I continue to enjoy my role as game-day host for London's OHL broadcasts
As a full-time Realtor I do on occasion make references in this space to my hobbies -- volunteering for Relay For Life or the Lions Club of Woodstock. I don't often summarize my broadcasting background because I do prefer to keep this hobby as a background item. I truly want people to know me as a full-time Realtor with 16 years experience and all for Royal LePage Triland.
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By Mark Schadenberg
Another London Knights season is over,
so the time I spent late-at-night researching OHL stats and reading newspapers from
around the league, can now be spent writing a blog about the season
which has ended.
Firstly, it must be said that a huge
amount of work goes into each Rogers TV broadcast. I want to recognize a crew of
about 12 who never appear in front of a camera unless you're watching a
message on a Rogers program promoting its dozens of dedicated
volunteers.
From afternoon set-up at the arena and
sound checks, attaching cables and lugging equipment, to learning
what all the switches are for on the main console in the truck, to
developing the craft of operating a camera, it's most certainly a
hands-on experience in a technical environment.
My job is easy after everything is
plugged in. (Not really). My on-screen chatter is a combination of
show prep, experience, dare I admit to 'acting', and of course
caffeine (coffee and Diet Pepsi are my choices).
The Friday night broadcasts (from
Budweiser Gardens) are the most challenging as we would be
broadcasting live in your living room 35 minutes before the opening
faceoff with our pre-game show, The Warm Up. I would be stationed at
ice level near the Knights dressing room and beside the section 102
bleachers. Constantly mulling over my scribbles and re-memorizing the
show's format, my game face could be equivalent to the players
preparing for their assignment.
Rick Doyle (analyst) and Greg Sloan
(play-by-play) would have their notes all prepared, but they would be
located in the 300 level media room (press box), so I could only talk
to them in a rehearsal-type discussion well before 7 p.m.
Knights win 2013 OHL title. Captain Scott Harrington holds J Ross Robertson Cup.
Matt Chalmers 'in the truck'
The diminutive San Francisco Giants fan
Kris Bergholz is the director / boss / technical producer / button
pusher / main switcher and choreographer. Bergholz, meanwhile, is
outside the building in a sophisticated wired-for-technology truck
with dozens of monitors and headsets. He is calling the shots to
myself, Rick and Greg, along with persons also tucked in the vehicle
dedicated to graphics, replays, audio and colour levels (brightness),
and Kris is also instructing six camera people.
The two main cameras in the press box
are unique at the OHL level because the operators are on swivel
seats. While one camera concentrates mostly on the wide shot of the
action, the other camera is multi-faceted for close-ups, secondary
shots for replays, focuses on specific players, and when the whistle
goes is constantly either following players to the bench, to the
penalty box, or possibly capturing a zoom-in of a referee discussing
an altercation with a coach at the bench. All the camera operators
are also listening to the directions as (calmly) belted out by the
man-of-the-four-hours of live production – Kris Bergholz.
Not to take anything away from other
Rogers staffers such as Morgan Baker or Neill Johnson, Kris is in
command.
Picture was taken specifically for the current April 2015 promotion by www.beadonor.ca. The idea is that 1 person can save up to 8 lives (or more) by registering to be a donor. Pictured are BACK (from left): London Rogers station manager Bob Smith, Ryan Robinson, Jeremy Parking (he is also from Woodstock), myself. FRONT: Producer / director Kris Bergholz (aka the game-day boss), Pete James, Rick Doyle and Greg Sloan.
The 2014-15 season marked 50 years of Junior A hockey in London and was also the 20th year for Rogers broadcasting the games. My first season on the crew was 2006-07, which was the Patrick Kane and Sam Gagner season.
With a couple modest edits by me, I think play-by-play guy Greg Sloan summed it up well when he posted a season-ending email to
the crew.
