Broadcasting weekly games takes teamwork

Sunday, August 20, 2006 The talents of many people take the Fox 17/62 Games of the Week from field to screen By JOHN KOVACH VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF YOUNGSTOWN — When you watch Chad Krispinsky and Ralph Sandy broadcast the Fox 17/62 Games of the Week this season, you will be seeing two men who dearly love their profession and feel fortunate to have it. "I love being at the games," said Krispinsky, a Cardinal Mooney and Youngstown State graduate, who will be doing the play-by-play of the telecasts for the second straight year. "I love giving out the information to the fans who love high school football that much. I like to bring my plan to the game. It's a passion; doing play-by-play is a passion of mine." Sandy, a graduate and a social studies teacher at Struthers High, said he has taken a roundabout course to an earlier career calling, but he's glad he did even if it came later. "I actually I wanted to go to college to do the [television] news but the schedule of a news anchor wasn't conducive to what I wanted," said Sandy, a YSU grad who earned his master's degree at the University of Ashland and is in his fourth year as a color analyst for Fox games. "I was always a big football fan [so] this is like a dream come true for me. This gives me an opportunity to do both things." Telecasts in fifth season The Fox telecasts on WYFX-TV are in their fifth season and have become very popular with fans, players and coaches. The games are taped then re-aired later that night at 10:30. Sponsors this season will be Fab Limousines, The Associated School Employees Credit Union, Columbiana Buick-Cadillac-Chevrolet and The Pittsburgh Institute of Aeronautics. John Amann Jr., a Chaney High and YSU graduate and the director of promotion/production for WKBN/WYFX-TV, said it takes a team effort to stage the football broadcasts with key people working behind the scenes to make it happen. "It definitely is a group effort," said Amann, who has directed the football telecasts since their inception in 1996 and schedules the games and recruits advertisers. Supporting crew Amann said Ryan Allison, WKBN sports director, and Joe Aulisio serve as reporters to support Krispinsky and Sandy in the broadcast booth. Allison and Aulisio visit the schools, coaches and players during the week to gather information about the teams that Krispinsky and Sandy can use during the broadcast. They continue collecting information and statistics during the game that can be relayed to the viewing audience. "There is a lot of preparation to put on these games. It's not just pulling up a truck to the stadium," said Amann, who credits his behind-the-scenes crew for making it happen. Mike Rosko of Boardman, a Girard High graduate, serves as director of the crew, while Bill Billet of Leetonia is the technical director. Other crew members are Sue Forde of Youngstown, a Fitch High graduate, who is the art director; and Kerry Kimerer of Boardman, a Western Reserve High graduate, who handles editing and animation. "[Billet] is in charge of all the engineering set-ups and is technical director during the game," said Amann, noting that he and Billet have worked on 250 sports broadcasts together. "He is responsible for the technical side. It is quite a technical operation." First two games this weekend Krispinsky said the first two game broadcasts this year are Chaney at Austintown Fitch on Thursday night and Girard at Niles on Friday night. "We don't make the schedule for the whole year. We just do it week by week. That way we can make sure that we got some of the better games with more meaning," said Krispinsky, who earned his master's degree at Ohio University and got his start in radio for Clear Channel. "We try to hit as many teams and conferences as we can while keeping the premier games in mind." Amann said Fox also will air the Ursuline-Mooney game Oct. 20 and another game Sept. 15 which the public can choose by voting at the Fox booth at the Canfield Fair. Krispinsky believes the public likes the broadcasts, especially after watching the game live. "They absolutely like it that they can go home and see how things played out and relive the game," said Krispinsky, who also is WKBN-TV's weekend sports anchor and works at Clear Channel's WTAM-1100-AM in Cleveland as the guest host for the Cleveland Indians' post-game show. kovach@vindy.com