“Dream job sports reporter?” For all participants of our Summer Workshop the question mark would have to be replaced by an exclamation mark. They all have one main goal: to report about points, meters and seconds. Divided into the two main areas of print/online and TV/video, the participants had the opportunity to conduct interviews with (ex-)professional sportsmen and sportswomen and gained insights into the daily media life of sports journalists.
Martin Reichenauer, formerly from ATV Sport and head of the TV & Video department in the Journalism & Media Management department at FHWien der WKW, and Mareike Boysen, editor at ballesterer Fussballmagazin, led the workshop.
The practical focus of this year’s workshop, which was held for the first time this year, was also reflected in the selection of guest speakers: The Austrian sports journalist of the year 2018 and former FHWien der WKW graduate Alina Zellhofer gave tips on how to successfully gain a foothold in a sports editorial office. Philipp Krummholz and Oliver Lederer from DAZN as well as Thomas Zach, press officer of Vienna Capitals, also gave insights into their work.
In the TV/video group, presenter Volker Piesczek helped the participants with their first TV announcements and ZDF reporter (and also FHWien der WKW graduate) Daniel Goggi came directly from the Women’s Football World Cup in France to pass on his knowledge. The participants were also able to get a taste of stadium air during the outdoor shooting with ex-team player Manuel Ortlechner at FK Wiener Austria, where they also got the one or other professional in front of the lens. The program also included practical sessions, such as texts in TV sports (with Felix Kossdorff, ex-ATV) or writing a sports commentary (with Mark Michael Nanseck, ORF).
A hands on approach was also important for the participants in the focus print/online: After a general introduction into the sport journalism in Austria, various exercises in writing style were on the program. Under the direction of ORF editor Linda Ellerich, who was awarded the Austrian Sports Journalist Prize 2018, the group devoted itself to the topic of writing and designing for online formats. The award-winning photojournalist Nina Strasser introduced the participants to the basics of sports photography and Jakob Rosenberg reported on his work as editor-in-chief of the football magazine ballesterer.
The participants also carried out practical exercises with former world-class swimmer Maxim Podoprigora, who was available for an expert interview, and with Nicola Werdenigg, who reported on the balance and abuse of power in skiing and formed the basis for a commentary on the crisis management of the ÖSV. Other exercises included writing competitions and training reports, portraits of athletes and sports commentaries. All participants of both groups also received input on employer marketing and self-marketing in sports journalism from Felix Blank, responsible for strategy development & program management at Laola1.tv.
The young colleagues started a very intensive week with a lot of commitment (and talent) – and after their first practical experiences they probably came a little closer to their dream job. We wish all participants all the best for their future and would like to thank the outstanding guest speakers for their commitment.
Due to the great interest we will again offer the workshop Sport journalism as part of our further education program in summer 2020. Corresponding information and details will be announced in due course.