Madison Callstrom-
David Jackson, President of the Boone Chamber of Commerce, spoke to students of the Department of Communication at Appalachian State University on April 13th, a Friday morning, in the Beasley Media Complex. He spoke about his experiences in college, sports, and how he found a job.
Jackson used to be an announcer for App State Athletics. He described his job as a Public Relation for the Chamber of Commerce of Boone by saying, “You should know what you’re getting into. A career in athletics should be the main concern in your life while you’re still in school. Take classes on audio and video because you will need to learn how to be your own crew. For someone that wants to be an announcer, you should not be watching ESPN.” He goes on to mention that while it may be important to have the right voice and correct enunciation, people would much rather hear passion when talking about sports as they happen.
Jackson further recommends taking Communication Research Methods because knowing how to do your own research when commentating is vital. He states the importance of finding information that is not in the media guide through methods learned in this course.
Diversity is also a must according to Jackson. Most people do not get paid just to call games. They need to know how to do other things within their department. David said, “At one point, when I left my job, my position was taken over by six new people. This illustrated how much needed to be done.”