Directors Blog

Ohio-Miami Rivalry Video

Tom Hodson — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 20:39:11 +0000

Athens, Ohio

Tom Hodson

Rivalries and competition are part of our daily existence and they certainly are part of university life. For the most part – rivalries are good things and are between entities of comparable abilities and mutual respect.

There are special rivalries in life and especially in sports. Some are new-found and some go back hundreds of years. Some are limited to a particular sport like the Ohio State-Michigan football rivalry and some university rivalries are more all-encompassing including every sport, campus culture and even academics.

Such is the case between Ohio University and Miami University – two schools who are similar in so many ways and distinctly different in others. Quoting the video opening to last week’s Ohio-Miami basketball game: “Two schools separated by 182 miles – 187 games – 200 years of history –200 years of emotion, passion, battles, hatred, respect, countless moments, memories, character…There is nothing better than playing your arch rival – arch rival -- …”

We cannot speak for Miami alumni, students, and supporters but we know at the Ohio end of this rivalry, passions run deep and memories are long. I can remember hotly contested Miami games from when I attended school here decades ago. Ohio students of today have their own memories of buzzer beaters and the thrill of victories and the agonies of defeat. It is part of our culture. It is part of our overall university experience.

In expressing our collective emotions about this rivalry, both sides are inclined sometimes to over-generalize, to demonize the other side, to speak in hyperbole and to use descriptive words that are used to perturb your rival – even if they are overblown. It’s not actual hatred or truly demeaning. The words are challenging and more often invective used to pump up supporters more than to defile the opposition.

Such is the case with a video WOUB featured as part of Bobcat Sports Showcase highlighting various athletes and members of our community speaking about how they viewed the rivalry with Miami. It was intended to be light-hearted, fast-paced, and descriptive only of the importance of this rivalry to some members of this university community.

It was not intended to be mean-spirited, hateful, or truly insulting.

There is a huge difference between the good-natured teasing featured in our video and true hatred which was recently reported between some Ohio State University fans and a high school football recruit who decided to go to Michigan instead of OSU. It is reported that the young man received actual death threats from some misguided Ohio State fans.

The Miami Student, the student newspaper at Miami recognized the difference between rather benign verbal sparring and rhetoric truly intended to harm or threaten. On Tuesday, the Student ran an opinion piece about our video written by Editor-In-Chief Sam Kay.

He interviewed Lou Horvath (one of our interviewees) and as a result, the newspaper’s editor understood the nature of our video. He even said: “Much to my chagrin, he (Horvath) turned out to be a nice, likable guy.”

“It does seem a little sad (for them) how much the Bobcats care about their rivalry with us, but perhaps we should put a little more effort into the relationship. My conversation with Horvath convinced me that the Bobcats are "frenemies" worth having,” Kay added.

The Miami Student also got in a late jab of its own by saying: “We can also beat OU off the athletic field. While I have to respect their outstanding journalism school, we all know Miami is the best place to come for an undergraduate education. Besides, we might rescue a few future students from Athens. That is, if they can get into Miami.”

The Miami Student also did a poll to the question: “What is your reaction to Ohio University’s rivalry video.” The largest percentage – 29 percent – said “it’s a classic sports rivalry. Bring it on.” Other students opted for more disparaging (in jest) comments about Ohio University and its students. Some 24 percent said “OU Who?” and 21 percent said “Glad to see they finally figured out that newfangled YouTube machine.”

The Miami Student’s punches landed but no offense is taken. It is just part of the ongoing give-and-take sparring between elements of the two schools. Such banter has existed for generations. It is just part of a long and strong rivalry.

The rhetoric may be flamboyant at times and the characterizations on both sides, I’m sure, miss their true marks but the jabs and counter-jabs are part of an ongoing legacy of competition. Please, think about it for a moment. True rivalry exists only between foes that have mutual respect for one another.

Such is the case with Ohio University and Miami University.

9/11 Changed the Way We Communicate

Tom Hodson — Sat, 10 Sep 2011 00:47:56 +0000

Tom Hodson

As we entered a new century, 2001 was a year of upheaval. It was the events of September 11 that launched this country and the media on paths of change.

It was a line of demarcation in many people’s lives and in the collective life of our country. The pulse of the nation has never been the same and neither would be our PASSION for instant communication.

As a result of the terror, we became more insular as a country but simultaneously, more communicative. As we were struck by the terror on that day and drew close to our families and friends, we saw our communication devices grind to a halt.

Cellphones were in their infancy and Smartphones did not exist. Their meager networks were jammed by people trying to use them all at once. Regular telephone lines were destroyed and as a nation we went back to the familiarity of television to paint the horrible picture of what was unfolding. Television was like an old friend. It had nurtured many of us through a Presidential assassination and other national tragedies and it was our primary source of news on 9/11.

