We get asked all the time how we cover events and how we can get certain things on the air when it appears that the deadline is approaching. So, here's an example of how we sometimes do it.
Saturday night's N.C. State-Boston College game posed quite a few problems because of its 8:12 p.m. start time and because it was on ESPN2.
If WRAL had carried the game, we would know right off the bat that once the game ended our news would start. And we would have approximately 22 minutes to get our highlights and live shot ready. That is called "a little breathing room."
But on this night, our news goes on at 11 p.m., no matter what -- and realistically, there is no way the game would be over.
Saturday night in our area is the toughest day for a sports anchor because so much is going on. Bob Holliday has worked those weekend shows for years and has been through every situation there could possibly be. Bob would handle things back at the station with veteran sports producer Josh Hailey.
Our crew in the field is: the extremely capable and dependable Brad Simmons who will shoot the game; Jamie Munden, one of our best Football Friday people who will run the live truck, shoot the live shots from the stadium and edit the package; and me.
Also, Jay Hardy, a good friend and a long-time member of our sports office who had the good sense to get out of the business, came along to hang out with us, as well as Ryan Craig who works at WRAL and is responsible for the Football Friday Web page (but on this night was doing some free lance work for the New England Sports Network -- we could use his video, if necessary).
Our plan is to edit our highlights in stages. During the game, I log every play by what we call "time code." Before the game, Brad set his camera by my watch time so we were in sync. An example of how that works:
When Andre Brown scored his third=quarter touchdown, it was 10:14 p.m.. So, when you're having to edit quickly under deadline, I tell the editor: "We need Brown's run. It happened at 10:14." He cues up the tape to that time, and boom, there it is. (Time code is a wonderful creation!)
During the second quarter, I start to write the package. At half time, I go to the truck and Jay brings Brad's first-half tapes up. I record the audio and Jamie starts to edit the package with the time-coded plays I give him.
Early in the fourth quarter, after Boston College's Brian Toal put the Eagles up 15-10, I go to the truck to record audio up to that point. My outcue at the point (an outcue is the final phrase in a taped story that lets the director know the story is about to end) "And Boston College has taken a 15-10 lead."
Now, time is becoming a factor. All this time, I am monitoring the game on the radio. I go back to the stadium at about 10:55 p.m. and watch on the concourse level from the end zone. At 11:10 p.m., Daniel Evans throws an interception, and I start for the truck. Our live shot will hit in about 10 minutes.
At that point, there is a little over two minutes left to play, and it looked like Boston College was going to win. I told Jamie we would go with what we had, and I would give the final score coming out of the package. It appeared that it would be 15-10 Boston College.
While we were setting up our shot, I was still listening to the game and things were beginning to happen. State's defense stopped BC twice and the Wolfpack took over at their own 28 with just 46 seconds left. The newscast was about to begin -- the weather segment, and Jamie had sent our highlight package back to the station.
But things begin to happen. Daniel Evans begins to move the team. And just as the weather segment is about to end, Evans hits John Dunlap with the 34-yard touchdown with 8 seconds left in the game. And State is going to win.
Josh Hailey, alertly back at the station, immediately called the truck and said he would cue up the winning play (which I still hadn't seen) and coming out of my highlights the director would take that play and I would talk over it, just as it was part of the package -- except that I was ad-libbing it live.
Meanwhile back at the station, they are in the commercial break right before Bob would come on with sports. There was about 2 minutes to make sure producer Sharon Cole, director Mick Evans (no relation to Daniel), the guys in the tape room and everybody in the field knew what we were going to do.
I had to make sure Sharon and Mick both knew that the taped highlights were 1:14 and the outcue was "Boston College has taken the 15-10 lead." That was Mick's cue to roll the winning play back at the station.
State-Boston College was, of course, the lead story. State had just won, and there was bedlam beginning around our live shot. I could barely hear Bob toss it to me.
I babbled on about the game and then said, "Let's roll the videotape." That is a great roll cue, because no matter what chaos is going on in the control room, the director hears that and knows exactly what to do.
During the package I asked Sharon to say to me in my earpiece "roll" as soon as Mick rolled the game-winning play coming out of my taped highlights. I would not be able to see the play, so I was just hoping it was there.
Josh had told Jamie to tell me the Dunlap catch would be at about 7 seconds. With all the noise going on, I heard my outcue, and then Sharon said, "Roll," and I talked over the game-winning play which we took off television. It was so noisy by then that I could hardly hear anything, so I wrapped it up and threw it back to Bob to continue with the sportscast.
So that's it -- an anatomy of a live shot.
Just like any game plan, sometimes, it works out; sometimes, there are problems. Sometimes, you wish you had done better, said better things. Other times, you're satisfied you've done the best you could. But there's one thing for sure, there's never a dull moment, and that's what makes it fun!
