After months without a sportscaster of its own, Baltimore’s WMAR has turned to a local sports media company to produce sports segments on its nightly television newscasts — a move some say is a financial win for both companies but a potential loss for viewers.
PressBox, a Baltimore company with a monthly newspaper, a Web site, and weekly television and radio shows, started producing the script and voiceover for WMAR’s sportscasts more than a week ago and plans to officially announce the new relationship Monday.
A handful of PressBox writers — including company founder Stan “The Fan” Charles and managing editor Kevin Heitz — serve as the nightly voice of the sportscast. A 90-second voiceover of highlights and news is recorded and sent to WMAR, where the video is later edited in and aired during the 11 p.m. newscast.
The look and feel is similar to watching ESPN News, said John Coulson, managing partner for PressBox.
“It’s less expensive for them but produced at a higher level than a sports department with two people in it,” he said. “So they’re able to control costs, and we grow because we get so many eyeballs on the 11 p.m. news at night.”
More here...
PressBox, a Baltimore company with a monthly newspaper, a Web site, and weekly television and radio shows, started producing the script and voiceover for WMAR’s sportscasts more than a week ago and plans to officially announce the new relationship Monday.
A handful of PressBox writers — including company founder Stan “The Fan” Charles and managing editor Kevin Heitz — serve as the nightly voice of the sportscast. A 90-second voiceover of highlights and news is recorded and sent to WMAR, where the video is later edited in and aired during the 11 p.m. newscast.
The look and feel is similar to watching ESPN News, said John Coulson, managing partner for PressBox.
“It’s less expensive for them but produced at a higher level than a sports department with two people in it,” he said. “So they’re able to control costs, and we grow because we get so many eyeballs on the 11 p.m. news at night.”
More here...
Liz Farmer covers sports business for The Daily Record in Baltimore. You can also visit her at her Web site, http://www.farmersfieldonline.com to read more about the business of sports.
Watching Stan Charles do the WMAR Sports Extra segment last weekend was like watching an elderly relative with alzheimer's attempt it.
ReplyDeleteYou wanted to hope and feel for him, but you just knew it was going to turn out ugly.
Of all the talented people on Baltimore's 4 sports talk radio stations, and WMAR hired that man?
The guy who said the line "produced at a higher level than a sports department with 2 people in it" should have watched last Sunday night's train wreck or have his head examined if he believes that.
2 words: God awful.