Tech Focus: Pro-Audio Training, Part 3 - Full Sail University's Gus Ramsey on the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting The program director examines how to prepare the next generation of sportscasters By Dan Daley, Audio Editor
Thursday, March 5, 2020 - 2:37 pm
Print This Story | Subscribe
Story Highlights
Along with extensive facilities for broadcast- and live-production education, Full Sail University is home to the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting, which offers a degree program in sportscasting. Although Patrick - a legendary sportscaster, radio personality, and host of The Dan Patrick Show on Premiere Radio Networks and Bleacher Report - is often on campus interacting with the course's 100 or so students (and another 200 or so online), Program Director Gus Ramsey describes himself as the team manager, guiding the program day to day. Ramsey - who was a producer and coordinating producer at ESPN for 20 years and has worked with and coached some of the best-known talent on such shows as SportsCenter, Baseball Tonight, and NBA Tonight - sat down with SVG last month to discuss what goes into making the next generation of sportscasters.
Full Sail University's Gus Ramsey: What's changing is the opportunity in all the different places where you can do it, but live sports is never going away.
What does a sportscasting degree entail in terms of curriculum?
Our entire focus is how to be a sportscaster, covering it both in front of the camera and behind the scenes. We're in our own separate program within Full Sail University. We've got 32 classes: 15 of them are sportscasting-specific, and 17 of them are shared [with other Full Sail programs, such as Sports Marketing]. There are four classes that everybody has to take, no matter what other Full Sail program they're in, and the rest of the classes cover sportscasting territory.
One of the classes is broadcast writing, where the focus is solely on learning how to write for sports broadcasting. We also have a class that focuses entirely on how to execute live shots, in which we put [the students] under the deadline of doing a live shot: they have to leave the classroom, go to an area where they are conducting a group interview - kind of like what we're seeing with the Astros this morning - and then scurry back to class and line up in front of their cameras, where they're counted down to a live shot.
We have two classes where they go into the studio and produce, write, edit, and host shows anywhere from seven to 15 minutes in length. In one of those days, they spend the morning doing a 3 -minute sportscast and then have to reconfigure that sportscast, add an additional minute of content, and then perform that, which gives them a sense of what it's like to do a 6:00 sportscast and an 11:00 sportscast.
Yesterday was Day One of Daytona Speed Week Media Day, and 20 of our students went out there and got to take part in all the media activities, including going on an interview with the drivers. They get a real taste of what it's like to have to go out and cover a big event like that.
What need does the program fulfill in a rapidly expanding media industry?
Based on my experience at ESPN, we're seeing a lot of young production assistants come into the company not fully aware of everything that they need to know to enter the sportscasting workforce. Dan Patrick and I recognized the need to better prepare people to hit the ground running. For example, at ESPN, a production assistant comes in and is given six or seven months to learn.
[At Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting,] we spend a lot of time teaching our students those same things, so that, when they walk in the door [at a network], they're already aware of all that stuff they need to know. We had two grads who started there in January of this year as production assistants, and they're already doing great. We constantly put our kids under deadlines so they know what that pressure feels like. To me, the biggest thing is just preparation. We're getting people ready to go do this from the start.
What's the hardest part?
Our students are constantly being evaluated on their performance, and it can be hard, for someone in their early 20s, to put yourself out there in front of other people and expect to be criticized on it. It's like doing American Idol every single day. We want them to understand that this isn't criticism; this is constructive feedback. We are going to point out the things that you're not doing well, but we're also going to explain to you how to do them better.
Dan was just here in January, playing a scenario in which he was the new Astros manager and students took turns asking him three questions. Then he gave them feedback on the questions they asked. He's very involved.
The Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting at Full Sail University prepares its students for both on- and behind-camera work.
As for me, this is my passion. I like being the general manager of the team, kind of overseeing everything. When I got laid off at ESPN, I started my own talent-coaching business. Dan heard about it, and that in part was one of the reasons he asked me to come down and run the program. To me, this program is just kind of taking what I was already doing and putting it on a much larger scale. I'm in the classroom all the time. Between our 15 instructors, we've got 300 years of industry experience. We just believe that what we're teaching is the best way.
