Does anyone have this problem with their Sports Director?

[Egbert Roscoe Murrow]

I am producer for an afternoon newscast. Every day I look over the rundown for the sports segment. I want to make sure it has good flow and all the sports stories are being covered in my newscast. Lately, the SD seems to get irritated at me for my input. Does anyone else have this problem? How should I deal with it. Thanks for the feedback in advance.

[Spike]

Maybe you should do your own job and let the sports director do his.

[Marty McFly]

Funny... I thought the producer of a show is responsible for the ENTIRE show. Not just the first 23 minutes.

[Obewon]

Funny... I thought the producer of a show is responsible for the ENTIRE show. Not just the first 23 minutes.

Absolutely not. The producer is responsible ONLY for his news hole. The weather guesser and sports gerbils are totally responsible for theirs, UNLESS something in their area has made real news. I would never even think of interfering with a sports or weather segment. Besides, who needs the aggravation?

[Spike]

Funny... I thought the producer of a show is responsible for the ENTIRE show. Not just the first 23 minutes.

The producer does have overall responsibility for the entire show. That doesn't mean the show has to be micromanaged. A sports director should know what stories should be included in his sportscast and should know how to put the sportscast together. If the producer is looking over his shoulder "to make sure it has good flow and all the sports stories are being covered," that is an attempt at micromanagement. The producer wouldn't micromanage the meteorologist to make sure he has all the weather in the weather segment.

If you're not going to let the sports director do his job, what's the point in having a sports director?

[Marty McFly]

So the Sports Director doesn't need ANY other opinions or input about his/her part of the newscast... especially that from a lowly producer?

'Stick to news baby, I don't need you telling me how to do sports.'

THAT'S the correct way to handle things?

[Spike]

So the Sports Director doesn't need ANY other opinions or input about his/her part of the newscast... especially that from a lowly producer?

Not if he's competent. If he's not competent, that's something that should be taken up with the news director, not fought out in the show's rundown.

I should add that I think local sports is usually a complete waste of time and should be folded into the news operation anyway. If a sports story is worth covering, it should be covered by real, objective journalists instead of former jocks turned cheerleaders.

But if you're going to have a sports department with a sports director responsible for producing a dedicated sports segment, you should back the hell off and let him do his job.

[Bureau Chief]

Amen Spike!

[RoyMcAvoy]

For most sports directors, March is the busiest, craziest of them all.

Don't mess with sports folk this month. In markets heavy with college and high school sports, this is their Election Day only it lasts an entire month. Most work 6-7 days a week, 60 hours a week just to keep afloat. (Unless their shop doesn't care about sports or they just mail it in). This month, sports people never know where they will be or who they will cover from one day to the next because of tournaments.

At least during an election, you don't have to shoot anything other than parties and press conferences.

You wouldn't want them questioning you in November of even-numbered years, would you?

[jrat33]

Not if he's competent. If he's not competent, that's something that should be taken up with the news director, not fought out in the show's rundown.

I should add that I think local sports is usually a complete waste of time and should be folded into the news operation anyway. If a sports story is worth covering, it should be covered by real, objective journalists instead of former jocks turned cheerleaders.

But if you're going to have a sports department with a sports director responsible for producing a dedicated sports segment, you should back the hell off and let him do his job.

Agreed. I once had a general manager who would start off her meetings with our sports department with "Now, I don't know much about sports, but...". That's where her input should end. If you don't know what the hell you're talking about, don't open your big fat yapper.

I didn't tell the meterologist how to do his forecast because he knew more about weather than I would ever know. Be smart enough to know when people are smarter than you.

Like Spike said, don't micromanage. Let people do the jobs they were hired to do. If any of my producers would have ever told me how to stack my sportscasts, I would have told them to stick their rundown where the sun don't shine.

[!]

SDs, I have observed, frequently like to pass through the newsroom and interject their views on the news content, however.

