Per GoBearcats:
The University of Cincinnati made enough of an impression with its self-produced ESPN Plus broadcasts to be given the rare opportunity to produce Thursday’s men’s basketball game (9 p.m. vs. Tulsa) on ESPNU, all from its Nippert Stadium control room.
UC will be the first AAC school to hold this distinction.
“The students in our sports media classes have put in a lot of work in the past 18 months since our ESPN+ partnership launched with CCM and UC Athletics,” Joe Brackman, assistant professor of media production and a director for the broadcasts. “The chance for the students to contribute to a linear broadcast, working alongside professionals from ESPN, is unparalleled and provides for a tremendous learning environment for them.
“The confidence that ESPN has shown in the capabilities of our CCM (College-Conservatory of Music) students means a lot to our program, and we’re excited for our students to seize this opportunity.”
The collaborative initiative began in Summer 2019 during discussions between CCM and the athletics department about the AAC’s mandate of multi-camera productions for live events on ESPN Plus. It led to the formulation of a student-centered solution designed to integrate the platform into the Media Production Division’s curriculum, according to Professor Kevin Burke.
“When we started our ESPN+ broadcasts a little over a year ago, our goal was to get them as close as we could to what fans see on ESPN’s television broadcasts,” Matt Noonan, UC’s Athletics’ Lead Producer & Head of Talent, said. “Now, we get to help produce an actual ESPN television broadcast. It’s a testament to how hard everyone on our crew has worked over the last year.”
Further expansion allowed for collaboration with UC’s Division of Experience Based Learning and Career Education to secure Co-Op 2.0 support, creating paid positions for involved students.
“I’m delighted with Professor Brackman’s ability to take this idea and put it into motion by working with our students, UC Athletics and ELCE for the Co-op 2.0 support, which has already resulted in two of our recent graduates landing full time positions with ESPN at its Bristol, Connecticut, studios,” Burke said. “(This opportunity) is outstanding and spotlights the many positives of this unique collaboration that connects academics at CCM and athletics.”
