Clarksville, TN – From play-by-play announcing and color commentary to sideline reporting, students in the Austin Peay State University (APSU) assistant professor Barry Gresham’s Sports Announcing class experienced live television production firsthand while covering three high school basketball doubleheaders for the Clarksville community.
Each game was aired on APSU-TV Clarksville, marking the first time the class was able to broadcast high school basketball. Gresham said his students have traditionally worked on high school football games since 2012.
“This class provides a great training opportunity to prepare the students to join our scholarship crew for the Austin Peay football broadcasts on ESPN+,” Gresham said. “None of the announcers had any previous on-air experience, and many were working other crew positions like camera and graphics for the first time [since] this is an elective.”
Gresham’s students were eager to take on the challenge, which allowed them to gain practical experience during live sporting events.
“This is one of those things that brings students to the University,” Dr. Rob Baron, chair of Austin Peay’s communication department, said. “It’s a program that really captures the attention of those interested in sports broadcasting.”
The class brought its remote broadcast truck to Rossview High School, West Creek High School and Kenwood High School throughout the season, utilizing the truck’s capabilities for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it’s been really great for getting hands-on experience and learning how to actually do sports broadcasting,” senior sports broadcasting major Greg Miller said. “It has all the facets of an actual [Austin Peay State University game] production.”
That meant each student had the chance to step into new roles and develop their skills, whether they were working on or off the air.
“I’m very thankful for the experience,” sophomore sports broadcasting major Haley Baynham said. “It helped me get my first jitters out, and now I know how to prepare for sideline reporting.”
Students also learned how to adapt and make calls under pressure, since the games were often highly competitive.
“I was able to call my first game and experienced an upset when Clarksville High School got the first win of the year,” junior sports broadcasting major Dillon Walton said. “That first one was hard to call, but it made the next two easier. I’ll never forget that moment.”
Full recordings of the class’s broadcasts are available in a playlist on APSU-TV Clarksville’s YouTube channel. Local cable viewers can find more student-produced content from APSU-TV on CDE Lightband channel 9, Spectrum channel 192 or U-Verse channel 99.
