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  • zd6668a 9:26 pm on April 22, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Blogging from the Basement 

    I thought covering a playoff team would be a blast. Playoff hockey is known for extremely contentious games and arenas full of energy. But it was not to be. There wasn’t enough room in the press box for this poor intern, and Caps PR wouldn’t let me anywhere near the place – not even for warmups. So I’m here in the Verizon Center basement watching the game on TV like everyone else.

    I’m not surprised to be watching games from down here – the Caps fan base and media attention seemingly triples during the playoffs. But it has made me realize how much time I spent during this internship just enjoying myself. Most of the time, I get to watch most of the game live and in person. I always told people that, while it was an unpaid internship, it’s like they paid me in free hockey tickets. It’s still cool to be able to go into the locker room after games, but it just doesn’t feel the same. I don’t feel like as much of a VIP.

    College is about having fun while learning, and in that vein, this internship has been perfect. My scheduling has been pretty flexible, I don’t have to wake up before 9:30 most days, and I get more involved in a sport that I love. It’s been incredibly fun and enjoyable, even if it’s not exactly what I’m planning on doing with my life.

    So I guess I can deal with spending the playoffs in the doghouse.

    While I’ve had one heckuva year, it doesn’t compare to the ups and downs the Caps have gone through this season. Click here for a good example of both. I used my recorded audio from the entire year to create a retrospective of the Caps season. Includes game highlights from WFED, and a royalty-free Beethoven Symphony I found online.

     

  • zd6668a 11:26 pm on April 6, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Just Having Fun With It 

    You can tell that most hockey players don’t always enjoy being interviewed. For starters, they’re generally trying to undress while sharing a room with a bunch of strangers just casually standing there. Like buzzards, but with microphones and cameras in hand. Then, right before they leave for the showers, the strangers pounce, surrounding them and shouting questions that the player is, by contract, supposed to answer.

    Okay, that’s a little dramatic. But still, it’s tough for most athletes to produce a coherent answer after 40+ minutes of grueling exercise, followed by the most awkward changing of clothes you could ever imagine. So it’s great when you can crack a few jokes or loosen guys up a little, and have a genuine moment in that context. It’s rare, because only a handful of players are that outgoing to begin with, but sometimes it happens.

    Here’s one great example. We were talking to Brooks Laich the morning after a 4-2 win that sealed a playoff birth for the Caps. But, in the middle of that game, the starting goaltender was somewhat horrifically injured. Now NHL teams dress two goalies, in case something like this happens. But it leads to an interesting predicament – if the backup also gets injured in that game, one of the forwards or defenseman have to jump in and play the rest of the game in net. This has happened before, and the opposing team usually ends up winning by a lot. We got into the philosophy with goaltending after the break.

    ***

    Brooks Laich

    This is Brooks Laich making a funny face.

    Brooks Laich: I think goaltending is the hardest position to play. It would be comparable to a quarterback. I remember playing goal just playing shinny when I was younger, and I don’t know how these guys do it cause it seems like everything goes in. You don’t know where a guy’s shooting, and all of a sudden he throws a head fake and makes a deke and you’re out of position. I have a real appreciation for that position, it’s a tough, tough place to play.

    Me: So if the unfortunate happened, and Braden got hurt in the third period or something…

    Brooks: I don’t want to think about it man. I would jump at the chance, but I don’t want to ever think that I’m going to have to go in net. If I did, I’d try to keep it to under 10 goals.

    Comcast reporter: Who would it be? Would it be you?

    Brooks: I’d volunteer, just so that I can say I did it.

    Comcast reporter: Well, you’ve played defense before, right?

    Brooks: Well I enjoy defense, I don’t think I’d enjoy goal. I mean, you got guys whizzing 100 m.p.h. slapshots at you thirty times a game. Why would you want to do that?

    ***

    Now that’s a story.

     

  • zd6668a 8:24 am on April 1, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    All By Myself 

    Last Sunday marked the first Caps game I worked without supervision. My boss was actually in the stands, taking the night off, and I had a Wizards intern from WTOP come and replace him. That means I got to run the show, sort of. Mainly, I was the guy who actually knew stuff about hockey and which players to interview.

    I wasn’t given a whole lot more responsibility, but it showed how independent I can be. I’ve been working at this job in earnest for three months. I’ve gotten really good at doing what’s expected of me, and in some cases, more. But I proved to myself that I don’t need someone looking over my shoulder anymore.

