Broadcaster Help
YouCastr was founded around the idea that different broadcasting styles are better for different listeners. We don't want to push you to conform to any standard practices or feel like you have to say certain things. Your unique style is a function of your personality and experience--if people don't like it, they can try listening to someone else. Regardless of your personal style, you'll have more to talk about if you adequately prepare for a broadcast.
Start with decent equipment. Rely more on a solid LAN/Ethernet connection over wireless when available. Make sure your microphone works before going on the air and maybe even test it out with another recording program to assess the sound levels.
Put in some preparation. Especially if you are doing a live game, plan out some notes and stories to use when there is down time. This can be in the form of stats, recent headlines or any other off the cuff knowledge you wish to share. Dead air results in loss of listeners. Try to fill the time with as much interesting commentary as possible.
List stats, match-ups, history, etc. for the teams involved in the day's contest. There is a a lot of dead air to fill and many listeners love stats. Check out the following sites for stats:
NFL statistics -
NFL,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
MLB statisctics -
MLB,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
NBA statistics -
NBA,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
NHL statistics -
NHL,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
Keep a real scorebook or use a service like ESPN to keep track of them. This will help later in the game..."Ramirez is 1-3 on the day with a walk and two RBI's."
Learn the pronunciation of all the player names and know the starting lineups
Team trends (winning or losing of late, playing well on the road, etc.)
NFL statistics -
NFL,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
MLB statistics -
MLB,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
NBA statistics -
NBA,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
NHL statistics -
NHL,
ESPN,
Yahoo!
Review feedback for your previous broadcasts
Be yourself. Don't try to fit the mold of what you think a broadcaster should be. The beauty of Youcastr is that it creates a forum for personal expression. Develop your own tag lines and formats and feel free to make fun of the pros (i.e Tim McCarver)!
Take the time to listen to archived broadcasts of yourself and learn from past mistakes. Do you have a crutch word that is used too much? What about your tone and voice levels? Always try to improve.
Sign-up in advance: by signing up for events in advance, you get the most exposure to potential listeners. The more you broadcast, the more points, ratings and fans you will accumulate. You will be much more likely to show up in one of our top casters sections and will sort to the top of broadcaster lists.
Tell your friends: The easiest way to gain exposure is to have your friends join the site and listen to you. This group of close friends will help your audience achieve critical mass.
Starting a broadcast late
Not being prepared
Sounding exactly like every other broadcaster out there
Preparing for a Broadcast
Practice makes perfect
Just like in sports, the more you practice the better you become - everyone improves and develops his or her own style through practice
Listen to yourself - the best thing to do is listen to the archived file of yourself following a broadcast. Right now we working hard to make this possible, but it isn't ready quite yet.
This allows you to pick up on verbal crutches (ums, likes, etc.) and gives you a chance to analyze what was good and bad about the broadcast.
When you are in the heat of the moment, you can't always pick up on these things, so it makes sense to listen at a later time.
Speech patterns
Remove unwanted and subconscious phrases such as "ums" and "likes"
Try to be conscious of using the same phrases repetitively
Get feedback from friends
Practice removing ums, likes, etc. from casual everyday speech
Read a book or two on oration - for a British history of broadcasting personalities, YouCastr recommends Commentating Greats
Review your YouCastr feedback and read your wall
Don't worry too much about a negative review here and there--YouCastr was created because mainstream broadcasters don't appeal to everyone. While we hope your listeners chose you because your style works for them, this will never be perfect.
YouCastr is all about broadcasting or listening to the commentary you want, so if a comment isn't constructive either ignore it or report it.
Doing Play-by-play
For effective play-by-play, remember:
Score and time are essential
For baseball this should be done during extended breaks and at the conclusion of each half inning
For faster paced sports (basketball, football and hockey) whistles and dead balls are perfect opportunities for a quick recap
The play-by-play job is to deliver the on the field action and add real time analysis. There is a fine line between being informative and talking too much, finding this line only comes with practice
If broadcasters are working as a team, one should assume the role of play-by-play and the other should take on color commentary
The two should work well together and use lines to cue one another
Pick up on trends in the game
Add your take on applicable stats
Add side stories and player backgrounds
Have fun!
How to attract listeners
Mortal Sins of Broadcasting
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