But,on that day,television wasn’t mobile. Millions of Americans huddled around screens at home, in the work place and in commercial establishments to get a glimpse of what was happening. If we were torn away from the screen, it was as if communication stopped.

Yes, we had radio and newspapers and regular telephones. But, they all seemed inadequate at quenching our thirst for first-hand information, pictures, insight, and the most up-to-date safety and security information.

On 9/11, I was in Florida speaking at a judges’ conference. I had to drive back to Ohio over that crucial 24 hour period after the attack and the only thing I had with me was the rental car radio which by today’s standard seems woefully inadequate. I was concerned about the safety of my family and my safety but I was relegated to national news programs and there was no news or information tailored specifically for my needs.

Texting essentially didn’t exist in 2001. Twitter was nonexistent and Facebook was not invented until some three years later. Social media was something that may have been envisioned but it wasn’t readily available.

Recently, the Poynter Institute reported that Washington Post Publisher Katharine Weymouth stated we were better off without social media during 9/11. I couldn’t disagree more.

She said: “…while we are all incredibly grateful for the ways in which technology has enhanced our lives, I think we are also grateful that we didn’t live through 9/11 with all of that technology.”

“We didn’t have to see live video footage shot from inside the collapsing buildings and uploaded onto YouTube. Cellphones didn’t have cameras back then…Can you imagine how horrifying it would have been if we had tweets from the victims on the planes or in the offices, or if they had posted to their Facebook pages? … Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and all the technologies that have yet to be invented make all these events more real, and more horrific. Television pales in comparison.”

It seems Weymouth, as the head of a prestigious news organization, is arguing for a sanitized version of news. That philosophy is old-school and no longer relevant.

Today we want our news instantly. We want it raw and unedited.

We want to see the airplane that landed in the Hudson River. We want to know about earthquakes and other natural tragedies. It is reported that there were tweets within a minute of the recent earthquake but the television networks took at least 15 minutes to start covering the story.

We want to be able to participate with young people through social media during uprisings in Egypt, Syria and Libya.

No longer is the “mainstream media” the gatekeepers of information and that is a good thing. During times of national tragedy and attack, we want MORE information NOT LESS. And, we want it INSTANTANEOUSLY and not when the networks or newspapers have filtered it and sanitized it for us.

In my view, the lack of rapid and reliable communication sources frustrated us during 9/11 and from that tragedy came our culture’s insatiable desire to obtain information immediately and in its rawest form.

Desire led to innovation and innovations have thrust us into the midst of instantaneous news. That’s a good thing.

Expansion of Sports Coverage at WOUB is Win-Win for All

Tom Hodson — Fri, 02 Sep 2011 20:54:56 +0000

Athens, OH

Tom Hodson

Sports coverage has always been important to the WOUB Center for Public Media and to the students who work here – but now it has taken on greater emphasis for the benefit of all.

We have expanded our overall sports coverage this academic year to provide you – members of our audience – with the best opportunities to stay abreast of all regional sports news. Our expanded coverage also gives our students greater opportunities to practice professional sports journalism at the highest levels.

The Center has entered into a contract with IMG College to broadcast Ohio University football and men’s basketball on four of our FM stations: Ironton, Chillicothe, Cambridge, and Zanesville.

This provides the Center with additional underwriting opportunities to enhance financial support of public broadcasting and it also provides our students with opportunities to participate in the network broadcasting of major college athletics.

WOUB senior Brian Boesch, one of the top-ten university sports broadcasters in the nation, will be the sideline reporter and join the broadcast team of Russ Eisenstein and WOUB alumnus Rob Cornelius.

“We are very excited for the opportunity to partner with the family of WOUB radio stations across Ohio in 2011-12. With the addition of WOUC-FM (Cambridge), WOUH-FM (Chillicothe), WOUL-FM (Ironton), and WOUZ (Zanesville) to the Citizens Bank Ohio IMG Sports Network, Bobcat Athletics now has an encompassing regional presence in Ohio and West Virginia. Ohio fans have the WOUB radio affiliates to thank for this monumental increase in radio coverage and I urge all Bobcat fans to show their appreciation by tuning in for this Saturday’s kick-off of Ohio vs. New Mexico State at 8 PM EST., “Dan Hauser, director of external relations for Ohio Athletics, said.

For people in those geographic areas who still wish to listen to our regular NPR based programming, they may either go to 91.3 on their radio dial or listen to WOUB FM via woub.org with live streaming.

This year we are trying something different in our coverage of Ohio University sports. Instead of the very popular Bobcat Blitz, that was a studio show featuring football head coach Frank Solich, we have created Bobcat Sports Showcase.

Showcase is a new show focusing on all Ohio University athletic teams and it will be a half-hour field produced weekly show running nine months of the year. It is being created by two seniors Tanner Smith and Grant Burkhardt and a crew that they have assembled.