     

  • zd6668a 10:20 pm on March 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    To Censor or Not To Censor 

    As I mentioned before, I recently did a story that was aired on 1500 AM during the Capitals post game show. You can read about that experience here, but I also wanted to share this little anecdote.

    My story compared the new Caps coach, Dale Hunter, to the old coach, Bruce Boudreau. I found out that one of the most striking differences was their attitude in the locker room. Bruce was loud and talked a lot, while Dale is more reserved.

    I wanted to feature one of Bruce’s famous tirades, as seen on HBO a couple years back. But pretty much every other word in the clip is the f-word. And while that’s the main reason why the speech is so great, it doesn’t make for good material for a family-friendly radio show.

    I did a pretty good job of bleeping out the curse words, but in the end, my producer and I decided to pull the clip altogether. It was a little too edgy, and didn’t lend a whole lot to the story.

    You can listen here and judge for yourself. You can sort of tell where I was going to add the clip because my voice changes at the 5:02 mark. And for those not at work or around small children, here’s the UNCENSORED clip I wanted to bleep out and include. It’s pretty great.

     

  • zd6668a 3:36 pm on March 11, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Doing Actual Work is Hard 

    For the first few months or so, I marveled at how much work the hockey beat writers were putting into their jobs. Last week, I got to experience it. And now, I’m even more impressed.

    My job usually is pretty easy. I get quotes, I cut up quotes, I send quotes. No need for narrative arc, sense of context or extraneous research. I rarely have to even come up with my own questions. However, I also never get credited for my work when it does make it to air, because it’s so generic and I really didn’t do a whole lot to it.

    So when the producer of the pre- and post-game shows said I could do a real story for him, I was really excited. Here I get to do some real reporting. Instead of stealing their other writers’ questions and answers, I get to come up with my own. And I can throw in my voice and my name at the end. But I also have to do the work.

    It took me about a week to hammer out the story idea and the questions I wanted to ask. It took another week to get the quotes, and another week to edit it all together.

    There are writers who are publishing four to six stories a day. It took me three weeks to finish one. Yikes.

     

    • Francine Blume 2:21 pm on March 13, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      Great story, Zach! Wish you could embed the audio file here, but we all have to settle on clicking on your link.

  • zd6668a 4:26 pm on March 4, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Relating with Public Relations 

    There was a emotional conversation in the media room today about the role of the Capitals PR staff. One blogger who writes for the team website, and is essentially an arm of the PR department, tweeted something fairly accusatory a few nights ago. He said that reports of the team wanting to trade away two veteran players, who have been sitting out the last few games, were overblown by the the media. This offended many of the beat writers and media types in the room, as they felt their reporting was justified based on the information they were getting from players and coaches.

    I’m torn on this issue. On the one hand, yeah a PR guy who is also a noticeable media personality around the team should probably not be criticizing the media. After all, the whole point of public relations is creating good relationships with your clients. But on the other hand, they are also supposed to promote the team, and take the team’s side at all times. And you can’t fault this guy for defending these players and their contributions to the team.

    If you’re going to cover sports, you need to know how to deal with PR people because athletes are surrounded by them constantly. You can’t take anything too seriously. You have to recognize what their job is and how to get around it.

    And don’t ever take anything said on Twitter personally. Ever. It’s just not an effective method for human communication.

     

    • Francine Blume 9:45 pm on March 7, 2012 Permalink | Log in to Reply

      That’s a really good point. Staffers on the Hill sometimes experience something similar with their press people.

  • zd6668a 7:37 pm on February 28, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Is this How News Works Now? 

    I’m sitting in the media room at Kettler Iceplex on NHL Trade Deadline Day, waiting for something to happen. It’s possible nothing will happen, and the Capitals will sit pat on who they have right now. My and eleven other beat reporters are watching Twitter and streaming Canadian TV broadcasts, hoping to get a scoop.

    It’s the nature of news today. The internet has so much information, calling teams and sources is no longer necessary.

    We are going to speak to the Capitals GM later today, though that could not be till 5pm, two hours after the trade deadline. That gives us over two hours to sit around and scratch our heads, pop open a bag of chips and stare at a computer screen.

    Yay for immersive experiences! At least lunch was catered!

     

  • zd6668a 7:13 pm on February 27, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Juggling Time Bombs 

    When you have classes that you need to pass in order to graduate in two months, and a job that pays you real adult money, an unpaid internship can easily seem like a lower priority. Because yeah, yeah yeah, you’re covering an NHL team and whatnot, but really, the station would be fine without my coverage.

