A New Crop of Sports Journalists In The Wings

If it seems there are more TV reporters and cameras around the Rexall Centre for this year’s Rogers Cup events, you’re not imagining it — there are.

Cameraman Pat Mayo, guest Larry Isaac, veteran TV produicer, and interviwere Garion Thorne on a College of Sports Media assignment at the 2011 Rogers Cup

The three-year-old College of Sports Media has an arrangement with Tennis Canada to provide a ‘real’ media experience again this year for its students, during one of the major sports events in the world. Students prepare and produce a one hour program each day (seen on the Tennis Canada website) covering highlights and personalities of competition, practice and other activities at the Rogers Cup.
The College of Sports Media, located in the Jarvis – Richmond area of Toronto has complete radio and TV broadcast facilities including a complete TV studio and four edit suites along with a complete radio studio. They’re going into their 4th ‘school year’ in September expecting that the incoming first year class will bring their enrollment numbers up to 75 again (the maximum capacity is 80 students in any given year).  The school program includes four ‘semesters’ — two per year over the course of the program.
Students applying to the School have come from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. They must be at least high school graduates, and many are university and college graduates and people from the business world, hoping to develop a career in sports media.
The student body has been about 10% female and like their male counterparts some have a sports background but definitely have an interest in sport along with an ambition to be reporters or commentators or, in some cases, hope for a job as writers and to develop blog sites and other opportunities in medias many modern formats. Many who start with an ‘on camera’ appetite find new challenges thanks to their extensive exposure to the sports journalisms profession often change their job goals.
Working with school president David Lanys are several fulltime and per occasion staff including Jim Van Horne who is TV Co-ordinator and Ray Williams the Radio Co-ordinator, Norma Wick, John Wells, Roger Lajoie, David Amber and Greg Brady.

Practice program host Phil Perkins, co-host Adriann Kennedy and producer Ben Kashin plan today's practice program.

Students are introduced to a full range of TV and radio operations including On Camera and On Mike work, writing, producing, directing, editing, camera operation and control room operation.
Second year students produce four 15 minute ‘shows’ every Tuesday and Wednesday — rotating roles and every Thursday and Friday they do the same sort of radio ‘hands on’ work.
Students are guaranteed a one month ‘internship’ at a major media entity upon graduation. 80% of graduates have found work in sports media including about a dozen at TSN and another dozen at the Score and others in a wide range of jobs and locations.