Ernie Johnson : Lights, cameras, all TBS needs is NLCS action

Author: admin

22 Oct

EVER WONDER how a pregame show gets put on the air?

Like the millions of fans who watched Monday’s dramatic Phillies-Dodgers game, the main concerns were the outcome and if Carlos Ruiz was going to score the winning run on Jimmy Rollins’ double in the ninth inning.

You saw it, live on Turner Broadcasting System (TBS).

About 8 hours earlier, preparation for the 7:30 p.m. pregame show was in its early stages.

The Daily News was invited to go all-access with the TBS production and broadcast teams. Here is what we found out:

It’s 4 p.m., 3 1/2 hours until the pregame show begins.

Historically, TBS has done NBA telecasts, but for the past 3 years it has carried postseason baseball.

Rather incognito, a white trailer sits outside the Citizens Bank Park ticket window located on Phillies Drive. Inside there are three rooms, one of which acts as a makeshift office with three computers.

One of those computers belongs to producer Tom Kiely. He is hard at work preparing the rundown, which is an outline of what content is going to be included during the half-hour broadcast.

Behind him, director Steve Fiorello has the rundown on his computer. He’s mapping out what camera shots he’s going to use during the different segments of the broadcast.

“Preparation is the most difficult part of my job,” said Fiorello, who has worked with Turner for 9 years. “Just making sure that everyone is aboard and all the preparation leading up to the show, that’s the hardest part. It’s finding a spot, a location in the ballpark that works for our talent, that showcases our talent, that’s able to set the atmosphere.”

Fiorello decided to put the TBS set above Ashburn Alley in leftfield, facing Center City.

An hour later, host Ernie Johnson Jr., who has been with Turner for the past 2 decades, is relaxing and studying his pregame notes.

“It’s a nonstop process,” said Johnson, who has hosted the pre- and postgame shows all 3 years. “I don’t feel prepared unless I’ve put enough work into it.”

David Wells pitched the 15th perfect game in major league history in 1998. But the nerves “Boomer” felt that day paled in comparison to how he feels on the set.

“We’re not used to cameras, we’re used to being on the field,” said Wells, in his first year with TBS. “You can block everyone out when you’re on the field, but you can’t block them out when you’re on TV because it’s live. It’s a lot different, but you adapt to it just like anything else.”

Dennis Eckersley is used to having to be perfect. As a closer, “Eck” was brought in to protect leads. When his career ended, Eckersley missed feeling the pressure.

Now it’s back.

“I like it,” said Eckersley, who is back for his second year with TBS. “There’s always that ‘uh-oh’ feeling [if you make a mistake]. But the failure is not the same.”

Cal Ripken Jr. had a big-league career full of success and is trying to do the same in broadcasting.

“When you have something [like baseball] that you’re passionate about and makes you feel good, it makes the transition a whole lot easier,” said Ripken, who also has been with TBS all 3 years of its baseball coverage.

Given that they’re still getting used to each other, the chemistry is not quite there. However, there are times when Wells, Eckersley and Ripken make it work and times when it doesn’t.

After getting makeup at about 6 p.m., Johnson, Ripken, Eckersley and Wells analyze Game 3 of the Yankees-Angels series as they watch it in HD while relaxing on sofas in the trailer.

At 7 p.m., they head to the set and prepare for the broadcast amid potential distractions from rambunctious fans. They are all given earplugs to drown out the noise and focus on the task.

Kiely and Fiorello have moved to the control room, which is located in another trailer on Phillies Drive. The control room contains switchboards and a wall featuring 77 monitors, each with a different camera position, statistic graphic or live view of the show.

Here it becomes imperative that Kiely be able to communicate with everyone in the production trailer as well as Johnson and the crew on-set. Johnson has an earpiece so he is able to hear Kiely, who speaks to him through a headset.

“I just try to put [Johnson] in a position so that he can be quick, where he has all the information,” said Kiely, who has been with Turner for 15 years. “Ernie is the best in the business, he rolls with anything.”

It’s finally time for the pregame show to start and the organized chaos to get under way.

All of a sudden, television lingo kicks in.

“3, 2, 1 . . . and we’re hot.”

The show is on the air.

The pregame show is divided into three segments.

The broadcast team talks about Matt Kemp’s lack of postseason success, the pitching matchup between Joe Blanton and former Phillie Randy Wolf, and Jimmy Rollins’ struggles, among other things.

It is all well-orchestrated, with perfect cohesion. Thirty minutes flies by.

Before you know it the show is over and it’s time for the game to begin. The broadcast team flees to the warmth of the trailer to watch the game while enjoying cheesesteaks from “Harry the K’s.”

It’s only 4 hours until the postgame show. *

source