FEATURE
Super Bowl 50 took over the Bay Area for the past two weeks, and with social media at its highest peak than any previous Super Bowl, coverage was spread over numerous social platforms.
Fox Sports field producer Dennis Ackerman and Fox Sports VP of Events and Productions Celeste Gehring came to San Jose State on Monday to talk to graduate students about the process behind covering the Super Bowl.
“For us on this trip, we will get things that go out to the global affiliates, including here,” Gehring said. “But mostly it is basically just reporting ‘day of news.’ Are we talking about Cam’s leadership today?”
Gehring said most of the reporting done prior to the game is based on storylines that develop while they are in the Bay Area.
“I definitely think the hardest thing about my job is trying to reinvent ourselves and develop a product at the same time,” Gehring said. “You have to love what you do and be really committed.”
One of the biggest problems is a tight and constantly-changing budget. In order to get the right video clips of interviews with pro-athletes, they must use expensive equipment.
Since allotted money for purchasing cameras is getting cut, reporters and crew members have to constantly adjust. “I had to go from a $180,000 budget to a $60,000 budget for Super Bowl 50,” Gehring said.
During the Super Bowl, every story is under heavy crunch time before it becomes untimely. The challenge is to flesh out a story fast and well enough to include all the details necessary to keep readers interested.
“I wouldn’t say that after this presentation is steering me away from that career choice, but it definitely makes me think twice about wanting to go into it,” said journalism graduate student Ali Lang. “They kept saying ‘this has to be something you absolutely want for your life and you have to be passionate about this career.’”
Ackerman, a SJSU alumnus, said he has no regrets about his career choice. He wanted to go into sports television ever since he was a kid and enjoys it everyday.
“As for me, it may not be so glamorous but I have a lot of fun doing it,” Ackerman said. “I get paid to go to these games. I get paid to watch a football game which I think is a pretty good deal.”
However, Gehring stated she has a tougher time fitting in to her job. “It is definitely a ‘boy’s club.’ There is not denying that.”
She said the nature of the NFL is geared toward male employees and, as a VP, there is little chance of her moving forward because of the reality of this job.
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