SA Spurs Mouthpiece Talks

He shoots. He scores.

Bill Schoening, the mouthpiece of San Antonio Spurs basketball, made a slam dunk of a presentation to media broadcast students at Texas State University last week during Mass Communication Week.

Schoening discussed the relevance radio broadcasting still holds in a sports entertainment market saturated with higher technology mediums such as web and television. 

“You still cant watch TV in the car or in the shower, but you can sure listen to radio,” Schoening said.

Sports broadcasting normally consists of a team of commentators designed to provide play by play analysis, and a small amount of color commentary to lighten the production. Color commentary is usually provided by an ex-player or coach who knows the game from an inside level, and has turned to a post career in broadcasting. This dual system is often the focus of criticism for broadcasts where the wrong mix of personalities can hamper the effectiveness of covering sport event action. 

“I remember when comedian Dennis Miller provided color commentary for Monday Night Football television broadcasts,” sports fanatic Lee Michelson recalled. “He sounded dumbfounded and lost in a sport he seemed to know very little about, which made me change the channel many times.”

Schoening does not follow contemporary formats and prefers to tackle his broadcasting duties solo. Working alone enables him to provide a constant flow of information to the radio listener while not being interrupted by an opinion or frivolous statistic. 

“In television the analyst is the feature guy because he provides play by play commentary that is accentuated by what the color commentator sees, but in radio I don’t need that extra color because listeners don’t actually see the game,” Schoening said.

While many newer technology savvy sports fans will ignore sport radio broadcasts in favor of diluted and less lively commentating, radio still holds a market share of listeners and sports fans that advertisers want to target. Many people still listen to sports radio when they don’t have the amenities of home.

“Radio is an on-the-go medium that will never die due to its free and easy accessibility options,” Texas State alumnus James Wilson said.

With the regular NBA season in full swing this week, Schoening has 82 games that will require the verbal expertise and flair that his 30 plus years of sports broadcasting brings to the Spurs basketball organization.  

“Let the game dictate the broadcast,” Schoening said as he offered students a last piece of professional advice. 

Schoening has been with the team for seven years, and remains confident that he will continue his radio reign of bringing live play by play action to Spurs fans across the nation for many seasons and championships to come.

He shoots. He scores again.