Red Hawk Sports Network Students to “Tackle” Another Ambitious Homecoming Broadcast

After successful live broadcasts including pre-game shows before last year’s homecoming football game and at basketball games last season, students at the Red Hawk Sports Network are preparing for an even higher level of live production and programming surrounding tomorrow’s homecoming football game.

The broadcast is a collaboration among more than 30 students, some of whom are involved with the Red Hawk Sports Network class which usually focuses on the weekly “Inside the Nest” show, interns who call gameday action and students who join the network as a Club activity. Naturally, School of Communication and Media faculty and the Broadcast Media Operations (BMO) team are there to lend a guiding hand and with the infrastructure.

“For last year’s show during homecoming, we only did pregame and halftime shows,” said Professor Stacy Gitlin. “And for the game itself, we used just the AI (Artificial Intelligence) camera on top of the press box. This year, what’s different is that BMO has provided the engineering and multiple cameras and cable lines and other infrastructure to make it a more complete live broadcast. The actual core group of students is close to the same, but with a lot more cameras and a lot more new students using and running a new operating system. It’s going to be an exciting production on the level with any D-1 school that produces these types of live shows and broadcasts. It’s an exciting opportunity for our students and everyone involved with the Red Hawk Sports Network.”

Here is tomorrow’s live broadcast lineup, which can be viewed on Hawk+, the streaming network for the School of Communication and Media:

Noon: Pre-game show featuring live stories, interviews and pre-packages stories

12:35 p.m. Sam mills plaque dedication

1 p.m. Kickoff Montclair State vs. Christopher Newport

Approximately 2 pm. Halftime show

Approximately 3 p.m. Postgame wrap

Also part of the day’s activities is the debut of the Sam Mills documentary, which will be screened privately to family, friends and teammates of the late, great Montclair State and NFL star. It will also be shown during the post-game broadcast. Over the summer, a group of SCM Sports Communication students traveled to Canton, OH for Mills’ induction into the Pro Football Hall of Fame. While there, the students interviewed dozens of former teammates, players, coaches and NFL executives- including NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell- for the documentary.

About the School of Communication and Media: Founded in 2012, the School of Communication and Media offers a range of dynamic programs in communication and media to a talented and diverse student population of over 1,500. Offering degrees in film and television, social media and public relations, advertising, journalism and digital media, sports communication, animation and visual effects, and an MA in public and organizational relations, the School prepares the next generation of communication and media practitioners and leaders. The School houses award-winning student programs that include WMSC Radio, The Montclarion newspaper, Hawk Communications PR Agency, the Red Hawk Sports Network, Hawk+ OTT streaming platform, and News Lab, as well as the Center for Cooperative Media, which serves the public by working to grow and strengthen local journalism. Recent national School recognitions include an Edward R. Murrow Award, several Marconi Award nominations, and a College Television Award from the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

Story by Keith Green, School of Communication and Media