I guess they should be told to f!ck off, huh?

I should add that I think local sports is usually a complete waste of time and should be folded into the news operation anyway. If a sports story is worth covering, it should be covered by real, objective journalists instead of former jocks turned cheerleaders.

Exactly.

[Spike]

SDs, I have observed, frequently like to pass through the newsroom and interject their views on the news content, however.

I guess they should be told to f!ck off, huh?

Yeah, pretty much.

[Marty McFly]

Competent doesn't have anything to do with it.

HUMAN BEINGS are prone to errors and oversights. How many times have you read a script you wrote (not you Spike, you don't even work in TV) and read it correctly in your mind even though there's a typo or word missing?

Maybe the producer (in this thread) is wondering why a certain sports story isn't in the show and is just simply asking about it.

Maybe the producer is taking a vested interest in the entire show because he/she has to be able to account for everything to their boss in a post-show meeting when the sports director may not be there (having to go shoot something immediately after the show).

And maybe the sports director in this thread is a pompous, holier-than-thou ass?

[The Mockingbird]

My relationship with the sports guy was really simple. He told me how much time he needed, I gave it to him if I had it. If there was a big story, he'd come to me to tell me about it.

If your show is your castle, your Sports and Weather Guys are guarding your gates. If you have to talk to them about everything, you might as well be sitting at the gates yourself.

[Spike]

Competent doesn't have anything to do with it.

HUMAN BEINGS are prone to errors and oversights.

"Oops, I forgot to put that story in my sportscast" is not a simple error or oversight. If this producer feels compelled to check that this guy didn't miss any important stories, either the sports director is incompetent or the producer is micromanaging. There really isn't another scenario. If the sports director were incompetently missing important stories, I would have expected the producer to mention that in the original post. Since he didn't, it seems more likely that this is micromanagement.

Maybe the producer (in this thread) is wondering why a certain sports story isn't in the show and is just simply asking about it.

That wasn't the problem that was expressed. The problem that was expressed was that the sports director doesn't appreciate this producer's "input." A simple question about a story isn't "input."

Maybe the producer is taking a vested interest in the entire show because he/she has to be able to account for everything to their boss in a post-show meeting when the sports director may not be there (having to go shoot something immediately after the show).

And maybe the sports director in this thread is a pompous, holier-than-thou ass?

Likewise, neither of those problems seemed to be indicated by the first post. If the producer is having to take responsibility for the sports director's work, the problem is with management rather than with the sports director.

And it doesn't really matter if the sports director is a pompous ass. Many of them are. That doesn't mean he's wrong when he suggests to the producer that he butt out and let him do his job. Micromanagement isn't a solution to the sports director being a pompous ass.

[adam & doctor drew]

let the sports guy do his job.
how would you like him coming by to assess the quality of your A-block?

if you think he's grossly mis-handling things, or missing things altogether, alert the EP and/or ND.
then let them deal with it.

[11-Evil]

Our biggest problem with a Sports Director is producing for his time given. He is either 2 minutes long or 1 minute short.

[NotImpressed]

I am producer for an afternoon newscast. Every day I look over the rundown for the sports segment. I want to make sure it has good flow and all the sports stories are being covered in my newscast. Lately, the SD seems to get irritated at me for my input. Does anyone else have this problem? How should I deal with it. Thanks for the feedback in advance.

I don't want to be rude, so I will try and say this as diplomatically as possible: as a producer, your only responsibility as far as sports goes is to tell the SD how much time he or she has. After that, none of it is your call. Sports and Weather are specialties, and we hire experts to handle them. You worry about the rest of it, they'll handle their departments.

[adam & doctor drew]

Our biggest problem with a Sports Director is producing for his time given. He is either 2 minutes long or 1 minute short.

if you're giving him a set time, and not deviating from it, then he should absolutely be able to hit that time.

if you're changing his allotted time often, and at the last second, or using him to essentially time your newscast (ie, "the weather guy went long, can you drop a minute?"), as many many many many news producers do, then maybe the blame should be shared.

