about what I enjoy. 

I was an assistant producer on the show for five semesters before I took over, becoming one of the producers/hosts of the show last fall. Writing scripts for a show is much different than writing for print.

It is much more conversational and allows me to use my real speech patterns for the most part. There are some restrictions that allow the writing to flow better, but I find writing my scripts a much easier process because I can write pretty much whatever comes to mind for any given topic. 

Last semester, I was given the opportunity to be the director of a show on WTOP for the first time. The show, “Laker Connections,” is an Oswego sports-focused show. 

I had always been interested in directing a show, but it was always very daunting to me and I was not sure if I would do a good job with it. I was right; it was difficult to start. I kept missing cues and I did not know the correct terminology needed to alert the others in the control room of tasks they needed to do.

With a little bit of time, I was able to figure it out and start to feel comfortable and confident with it. Now, I will be directing the show again this semester and I hope to grow even further in the role.

These roles I have accumulated over the years have given me a lot of experience that I am extremely grateful for. 

Photo by Cottonbro Studio via  Pexels