How COVID-19 Has Affected Seton Hall’s Sports Media Students

Hall SportsHaley Zemek

The sports media landscape was already changing before the coronavirus pandemic brought the industry to a halt. Seton Hall’s Sports Media students involved in 89.5 WSOU and Seton Hall’s Pirate TV (PTV) have been adapting and stepping up in covering Seton Hall sports and communicating it to Pirates’ fans as easily as possible. PTV and WSOU have been using different methods to reach their viewers and listeners and both have been very successful thus far.

Pirate TV

Pirate TV’s main focus has been Instagram Live with having pre-game updates, predictions and live halftime reports for each men’s or women’s basketball game. Once the game is over, PTV records a post-game recap which is then uploaded to YouTube. Within the last week or two, PTV has also started covering baseball, softball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, and women’s volleyball games as their seasons have all started as well.

By state regulation and Seton Hall’s strict COVID-19 protocols, two students are allowed to attend games in person both at the Prudential Center in Newark and the Walsh Gymnasium on Seton Hall’s campus. These students must socially distance and wear a mask at all times. For the spring sports schedule, no word has been given to whether PTV students can attend outdoor events in person. As of right now, the only available coverage will be indoor events: men’s basketball, women’s basketball, and women’s volleyball.

Attending games live hasn’t been the only sports media coverage that Pirate TV has been participating in. Each week on Thursday night, Hall Talk (live sports talk show) is recorded in the Seton Hall Television Studio, or sometimes over Zoom. One host and two analysts discuss various topics that revolve around Seton Hall sports and a full crew is also present, but once again, students must socially distance and wear masks at all times. Yes, the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted Pirate TV quite a bit, but they adapted and are still working hard toward supplying as much Seton Hall sports coverage as possible.

89.5 WSOU

WSOU’s way in which they are communicating to their listeners and broadcasting sports has not changed drastically. Two students from WSOU’s staff are allowed to attend games in person, one doing play-by-play and the other doing color commentary. A beat writer would normally attend as well, but now they “tweet” and write their game recap from home. These live broadcasts still air on 89.5 WSOU and they can be also be streamed through any major music platform. Once the game is over, Hall Line is always open for those wanting to call in and discuss how the players did and how they think the game went overall.

Besides games with a live broadcast, WSOU also has an in-studio Sunday night show called Pirate Primetime where a host and analyst discuss Seton Hall sports and individual players. This is a 2-hour show from 6PM-8PM with an update anchor that informs listeners every half hour of up-to-date scores for every professional and college team in the local NJ/NY area. WSOU also has a sports podcast called X’s and Opinions that airs every Monday. This follows the same concept but instead of Seton Hall sports discussions, this highlights current event topics in professional sports.

Future of Seton Hall Sports Media Students

Pirate TV and 89.5 WSOU are doing just fine. It is a struggle, but all that matters is that these students are working hard and adapting to a situation that is unknown to all. Once the coronavirus pandemic subsides, Seton Hall’s Sports Media students will be better than ever. They are doing such amazing work in a very tough time.