One of the sad realities of the modern day media business is the ever-declining resources available to local reporters.
Journalists covering local beats often do so with a fraction of the manpower that a national outlet would have. And increasingly, that can even mean covering a story completely alone. No cameraperson, no producer, nothing. Just yourself and a portable rig that includes a camera, tripod, lighting and audio equipment, and a means of transmission back to your local station.
The position can be very demanding — essentially forcing a reporter to do many different jobs simultaneously.
Luckily for one solo reporter covering the Indiana-Ohio State game on Saturday, Fox Sports host Rob Stone was there to lend a hand.
Nicole Shearin, a sports reporter with WBNS in Columbus, Ohio, was in the midst of setting up a live shot following the Buckeyes’ win when Stone walked by.
“Are you one-man-banding it?” Stone asked. “Yep!” Shearin replied.
Stone then proceeded to help set up Shearin’s shot while golf carts waited to sweep him away.
“These are the kind of moments I will forever cherish in this industry,” Shearin wrote in a social media post. “At the end of the day, we’re all in this together and that’s pretty special.”
Stone, who holds a number of marquee assignments for Fox Sports including hosting men’s and women’s World Cup coverage and the flagship college football pregame show Big Noon Kickoff, started his journalism career at local outfits. Before joining ESPN in 1997 as an on-air talent, Stone was a sports anchor and reporter at WFXL in Albany, Georgia and WTOG in Tampa, Florida. He clearly did not forget his roots.
“Been there. Know the struggle is real. Glad I could have assisted. Guarantee you’ll do the same for someone down the road. Continued success,” Stone wrote in a reply to Shearin’s social media post.
By all accounts, Stone seems to be one of the good guys in the industry. And while it sucks that local television reporters are in a position where they have to do everything themselves, gestures like Stone’s go a long way in making the grind worth it.
About Drew Lerner
Drew Lerner is a staff writer for Awful Announcing and an aspiring cable subscriber. He previously covered sports media for Sports Media Watch. Future beat writer for the Oasis reunion tour.