Student workers value experience gained from CSC Live

And being on the team that makes it possible for anyone with an internet connection to watch high-quality video streams of CSC home sports contests and graduation ceremonies enriches college life in many other ways, according to current and former CSC Live student workers.

“It’s been an excellent resource for my career development. I enrolled as an education major, but broadcasting helped me discover other areas I am truly passionate about,” said junior communication major Devin Fulton of Glenrock, Wyoming.

Chadron State first ventured into internet broadcasting of athletic contests in 2008 with the Sports Information Office setting up a single camera and taking the audio feed from the radio broadcast. The effort expanded in 2012 when College Relations purchased equipment for multi-camera productions.

“The knowledge and skillset I learned while working for CSC Live is still used today, and has been at every job I’ve held,” said William McLaughlin, a 2016 graduate who is now Director of Athletic Communications at Central Washington University.

Since 2012, CSC Live has covered 424 athletic events and 43 graduation and Ivy Day ceremonies, said Daniel Binkard, digital graphic designer, and the person in charge of engineering, programming, and personnel for CSC Live. The 59 events covered in the 2018-19 school year had nearly 18,000 unique viewers, for an average of more than 300 per event, Binkard said.

For each event, Binkard directs a team of CSC Live student workers as they operate cameras, switch between different camera angles, create replay clips, and provide commentary. An average of four students are involved with each production, with some events needing more or less.

Students are paid for their work with CSC Live, which can take from two to five hours or more, depending on the activity. The students come from a variety of majors, including art, business, education, and communications, and some have worked with video equipment or editing in high school before starting with CSC Live, Binkard said.

“In all cases, I train students on how our equipment works and what I expect them to do during a given broadcast,” he said.

Kayla Reinke, a junior art major from Pierce, Nebraska, said she had an interest in photography and a high school digital media class as background when she joined CSC Live as a freshman. In her five semesters of work, she operated cameras, ran replays, directed camera switching, and provided commentary for softball games.

“I loved learning about all the behind the scenes work. I also enjoyed running the cameras or replay,” Reinke said. “Having the opportunity to work for CSC Live has been one of my favorite parts of being a student at CSC. I got paid to do the things I really enjoy: videography, photography, and sports.”

Preston Goehring, a December 2017 graduate, brought a passion for sports broadcasting and some experience doing radio commentary for his high school basketball team when he joined CSC Live in his second year at CSC.

“A sportscaster can make or break the way a game was viewed. They can make it exciting and enjoyable and I loved being able to try my hand at it,” said Goehring, now a marketing specialist at Western Nebraska Community College in Scottsbluff. “We were putting out a real product for people to view. It was just like what the pros were doing, just on a smaller scale.”

Goehring said working for CSC Live was a hands-on learning experience that helped more than reading textbooks or writing papers.

Working for CSC Live has whetted a fascination with sports and broadcasting for Fulton, who has done camera work, color commentary and play-by-play announcing for games.

“I love being a part of the intense moments of every game and playing a significant part for the viewers at home,” he said. “I would love to stick in the field of sports and media. CSC Live has helped me become more professional in that field.”

CSC Live also offers internship opportunities for students, something McLaughlin found beneficial.

“I was able to do two internships that helped tailor to my degree program,” he said. “Both internships helped build my résumé, both professionally and academically.”

Besides getting valuable work experience in video productions, CSC Live workers learn lessons that can help them after graduation, said Binkard.

“Students gain a sense of responsibility. They are part of a team that puts out a product in real time and needs to look polished,” he said. “They are able to work efficiently and solve problems on the fly.”

Chadron State reaps benefits from CSC Live too, Binkard said.

“For family, friends, and fans who can’t attend an event in person, CSC Live coverage allows them to take part,” he said. “By putting out quality productions, we hope that our viewers will associate CSC with quality.”

—George Ledbetter