In this episode I chat with long time sportscasting friend John Kurtz. He was a long time play-by-play broadcaster and talk show host in Manhattan, Kansas before moving to KC. We dive into the challenges provided by the sportscasting business and how he’s pursued alternative paths towards sportscasting success. Topics include:
- Being runner up for the Jim Nantz Award in 2011.
- Catching the sportscasting bug at an early age listening to Kansas State and Kansas City Chiefs broadcasters.
- How an internship lead to a full time job hosting a talk show and doing high school play-by-play in Manhattan, Kansas.
- Run ins with legendary K-State Coach Bill Snyder, who was notorious for impatience with the media.
- The difficulty of seeing other STAA All Americans catch breaks to move up in the business while never catching a big break himself.
- Different paths to success that did not exist even ten years ago.
- The importance of social and life skills in succeeding in broadcasting.
- Dealing with the disappointments of rejection and the difficulty of accepting jobs that don’t provide livable compensation.
- When the life sacrifices aren’t worth it anymore.
- How thinking outside of the box and Big 12 Conference realignment led to John developing a highly successful YouTube Channel.
- Leaving the industry on a full time basis.
- The keys to building a successful YouTube Channel about sports.
- The value of consistency when producing content.
- The value of finding a niche for content creation.
- Why he loves sportscasting and how to pursue the positive aspects while distancing the negatives.
- Learning to ignore your ego in pursuing sportscasting success.
- Could his younger self have understood some of the lessons learned recently?
- The value of not attaching your identity to your job.
- His broadcast horror story involving a bar remote broadcast gone wrong.
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