    In order to pull off this schedule, you need to have time management. Because when my computer was dying, and practice was taking far too long, and I had a class in an hour and a half, things got a little hairy. We had a goalie coach, who is never around but is also a great talker and a future hall of famer, come and speak. And he took about twenty minutes. I could only do so much before my computer died.

    I sent off the most important quotes, raced to class, then sent off the rest of my stuff that night. I even managed to grab lunch in the process. Point is, manage your time well, know what’s important, and don’t bite off more than you can chew.

    And know whose quotes are important.

     

  • zd6668a 5:11 pm on February 26, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    The Assertive Intern 

    “You can’t always get what you want. But if you try sometimes, you’ll find, you get what you need.” 

    I got this internship, in part, because I’m a hockey fan. I’ve been playing and watching hockey since I was five, and I know more about the rules and history of the game than most Americans, especially if those Americans are from California or Washington (the two places I’ve lived).

    So when the San Jose Sharks, my favorite hockey team growing up, came into town, I asked for the opportunity to interview those players and coaches instead of the Capitals. My boss and coworkers chuckled, and said I couldn’t do it. Their reasoning was that I wouldn’t know who anybody is. The visiting team usually doesn’t have nameplates up in the locker room like the home team does, so I would have no idea who I was interviewing. I claimed that I was a fan of this team, and I know all of their faces. (Normally, it is not a good idea to admit in the press box that you’re a fan of one of the teams playing that night, but whatever.) After two periods of hockey, my boss relented, and I got my shot. It went great, and now I have more stories to tell my friends back home. Or at least the two of them that also like hockey.

    But this story marks a turning point in my intern career. Through three unpaid jobs, I had never really been aggressive. I was focused on satisfying my boss, and making sure I didn’t screw up. And as a result, I was pushed around more than I am normally. And I’m pushed around rather easily. But here, I was confident in my abilities to both satisfy the needs of the radio station and fulfill a lifelong dream (slight exaggeration there). And I used what little power I had to swing that assignment.

    And if that doesn’t inspire some poor, unpaid, student drone out there, I don’t know what will.

    Zach’s Sharks 2-13-12 by Zach Drescher

     

  • zd6668a 9:57 pm on February 21, 2012 Permalink | Log in to leave a Comment  

    Where Do We Eat? 

    The following is a real conversation that my boss and I had last night.

    ME: [Coworker] and I are going out to California Tortilla to get dinner before the game starts. Should I get you something?

    BOSS: Really? California Tortilla? I don’t want that.

    ME: Well, that’s where we’re going.

    BOSS: Can’t you go to Potbelly’s or something instead?

    ME: Ew. No. Potbelly’s is gross.

    BOSS: No, but it’s right next to CalTor. So you go get your burrito or whatever, and swing by Potbelly’s on the way back.

    ME: Oh come on. That’s ridiculous!

    BOSS: What, they’re right next to each other!

    ME: No! It’s too much work! California Tortilla or nothing!

    BOSS: Oh, well look at this. The intern is dropping the hammer, huh? Go eat your California Tortilla. And maybe I won’t get you press credentials for any more games this season.

    ME: (stunned silence)

    You should be able to learn a couple things from this exchange. First off, my boss and I don’t have the kind of relationship that one would typically call “professional.” And secondly, I was right on the line between “intern who takes initiative” and “intern that pisses off his boss.”

    As an unpaid intern, I get two things out of my job. One is professional experience that better prepares me for the job market. This pays off in the long term, since this experience will make me a more attractive and skilled job candidate. The second part is the short-term thrill you get from living in the job of your dreams. I love going to hockey games, and I tell people that my employer compensates me in free hockey tickets. But not only do I get to watch the game from the press box, I get to then go downstairs and talk to the players and coaches. There aren’t many sports fans that can say they’ve had a conversation with the most famous [insert sport here] player in the world. But thanks to this internship, I can.

    Last night, I learned how fragile an intern’s relationship can be. You may enjoy your work, and want to keep working there. But if the boss doesn’t want you working there, well, let’s just say you’re the most expendable part of the team.

    Now, my boss later admitted that he was completely joking when he said he would pull my credentials. And he acknowledged the value of my hard work. But for a moment, I thought he could be serious. And it was a scary moment.

    Oh, and by the way, I ended up getting a salad at Chop’t. Go figure.
    Zach’s Caps Report – February 7, 2012 by Zach Drescher

     

     

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