How I See It by Mark Pinski

YOU HAVE TO SEE IT TO BELIEVE IT!

I remember announcing high school, college, and professional basketball and football games in the 80’s and 90’s, and no matter which gym, arena, field, or stadium I was broadcasting from, I always had one of the best seats in the house.

Like other basketball play-by-play guys, we were situated either at the scorer’s table, between the hash marks, or opposite the benches at press row, again, near midcourt. Seeing the game was rarely an issue. Radio PBP guys could watch both ends of the floor fine. If the game was televised, not a problem. The TV crew and home and away radio were always given prime spots to call the game by the public relations staff. We would drape a banner over the table, so everyone in the arena knew where we where. These days, it's difficult for fans in the arena to find the radio PBP crew, because they are all over the place, and no longer are guaranteed the best seats in the house, which in football is not too high up and close to the 50-yard line.

Today, for a variety of reasons, it’s different. The radio PBP guy, who is essentially acting as the eyes and ears of the fans by "painting a picture" for radio listeners, are being pushed upstairs, or near the baseline where it’s difficult to see and call a game. The issue is the same when it comes to football as well, where radio announcers are being moved closer to the endzone.

One guy who can attest to that is Marty Bannister. Bannister works for the Ohio State IMG Sports Network in Columbus, Ohio, where he does PBP for the women’s basketball team and baseball club, plus he fills in for the men’s basketball and football PBP guy, Paul Keels. Bannister works the sidelines for OSU football, and he can also be heard on 97.1 FM the fan in Columbus.

"I like to be courtside," Bannister, who does excellent work, told me during a lengthy phone interview this week. "I remember in the 2006 national title game against Florida, our football booth was at an angle on the 20-yard line. Our play-by-play guy, Paul Keels, who is one of the best in the business, had to work from a really tough place to announce a game from. I've heard that some NFL radio announcers have to call a game from the endzone. We're definately at the bottom of the totem pole."

Bannister is right on, especially when it comes to college and pro basketball and football games. At the United Center for example, the Bulls' radio team of Chuck Swirsky, Bill Wennington, and the talented pre and post game host Steve Kashul, sit in the second row, behind fans who are in courtside sides, and they are at or below the foul line, which makes it especially difficult to see the opposite side of the court.

"I watched the Cavs/Miami game the other night on TV, and they had just one scorer's table. Fans sat first row on the other side of the court, with the TV guys wedged in the middle," Bannister said. They used to have press tables on both sides of the floor, so radio people always had good views of the game."

Today, you have more media than ever, especially with people who write for internet sites, many of whom have no journalistic background, yet they are often getting prime spots to cover these events, despite the fact that they are not "working in the moment," as PBP and color analysts are.

"I do some work for the Ohio High School Athletic Association," Bannister, a 30-year broadcasting veteran told me. "They are are having discussions about who gets a press pass, and who doesn't. They're wondering where is the cut-off in terms of issuing press passes. It's a concern to them, and they have to govern it. I don't begrudge anyone who wants to cover the event, however."

Many basketball announcers operate away from the action, and often they don't get to view the game from the floor. "When we go to Williams Arena in Minnesota, which is 60-70 years old, we (radio announcers) sit way up from the floor in an elevated position. It's a hike, and it's not easy lugging 50 pounds of equipment up there," Bannister said.

There are other factors, besides fans and more media, that push radio announcers further and further from the action. In basketball for example, you have coaches and players standing up, a third official on the floor, administrators, game day officials, bigger stat crews, more broadcasting equipment than ever thanks to better technology, plus monitors for stats and TV feeds.

Bannister, who spent 14-years working in Dayton and has done TV work, plus arena football and minor league baseball PBP, is well aware of some of the more modern day distractions facing PBP announcers. "The first thing I do is move the monitors so I can see better. You can't have something right in front of you. It's too distracting, and some of these monitors are enormous," he said.

Despite some of the recent concerns radio announcers have today, Bannister is not complaining. "I've never worked a day in my life," he said. "I remember my first season doing sideline reporting, and number one Ohio State played number two Michigan in football at Columbus. I thought man alive, this event is rather large! I grew up watching the Buckeyes and it doesn't get any better than this."

Bannister, who also did Wittenberg football and basketball games, is a big fan of games being on the internet. "The explosion of the internet really saved radio," he told me. Now that everyone streams, games can be heard around the world. It's given radio new life. I remember when Wittenberg started to stream, a graduate who was working for the BBC in London, told me he would wake up at 6 AM to listen to our football broadcasts. The internet has given radio broadcasts more vitality and more importance."

Although radio PBP and color analysts aren't getting the same treatment by schools and organizations they used to get, Bannister, like a lot of other broadcasters, understands the situation that is making announcing games more difficult these days. "I have a lot of great friends in the newspaper business and I realize you can't satisfy everyone. But to me, immediacy is important," Bannister noted.

Either way, Bannister loves working for the Ohio State IMG Sports Network. He does fantastic work, and no matter where he broadcasts from, Marty Bannister is always sitting pretty.

ABOUT MARK:

Mr. Pinski is gearing up for the golf season by taking lessons to cure a couple of issues, including a huge slice off the tee and the “YIPS”. The YIPS are a movement disorder that interferes with putting often caused by biochemical changes to the brain caused by aging and/or focal dystonia. Professional golfers who have experienced the YIPS include Bernhard Langer, Sam Snead, and Ben Hogan. Other terms to describe the YIPS, which essentially causes your hands to shake while putting, are twitches, staggers, jitters and jerks (I feel like a jerk when I get the YIPS). If you have a solution to my issue, or would like to comment on this award-winning column, please e-mail Mr. Pinski at mp9999@comcast.net.