Ohio Athletics wanted more coverage of the not-so-well-known sports and we stepped up to provide it. Additionally, it gives a crew of about 10 students a tremendous opportunity to create an on-going television show from the ground up. In addition to exposure on WOUB, the show is being carried by Fox College Sports. The show airs every Friday night at 11 p.m.

Besides the broadcasts, the students are responsible for the multimedia presentation of the material on woub.org/sports and the special Showcase page. "I can honestly say that this is the biggest project I've ever taken on, but I'm also excited about the unique opportunity that The Bobcat Sports Showcase will give me because it's like nothing WOUB has ever done,” student producer Tanner Smith said.

Host Grant Burkhardt added, "The transformation here has been, and continues to be, unbelievable. With 'The Showcase,' WOUB gives fans a totally unique production and gives us as students incredible experience we wouldn't be able to get anywhere else."

This year also marks the 13th year of Gridiron Glory, the high school football show that covers prep football in 55 counties and three states. The award-winning show airs Friday’s at 11:30 p.m. for 16 weeks in the fall and involves over 60 Ohio University student volunteers.

Again, in addition to producing and performing the weekly show, the students are responsible for multimedia treatment of the content and managing the Gridiron Glory page on woub.org and their own Facebook page and Twitter account.

This year, we also have been blessed to partner with alumnus Evan Shaw, a four-time Emmy award winning producer of athletic films. He created a new show called Relentless: An Inside Look at Ohio University Football Training Camp. He has produced five episodes.

It is an ongoing documentary about life “inside” the Ohio University football program and it has been met with rave reviews. The show has premiered each week on WOUB television and has then been picked up by SportsTime Ohio.

Evan, a veteran of NFL Films, has agreed to supply WOUB with video of Ohio athletic events throughout this coming year.

Finally, students also are producing on WOUB-AM a weekly radio talk-show, Sportsbeat. This show will involve discussion and interviews with top athletes. The show will be converted to podcasts and portions of each show will appear in the sports section of woub.org.

All of these efforts combine to create a full plate of activity but one that is providing our audience with the best quality regional sports coverage. Additionally, we are able to train more students and place them in some of the top sports markets around the nation.

"This year, the Sports Department is undergoing a complete reconstruction that will give students a better opportunity to get involved with both broadcast and online media," Sports Director Tanner Smith added.

We appreciate your support and your patience with our growing pains.

WOUB Center for Public Media Embraces Change

Tom Hodson — Tue, 30 Aug 2011 18:22:13 +0000

Athens, OH

Tom Hodson

Change is often uncomfortable but it is so necessary.

Often, we get set in our ways. We get used to old habits and familiar routines. We go through life on automatic pilot and without much thought. Sometimes, we even avoid change because it’s just flat-out scary for us.

However, there are times when we must alter the way we do things to keep current– whether it is personally or professionally. How we adapt to those changes marks our character as people and as a society.

This applies to us here at the WOUB Center for Public Media. Over the past few years, we have provided high quality products for our various audiences. But, the media landscape has changed dramatically and we are changing to stay abreast.

Consumers of media rely more and more on the internet for information and entertainment.

We don’t watch television in the same manner as we used to and we don’t listen to radio in the same way either. Social media was a term that most of us had never heard of five years ago. “Facebook” was not part of our regular vocabulary and a “Tweet” was a bird call.

Now, Facebook is a critical part of our vernacular and “tweeting” is the first-line of information delivery for a large portion of our audience.
Some of the people who go to our website at woub.org never watch WOUB-TV or listen to WOUB radio.

To be a true Center for Public Media in the 21st century, we have had to embrace change. You’ll notice that our website is new and improved. It is dynamic and ever-changing. It is full of text and visuals. It is replete with video clips and audio interviews.

And, the site constantly changes to bring you the most up-to-date information on demand. No longer do you have to wait until 5:30 to watch NewsWatch as your only source of regional news. No longer do you have to wait for the next radio newscast. News, sports, and music and arts information is at your fingertips 24/7 at woub.org.

The new website also provides you with opportunities to comment – to talk with us – to share your thoughts, ideas, and opinions. News and information delivery is no longer a one-way street. Instead, news is now a conversation between WOUB (the media provider) and you (the media consumer).
And, you can tailor your information delivery to meet your needs. You can get it through Facebook at our page “WOUB Public Media” or you can sign up for our various Twitter accounts @woub, @woubnews, @woubmusic and @thodson.

Our new website and our new emphasis on social media are just two of the many changes here at WOUB that we will share with you over the next few weeks. As we used to say, “stay tuned for later developments.”

Amidst all the changes, however, one thing has not changed. We have an unflinching commitment to bringing you the highest quality products possible. We want to be YOUR news source for local and regional news, sports, and culture.

We want to be YOUR “go-to” site for all information pertinent to living in our region. Bookmark us. Make us your homepage. And, return to us several times every day.

We are changing to meet your needs. Stay with us.