Jakes

1) 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.

2) 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.

3) 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)!

4) 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.
Broadcast Content
• 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.
Game Preparation
• 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.
o YouCastr will eventually offer a stats service to broadcasters, but we've just launched and don't have that infrastructure in place yet. In the meantime, check out the following sites for stats:
o NFL statistics - NFL, ESPN, Yahoo!
o MLB statisctics - MLB, ESPN, Yahoo!
o NBA statistics - NBA, ESPN, Yahoo!
o NHL statistics - NHL, ESPN, Yahoo!
o Come-up with your own stats and facts - make it interesting for listeners want to listen to you every time your broadcast.
• 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.)
o Visit the team websites
o Read news articles on the teams and their players
• Review feedback for your previous broadcasts
• Post ideas on your personal Board, or on various team, league and sport Boards around the YouCastr site.
Practice makes perfect
• Broadcasting content is very much "to each his own" but everyone improves and develops his or her own style through practice
• 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.
o 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.
o 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.
• Coughing and sneezing are going to happen
o Ideally mute the mic if possible, otherwise cover it with your hand
o YouCastr suggested desktop mics> come with mute buttons

While on the air
Speech paterns
• Remove unwanted and subconscious phrases such as "ums" and "likes"
• Try to be conscious of using the same phrases repetitively
• Get feedback from friends
o Practice removing ums, likes, etc. from casual everyday speech
• Read a book or two on oration
o For a British history of broadcasting personalities, YouCastr recommends Commentating Greats
• Review your YouCastr feedback and read your wall
o 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.
o 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.

Play-by-play
• Score and time are essential
o For baseball this should be done during extended breaks and at the conclusion of each half inning
o 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
o 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
o 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
Mortal Sins of Broadcasting
• Starting a broadcast late
• Not being prepared
• Sounding exactly like every other broadcaster out there