Patrick got his start on radio. How important is audio in the curriculum?
It starts for me with [students'] vocal capabilities. We have three classes that are specific on vocal training, and those are overseen by a voice coach. From that standpoint, we spend a lot of time on just how to maximize [students'] speaking abili
Most recent headlines
17/02/2025
TVBEurope talks to the team who brought a piece of broadcasting history back to life on BBC Wales last night
By Jenny Priestley
Published: February 14, 2025 ...
17/02/2025
Eligible studios will receive the relief directly from their local authorities, with no need to submit a claim
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 17, 20...
17/02/2025
As DEI initiatives come under pressure in the USA, supporters of Rise, which promotes diversity in the media and entertainment sector, discuss the continuing im...
17/02/2025
EIB Global loan will partially fund SES's continued O3b mPOWER medium earth orbit (MEO) fleet expansion enabling additional capacity worldwide. O3b mPOWER s...
15/02/2025
At Nielsen, Business Resource Groups (BRGs) play a critical role in nurturing a ...
15/02/2025
Innovation to empower creativity: Explore the latest in Lightroom
Rob Christensen February 15, 2025
0 Comments
Whether you want to remove distracting ...
15/02/2025
Wisycom, a worldwide leader in RF technology and provider of wireless solutions, announces a new distribution agreement with EQUAPHON. An Argentinian profession...
15/02/2025
DPA Microphones, the leading manufacturer of high-quality microphone solutions, is pleased to welcome Nicholas Nick Mariano and Vincent Vince Divine to the ...
15/02/2025
Tuxera, a leading provider of quality-assured file systems and networking solutions, will showcase how Tuxera Fusion SMB enables unprecedented performance for m...
15/02/2025
Bitmovin's latest Video Developer Report indicates an increasing role of AI, the slow adoption of next-generation codecs, and continuing challenges when it ...
15/02/2025
When Michelin Enterprises set out to promote its prestigious Hotel Guide in the new Sleepless in the Kitchen , campaign, veteran German/Slovenian gaffer Robert...
15/02/2025
Formula E, the world's first all-electric racing series, revolutionizing motorsport with cutting-edge technology and a commitment to sustainability has sele...
15/02/2025
Agile Content, a global leader in TV and video technology solutions, announces its rebranding to AgileTV.
The transition to AgileTV stems from a commitment to ...
15/02/2025
Hiltron Communications will promote the latest additions to its range of satellite communication products, systems and supporting services at GovSatCom 2025. Th...
15/02/2025
Following the success of the original Airglow Booklight, DoPchoice debuts a new addition to their inflatable line the Float. This lightweight, inflatable, round...
15/02/2025
LAS VEGAS Marshall Electronics has announced that it will debut its newest camera controller, the RCP Plus, at the 2025 NAB Show at Booth N2649 between April 5 ...
15/02/2025
ATLANTA Gray Media has named Blake Sebo as the next general manager of KTUU and KYES, Gray's NBC and CBS affiliates in Anchorage, Alaska....
15/02/2025
KOKKEDAL, Denmark DPA Microphones will feature its new CORE+ technology for distortion-free microphone sound at the 2025 NAB Show, April 5-9, in Las Vegas....
15/02/2025
SWANSEA, U.K. QuickLink will launch StudioPro-NDI and StudioPro-3, two new models of its QuickLine StudioPro video production platform, at the 2025 NAB Show, Ap...
15/02/2025
Live From 2025 NBA All-Star Game Weekend: After 25 Years, Turner Sports All-In F...
15/02/2025
NASCAR Driver Cam on Max Embraces Cloud-Based Workflow for 2025 Season Chris Brown of WBD Sports says Mobii will play key part in delivering signals from the tr...
14/02/2025
Last month, we officially launched the Spotify Partner Program, a powerful new m...
14/02/2025
From an island off the coast of Lutruwita to the global stage in France SBS & ...
14/02/2025
The future of electro-optical/infrared (EO/IR) land systems is evolving so that ...
14/02/2025
Here are 5 reasons why you should attend ISE 2025
Discover more about Calrec: Learn more about Calrec's legacy of innovation in broadcast audio solutions ...
