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TideSports.com TV (#14)

Awards:

Best of Festival - Sports (TV Sports Event Direction and Production) 2016 BEA Festival of Media Arts (9% acceptance rate)

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Publication:

TideSportsTV. (in press). Journal of Media Education.

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Description:

TideSports.com TV was a weekly live-to-tape 30-minute show produced for the Tuscaloosa News / TideSports.com during the 2015 college football season. The show was hosted by Jenn Chapman, sports anchor from WVUA-TV, and included sports writers (Tommy Dees, Cecil Hurt, Aaron Suttles, Ben Jones) from the staff of the Tuscaloosa News / TideSports.com. The show was taped in a local bar and had a minimal budget. It aired twice each week on WVUA23 and was streamed on TideSports.com and WVUA23’s website after the first weekly broadcast. The show previously existed for several years as a web-streamed only one-camera production from the Tuscaloosa News staff. I was brought in to bring the show up to "broadcast" standards. I produced the show as a one-man-band 3-camera production. I focused on camera angles, lighting, creating a visually interesting background, and quality directing. Two members of my family helped me as grips and novice camera operators. All other production functions were handled by me personally. I also managed social media for the show. The WVUA23 sports department provided the b-roll for each week's show. Unfortunately I was at the mercy of the b-roll they provided.  There were 18 episodes in 2015.

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You can see from the included coverage map that the show had potential to reach a substantial broadcast/cable audience.  The Birmingham DMA is a top 50 US television market. In addition, there was a significant audience for the web streaming. The show achieved net profits for both the Tuscaloosa News and for WVUA23. 

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Airdate: December 2, 2015.

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Time Commitment:

Pre-production before first show: 40-60 hours

Weekly production requirements: 8-10 hours

 

Crew:

Producer/Director/Editor: Michael Bruce, University of Alabama
Content Producer: Tommy Dees, Tuscaloosa News/TideSports.com
Host: Jenn Chapman, WVUA23

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WVUA Coverage:

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