THEY'RE ON THE AIR
Coming at you from WKUZ 95.6 FM radio in Wabash, IN: broadcasts of the Huntington University men’s basketball games.
During each of the past four seasons, J & S Sports Marketing has aired over 20 Forester basketball games, including the postseason NAIA tournament games from Missouri.
J & S SPORTS MARKETING
J & S Sports Marketing is a venture of two teachers, coaches, and sports enthusiasts: John Fox and Steve Younce (which explains the J and the S in the venture’s name).
While John and Steve are both school teachers, they teach at different schools. They met through a mutual acquaintance who knew of Steve’s interest in basketball and John’s involvement in broadcasting. John was broadcasting some high school games at the time.
BASKETBALL BROADCASTS
Steve eventually joined John in high school broadcasting, and John eventually joined Steve in high school coaching.
Steve had coached at the elementary and junior high levels before becoming Head Coach of the Madison-Grant High School girls (1996-2000). There, John became his assistant coach. Previously, John had officiated basketball at different levels and had coached both basketball and football.
THE HUNTINGTON HOOK-UP
The transition from high school to college broadcasting was a natural, as was the affiliation with Huntington. Steve not only graduated from HU; he played basketball for four years (1970-74) with Coach Platt.
In fact, Steve Younce currently ranks #8 in scoring at Huntington with 1,809 career points (16.5 ppg); he was inducted into the Huntington University Hall-of-Fame in 2001.
Younce’s scoring is remarkable considering both he and Steve Platt (33.0 ppg) played at the same time. Over four years, those two averaged nearly 50 points a game!
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MANAGING THE BROADCASTS
Listeners may be aware of some challenges that occur while J & S is on the air, such as outages of equipment, or some excited fan yelling into their microphones, but there are challenges before games ever begin.
Just getting the equipment hooked up is a challenge. Every site has different facilities and a different way of getting broadcasts on the air. Such difficulties are particularly stressful as game time quickly approaches.
Once they get on the air, the challenge is managing communications with the radio station to be sure the audio quality is good and commercials get run correctly.
During the broadcast, there’s always the concern that equipment will malfunction or something will get unplugged, not to mention the exuberant fan and the occasional friend who decides to chat – on the air.
MEMORABLE EVENTS
When asked for the most memorable broadcasting experience, the NAIA National Championship run of last season topped their list; it was a pleasure to see the Foresters represent HU so well on and off the court.
Second on the list: a dominant performance by the Foresters over Taylor last season to win the MCC Tournament Championship. The Foresters put on a clinic, which made broadcasting a pleasure and the sold-out atmosphere of the Merillat incredible.
ECONOMIC CHALLENGES
While J & S Sports Marketing is a business, that doesn’t mean it’s profitable. The venture must sell ads to off-set costs of equipment and purchase of radio air time.
Maybe it’s the economy, but it’s been more difficult this year than before. While some great sponsors remain loyal, it’s a new sell every year. As it is now, J & S needs more sponsors between now and the postseason tournaments.
Interested? Just call radio station WKUZ toll free at 866-862-9590, or email John Fox to learn more about the opportunities.
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John Fox
Play-by-Play
Steve Younce
Color Commentator
Steve Younce (1974)
Hall of Fame (2001)
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