[The Mockingbird]

If your production people like you, you just hide a 30 second promo in the last break. I got away with it for 2 years before management noticed.

[Another side]

... is holding the producer responsible for the entire show, then, yes, the producer should take care to know what's going on in the sportscast.

If not, the producer should mind his/her own business.

And, especially is sports, I'm troubled by the original poster's use of the words, "all the sports stories" are being covered.

Opinions differ, particularly in sports, as to what sports stories should be covered. No on, anywhere, has the luxury of covering "all the sports stories" -- even if the cast is 100% local.

[HolyToledo]

My market is nuts for college sports.

My station focuses much of its branding on sports.
Few sports departments in a market our size would have four on-air types (two of whom shoot), a dedicated shooter, and an executive producer (who also handles long-form projects)

Victories or losses frequently lead the newscast; as will coaching changes, player infractions, players leaving early for the pros, etc.

As such, SPORTS IS NEWS, and the guys who cover it are first-rate journalists.

I wouldn't PRESUME to tell them how to do their jobs.

But I always "have their back" and make sure they're aware of stories that
cross the wires or cross my desk (BTW: those guys do the same for us, and as an anchor-reporter, my 'casts and stories have benefited greatly)

Those guys know I respect them, and that I'm not questioning their judgment.

It's their call (and the ND's) whether they use that material.

Methinks the producer's "problem" is the tone of his/her voice when he/she
is "making the sportscaster aware" of content/flow issues.

R-E-S-P-E-C-T goes a LONG way, folks.

[Clever Login Name]

The orginial post reeks of a some snot-nosed kid about 6 months out of J-school who thinks being in charge of a newscast gives them some semblance of authority ... get over yourself, kid ... you were hired largely on your ability to count backward from 30:00 ... let the sports guys do what they know how to do without some pea-brained 22-year-old questioning their every move.

[The Fedora]

yes...

or it could be a cleverly disguised fake post.

[Egbert Roscoe Murrow]

The orginial post reeks of a some snot-nosed kid about 6 months out of J-school who thinks being in charge of a newscast gives them some semblance of authority ... get over yourself, kid ... you were hired largely on your ability to count backward from 30:00 ... let the sports guys do what they know how to do without some pea-brained 22-year-old questioning their every move.

Sir, you are my next project.

[The Mockingbird]

Most Sports guys loved me, because I'm flexible enough to give people time when they need it/want it -- if it's available.

I had one who took that "you aren't telling me anything, punk" attitude with me though. When we ran out of time, I took it to a three shot, and had the director play the bump music.
Never had that problem twice.

[Clever Login Name]

Sir, you are my next project.

Got you pegged, do I? Like Fedora, I too thought it might be a fake post ... but then I realized attitudes like yours are rampant in this industry.

[SamG]

you were hired largely on your ability to count backward from 30:00

Don't you mean "watch the computer count backward from 30:00"? Do you have any producers in your shop that can backtime without a computer?

[Another side]

The orginial post reeks of a some snot-nosed kid about 6 months out of J-school who thinks being in charge of a newscast gives them some semblance of authority ... get over yourself, kid ... you were hired largely on your ability to count backward from 30:00 ... let the sports guys do what they know how to do without some pea-brained 22-year-old questioning their every move.

... because we all know, sports people have no egos and are NEVER protective of their turf.

[cobracat]

apropos of nothing...there was the sports director I worked with in the Midwest 30 years ago who told a cameraman one Sunday to just shoot the scoring plays -- "I'm tired of going through four tapes to find highlights."

[NotImpressed]

Sports guys HAVE to be protective of their turf. Producers rarely say "hey, let's get more time for sports."

As a former SD, if any producer EVER had questioned my rundown - and to be fair, no one ever did - I would have literally laughed in their face.