“I think makes this production, in my
opinion, arguably one of the best in the CHL is teamwork. As Kris
mentions we want to always strive for improvement, however
individually (in the whole production) we all know ours roles and I
really believe each one of us has huge passion and commitment for
their own particular role. The key that naturally brings out the
teamwork is the respect and literally amazement of what individually
we each bring to the game - skill, passion and commitment. The
(behind-the-scenes) production crew is exceptional, so the broadcast
really comes off as NHL or better
quality. I have been told that many times, from coaches and GM'S
around the OHL, and fans. Between Rick, Mark, Pete James, Ryan
Robinson, Jeremy Parking and myself, I think everything just flows
naturally and at the same time everyone is very respectful of what
each one does. We all depend on each other naturally and
unsolicited! That is true teamwork."
Game analyst Rick
Doyle, who played for the Knights in the 1970's, submitted similar positive comments:
“I
am constantly amazed at the abilities of the people behind the
scenes. The hours applied to hone their personal skill sets, plays
out every night Rogers broadcasts from The Gardens. I constantly feel
the pressure to live up to the standards set by the technical crew.
It is a pleasure to be associated with the men and women, who
basically work anonymously, with very little public recognition. I
would like to say thank you for your time, your work is not lost on
me.”
ERIE
SERIES
In the
Western Conference semifinal series versus Erie, our tasks changed
enormously as we utilized the play-by-play (of Aaron Cooney) and
video from Erie, but did our own pre-game and intermission content
from the studio at 800 York Street in London. Rick Doyle and myself
could watch the game on a large monitor and then would discuss the
happenings of the previous 20 minutes of puck movement or we would
introduce reporter Ryan Robinson who would have an interview
from Erie with a player or someone else.
Robinson and Jeremy Parking rotated as
hosts of the post-game show called The Wrap. The analyst on this
program is the legend Pete James (watch video below), who celebrated
60 years in broadcasting this past winter. Instead of just having one
interview with a coach and some inserted post-game highlights, this
program also involved Twitter observations, phone calls, out-of-town
scores, trivia, ticket giveaways, and anecdotes of yester-year as
provided by Mr James.
Monitor at Rogers studio in London with Jeremy Parking and Pete James hosting the post-game show The Wrap.
York Street studio in London: Kris Bergholz and in the background is the one-and-only Kai Mortensen.
In the audio room is Taylor Choma
At the end of the season, it is always
safe for me to say that my little part-time job is just that – a
hobby that I do get paid for, but also most certainly just a small
sideline to my real profession / career as a Realtor. Not being home
on most Fridays for my wife Nicole and two children is the difficult
part.
VOLUNTEER CREW
National Volunteer Week is now –
April 12 – 18, so I too pass along a hearty thanks to the Rogers
crew for another terrific and entertaining season of hockey. This
dedicated group often did double duty as other remote on-location
broadcasts included Junior B London Nationals and the Ontario curling
championships in Dorchester.
As for volunteering at Rogers, I
certainly still qualify as such with the various reporting stories I
assist John Payne with for Inside Oxford, or the few occasions I have
hosted Daytime for Joe Brown. I do want to add that those local
programming appearances are community-access non-paid roles, but in
the end I enjoy giving back to the community.
Last summer, John Payne and I spent
quite a bit of time with Jake Muzzin (Los Angeles Kings defenceman
and Stanley Cup champ from Woodstock) to create a program called In
Focus. I volunteered my time for that production as well and now
realize I'm getting long winded here – just like the windy day John
Payne and I did the intros for the Muzzin show and my hair was
attacked by the wind.
Joe Brown in Woodstock studio -- scratching his head.
Summer of 2014: Jake Muzzin, John Payne and myself.
LINKS:
http://londonsportshalloffame.com/inductees/pete-james/
Guys in the truck are good at catching (taping) pre-game moments.
Full-time Realtor and ready to work for you
Mark
Schadenberg, Sales
Representative
Senior
Real Estate Specialist (SRES designation)
Royal
LePage Triland Realty
757
Dundas St, Woodstock
www.wesellwoodstock.com
(519)
537-1553, cell or text
Email:
mschadenberg@rogers.com
Twitter:
markroyallepage
Facebook:
Mark Schadenberg, Royal LePage Triland
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. . . Direction . . . Determination . . . Destination
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