Chris Hall

What do you do in broadcasting?

I am one of the resource managers for WOLV Student Television. As a manager I take care of general administration, which means scheduling meetings and talking to perspective members, coordinating with the business department, and coordinating social events. Generally our job is to make sure that all the departments at WOLV are working together cohesively.

How much control do you have over what's viewed on WOLV?

I actually have my own sports show on WOLV. It's a sports dialog show and we talk about campus and national sports. Since I'm the producer of the sports dialog show, WOLV gives me general free range to create my own content, scripts, and put my own product on the air. WOLV trusts its producers to come up with generally interesting and compelling content for the show's time within guidelines.

How many shows are there?

The list of shows we have varies from time to time. Right now, we have four sports shows, two shows for news, and three for entertainment. In addition to that, we have other seasonal shows such as football, those that cover concerts, and the Michigan hockey games. There is a wide range of content covered.

What are the processes that you have to go through in order to get your show's final product?

Preparing for my television show generally starts about six hours before we begin taping. I look at all the headlines around the sporting world that are relatively interesting and create a run down about where stuff is going to go in the show. Then I create the graphics. From there I go to the studio and make sure the lights are set up, I check the mics, make sure that the green screen is working properly, and get the cameras together. Then the crew and the anchors come down 45 minutes before show time. A few changes in the run down of the show usually take place before taping because the show is a collaborative work. Then we go live to tape. The show only takes about 30 minutes to record. After everything's taped we bring it to our office, plug it into the rack, and then it goes to air.

Is this nerve-wracking?

Absolutely, because as a producer and a host of my own show I've always got one eye on the program monitor while half of my focus is behind the scenes. Then a part of me is focused on what I have to say as a host. Sometimes all of my duties do conflict, but it's worth it.

What artistic talents do you think are necessary in Broadcasting?

That obviously depends. My experiences have shown me that sometimes the people that you see on the news write a lot of their own stuff, but then sometimes producers write the scripts for the broadcasters. In any case, what's exciting to me is the writing aspect of broadcasting and how you can express yourself creatively and artistically in that capacity. In terms of writing, for sport in particular, it's hard to keep the writing fresh because a lot of the same stuff has been said. So, to be able to find a way to make something your own I think that's how you artistically express yourself. Also, there is a great deal of improvisation involved in broadcasting because nothing ever goes completely as planed.

How do you find time to have a life and be a General Manager and WOLV sports producer?

Well, that's a good question. I think that that's one of the great struggles for college students because if you can find a way to do well academically and still be involved with something that you enjoy, you've accomplished something great. I've put in a lot of time in working at WOLV and I've done this for four years, but I think that the reward is just being part of a whole. Knowing that what you do affects others. The balance is a killer question, but in the end you figure out what's important to you and just do it.

What inspired you to go into broadcasting?

I remember talking to my grandmother, one time, about what I wanted to become and she was like, "why don't you think about broadcasting?" My grandmother pointed out that I obviously liked to perform, because I performed in the school theatre, and I was a good writer why didn't I pursue something like that. So, I started to think about it and from then on I got very heavily involved at my High School in broadcasting for two years. Once I got to the University of Michigan I really felt like it was something that I needed to look into, so I did.

What other artistic things do you do in and outside of your work place?

Right now I'm not involved with anything, but in the past I have done some theatre stuff and acting classes at the university which was awesome. The best side of art to me is the performance part, being able to entertain people.

Do you plan to work in broadcasting after you graduate from college?

I've been told that you have to find the one thing that you love and do that. I always knew that I loved sports to the point where I thought I needed to be involved with them in some capacity of my career. And since I don't think I could be a professional athlete or coach, I felt that being a sports anchor would be another good way to talk about sports and get paid to do it, and even more exciting bring sports news and sports entertainment to the community. So yes, I plan on working in television, and I'm hoping to work in sports broadcasting in some capacity after college.

How can others get involved?

What's great about WOLV is that we have lots of members that are interested in doing television, but also students who are just looking to get involved somehow with something. Because of the very nature of our departments you can come and not care about making television for the rest of your life, but you can still sit down and talk sports and/or celebrity gossip with us because of the different opportunities within our department. People who are interested in getting involved with WOLV can check our website to learn about the exact shows they are interested in. You can donate whatever amount of time that you want. If you don't know exactly what area you'd like to work in you can email the station managers at WOLV@umich.edu. We will be happy to point you in the right direction.

Check out WOLV's website: http://www.umich.edu/~wolv/