Syracuse men's and women's soccer and field hockey games have aired live on Orange All Access this season.
SU Students Gain Professional Experience Through Orange All Access
10/13/2006 1:18:10 PM | Men's Soccer, Women's Soccer
Near or for, no matter where you are, you can follow the Orange!
Syracuse fans have a new way to follow Orange teams. Beginning this fall, the Department of Athletics has started webcasting select Olympic sports contests live on its website – suathletics.com. The video streaming is just one of the many offerings available on Orange All Access, Syracuse’s subscription service gives fans access to exclusive audio and video coverage. While the basis of Orange All Access (OAA) is to give Syracuse fans all over the world the chance to follow their team, broadcasting students on the Syracuse campus are also benefiting from this endeavor.
“We are so excited to continue to grow Orange All Access,” said Director of Athletics Dr. Daryl Gross. “It is great for our teams, their families and friends and fans. And, it is a wonderful opportunity for all Syracuse students to gain experience in broadcasting. It’s a win for everybody.”
During the webcasts of Orange field hockey and men’s and women’s soccer games, Syracuse students are providing the play-by-play and color analysis. The cameras are operated by either a graduate assistant or intern or an undergraduate student. Director of media properties and production Roger Springfield and “Voice of the Orange” Matt Park oversee the student staff and provide feedback on their work.
“I act just like a coach, teaching the students how to do things correctly and also tap into the expertise of the free lance cameramen I hire to work with the students,” Springfield said. “I monitor their work constantly and give them immediate feedback about what they are doing correctly and incorrectly.”
Syracuse University provides a variety of opportunities for broadcasting students to gain valuable experience, including student-run television and radio stations. This is addition to the outstanding classroom instruction they receive in the renowned S.I. Newhouse School of Communication. Students who work for Orange All Access get real-life experience that could set them apart when they search for their first jobs.
“First and foremost, the student sportscasters are getting more airtime which is vital in this stage of their development,” Park said. “Early in your career, every little bit helps. They also get the benefit of working in a professional environment as they are associated with an official athletics department production. That’s very rare for student sportscasters.”
Springfield agrees.
“This is a tremendous opportunity for student to get valuable professional experience in video production and new media. They will have a marked advantage when they enter the job market over students who do not have this experience. Not only are they learning the craft, they’re working under the pressures associated with live production and tight deadlines.”
And it’s not just the experience that can aid the students in their post-graduate careers.
“Working closely with Dr. (Daryl) Gross, Roger and me gives the students an opportunity to get a foot in the door as we share our contacts in the industry,” Park said. “We’ve already used a number of the students to help with behind-the-scenes OAA features at football games and on our radio broadcasts. Who knows what’s next.”
The addition of a media production center in Manley Field House will allow Park, Springfield and the students a chance to further develop the content on OAA.
“The media production center includes a small television studio, radio studio and video editing suite,” Springfield said. “The addition of this facility has been a tremendous boost and greatly improves the efficiency of our work flow and the synergy of our media platforms.”
Students aren’t just getting experience on the broadcasting side of Orange All Access. Internet Consulting Services (ICS), the company that runs suathletics.com, also employs students to assist with the technical side of the website and provide feedback for users during live events, making Orange All Access customer service second to none.
“On average all tech support issues that users have are answered within two minutes (during live events),” said Internet Consulting Services’ Jeff Rubin. “ICS uses their internal employees as well as Syracuse University students to be sure all users get their issues resolved as quickly as possible.”
Future live webcasts include the women’s soccer games against Seton Hall on Sunday, October 15 at 1 p.m. and South Florida on Sunday, October 22 at 1 p.m.
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