14/02/2025
World Radio Day: On the same wavelength
By Graham Murray, International Sales Manager at Calrec
To mark World Radio Day, Calrec's International Sales Ma...
14/02/2025
DALLAS and TYSONS, Va. Tegna has concluded a broadcast rights agreement that makes Tegna's KFAA in Dallas the exclusive local television partner of the Dall...
14/02/2025
Amazon's Prime Video has released a new app for Apple TV that the streamer said delivers an improved streaming experiences with faster scrolling, improved s...
14/02/2025
CLEVELAND Telos Alliance announced a software update for its Axia Quasar XR and SR line of audio-over-IP (AoIP) mixing consoles and will show the offering at th...
14/02/2025
Puget Systems Returns to HPA Tech Retreat 2025 with New Analysis Tools for Puge...
14/02/2025
Glass Animals: Tour of Earth Uses Blackmagic Live Production Workflow
Brie Clayton February 14, 2025
0 Comments
80six deploys Blackmagic URSA Broadcas...
14/02/2025
A dispute between Paramount and Youtube TV that would have pulled CBS stations and Paramount's cable channels from the streaming service has been temporaril...
14/02/2025
Colourist Deidre (Dee) McClelland details how she helped shape the distinct look and feel of whimsical Oscar-nominated stop-motion film, Memoir of a Snail
By C...
14/02/2025
BitFire said it intends to introduce forward-looking services that simplify the launch of live production workflows, and enhance real-time collaboration
By Jen...
14/02/2025
The claim by the liquidators is the latest twist in the ongoing saga of the companys collapse at the end of 2021
By Matthew Corrigan
Published: February 14, ...
14/02/2025
A carriage dispute between YouTube TV and Paramount could come to a head today (Feb. 13), with the virtual pay TV provider threatening to pull all of the progra...
14/02/2025
ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. LG Electronics USA has opened a new in-house, state-of-the-art virtual production studio at its 360,000-square-foot North American headqu...
14/02/2025
NEW YORK In a bid to help local broadcasters find new ways of monetizing their content, the Coalition for Innovative Media Measurement (CIMM) and TVB have relea...
14/02/2025
WASHINGTON Three Democratic U.S. Senators have sent a stern letter blasting FCC Chair Brendan Carr for the weaponization of the agency for attacking broadcast...
14/02/2025
Years after launching the streaming service Apple TV+ in November of 2019, Apple has finally released a version of its steaming app for Android devices....
14/02/2025
FOOTHILL RANCH, Calif. Red Digital Cinema will make its V-RAPTOR [X] and KOMODO-X camera systems available with Nikon's premier Z Mount, providing filmmaker...
14/02/2025
DAYTONA, Fla. The Fox Sports production of this year's Daytona 500 will see the addition of a few new tech elements and the continued unfolding of the broad...
14/02/2025
Watch Bryson Battles Blind Audition on The Voice Get a Four-Chair Turn Michael Bubl said the Boston Conservatory at Berklee musical theater senior might have...
14/02/2025
2025 Daytona 500: FOX Sports Looks To Ride Super Bowl LIX Momentum Into NASCAR S...
14/02/2025
14 Feb 2025
VEON's Kyivstar and the Come Back Alive Foundation Raise USD 2....
14/02/2025
Max Renews THE PITT, Starring Noah Wyle, For A Second Season
Max
Warner Bros. Television Group
The Pitt
New Episodes Of The Medical Drama From John...
14/02/2025
This year, Technicolor proudly celebrates 110 years of shaping the magic of cinema pioneering color, visual effects, and innovation that bring unforgettable l...
14/02/2025
NBA All-Star: More Games, More Teams, More Music, More Sound From the Court Turner Sports' team will deploy familiar tech to capture all the audio By Dan D...
14/02/2025
LIV Golf Continues To Innovate With Drones, Data-Driven Graphics, and All-Access...
Tech Focus: Pro-Audio Training, Part 3 - Full Sail University's Gus Ramsey on the Dan Patrick School of Sportscasting The program director examines how to prepare the next generation of sportscasters By Dan Daley, Audio Editor 
