By: Tommy Sneider <[email protected]>

As stars on CHTV, senior Andrew Chernoff and junior Kyle Borcherding get ready to announce at Homecoming.

How did you earn this gig?

KB: Basically the way it goes down is last year I was enrolled in TV Lab, which is the basic TV course, and then the spot was already taken, and they had the spot pretty much taken up? Andrew and I last year did the girls basketball games, so we took this opportunity and we did four or five games last year. So then when this year came around, Andrew is a senior and I was a junior and it was pretty much up to (CHTV adviser Hal) Espey, and he picked us.

What do you do to prepare for announcing the games?

AC: I always get information and statistics from the Internet. It’s always better to get more than you need to in order to fill the “downtime” that there is in games. The IHSAA has good stats. Also, before this season, I passed out a questionnaire to all the players that they could fill out. This gave me an opportunity to learn more about them. Plus, I usually interview Head Coach Mo Moriarty each week.

Are you excited about the chance to announce at the Homecoming game this year?

KB: Oh yeah, first of all it’s always a huge game for Homecoming, the atmosphere of the game makes it exciting no matter who we play. But this year we play Warren, and in my mind, it’s a chance for revenge and a chance to see exactly how good our team really is because, even though they have had a slow start to their season, they are still a really good team. It should be a great game, both on the field and in the booth.

AC: You bet I am. I’ve been looking forward to this game for a long time. There’s just a different environment at any Homecoming game. This one has so many story lines from last year that it should be very exciting. Both teams are very good too.

What awards have you earned for your work?

KB: I won the award last year for most outstanding TV lab student, which is where the teacher (Espey) picks one student from all the lab (first year) students.

AC: Last year at the Indiana Association of School Broadcasters awards, I won second place with Brian Weinheimer(’07) in basketball play-by-play on the radio. I also won first place for a sportscast I did. Inside the school last year, I won the sports broadcaster of the year for WHJE.

What’s the best part of being an announcer?

KB: Well, obviously the chance to be on local cable TV multiple times every week since the games are aired more than once.

AC: The best part in my mind is that it’s fun. What can be better than talking about the game while it’s going on? You go to many games and meet many people. We are both fans too.

Do you plan on competing in the contests this year?

KB: Yeah, I’m planning to attend the State competition for broadcasting with Andrew. Johnny Mangano (’07) and Craig Lyon (’07) won the last two years.

Is it tough to follow in their footsteps?

KB: A little when I think of all they accomplished and how great they were, but when I’m announcing I don’t think too hard, I just think football. I do think it is an honor to have the same position they had after they graduated. They were great at this. You don’t know how many of their games I watched so I could learn from them.

Why did you decide to get involved in CHTV?

AC: I decided to get involved in CHTV because of the fact I do have such a love for broadcasting. I read the description about the class and heard stories from past students who had taken it and it sounded neat to me. I got involved at WHJE for the same reason.

What does the Advanced Communications class do differently than the other ones?

AC: We are the ones who make a lot more productions than the other classes. For example, we film shows with Superintendent Barbara Underwood and Principal John Williams. We also produce the “Sports Edge” show and put together the “Greyhound Memories” video.

What’s the toughest part of the job?

KB: Well, at first it was thinking so quickly about what to say without sounding redundant. It’s a lot harder of a job than people realize. A lot of people think that if you just know a lot about a sport that it is easy, but that’s not quite it. Obviously that is important, but to think that quickly and analyze the game as it is happening is difficult as well. However, those things come easier with practice. I would say it is equally tough to research all the teams especially all the MIC teams. It’s not like professional sports or colleges who have Web sites all over and statistics on the Internet, newspaper and in books. I have to find the stats either in the Indy Star or online. It’s hard enough to find the starting lineups. When I get the roster, I compile the numbers from all the games to get season stats. I try to stay up to date with all the MIC teams, but that’s eight teams and it’s a lot of work. There is so much work that goes on before the game itself.

What’s the weirdest thing that’s happened to you when you were on the air?

AC: Well, there’s been a couple of things and those probably involve seeing some things in the crowd that are pretty funny. It’s hard to control your laughter sometimes. Also, when either you or your partner mispronounces a word badly, it’s hard not to laugh.

Why did you decide to broadcast and/or get involved in television?

KB: Well, I love sports. I still play and I’ve always seen a possibility of a career related to sports for me. I mean I’ve never been good enough to consider getting into pro sports, so this seems like a really cool alternative. That’s why I decided to take TV. It was pretty much a flip of a coin as to TV or radio; I just wanted to broadcast. This way I get a head start if I decide to go to college for broadcasting because hardly any high schools, even in the whole country, have their own cable TV station. It’s just another great benefit of a huge school.

Do you think you would like to work on television when you’re an adult?

KB: I’m not really sure. As I mentioned the thought has come to my mind many times. I think it would be a great career. However, that being said, I have also considered doing statistics with sports or working for a church as a youth director. My faith has always been the most important thing so I’ll continue to pray and see if God leads me to sports broadcasting.

AC: Without question. Ever since I was kid, I had this dream to do play-by-play at major sporting events like the Super Bowl, World Series, Indianapolis 500, etc. on a network like ESPN or CBS. It’s one of the goals I have set for myself to work on. Announcing in high school already has been amazing and has given me a taste of what hopefully is still to come for me one day.