If you happen to tune into WBOR 91.1 FM at the opportune moment, you just might be taken aback by talk of touchdowns and home runs in place of the station's usual indie fodder. For the first time in decades, sports broadcasting has returned to WBOR.
Last fall, three sophomores—Wiley Spears, Mikey Jarrell, and Matt Glatt—joined forces to form Bowdoin's first live sports radio broadcast in years.
"As far as we know these are the first broadcasts there have been in roughly 25 years," said Spears, whose father graduated in 1981, around the time the broadcasts disappeared.
Spears was appointed WBOR sports director last summer. He began writing sports summaries of football games last year for Dave Caputi, the team's head coach, to send to alumni who were interested in more detailed accounts of the games.
Station Manager Will Pugh '12 approached Spears in October with a proposition. Why not satisfy Bowdoin's appetite for athletics and create a new series publicizing Bowdoin sports?
"After writing the summaries, I had gotten to know some people in the athletic department. [Director of Athletics] Jeff Ward and Jim Caton, [sports information director] were our main contacts we needed to make the whole broadcasting a possibility," said Spears.
"It's hard to talk with Wiley and not get excited. His enthusiasm for Bowdoin and Bowdoin sports is contagious and I think that rebuilding our radio presence will help us stay connected with our fans," said Ward.
Spears teamed up with Jarrell and Glatt, and together they drafted a schedule of upcoming games they wanted to cover.
The first broadcast was of Bowdoin's last home football game against Colby, which helped the sportscasters identify what needed work.
"The first half was messy," he laughed. "Coming into it, we didn't know what we were doing or how to fully use the technology. The microphone broke, we had issues connecting with the station, and our chemistry wasn't great either."
Spears serves as the team's primary play-by-play commentator, while Jarrell runs the color commentary or analyzes the plays afterwards.
Jarrell says that while it took the crew "a while to get into it," the three games that the crew has broadcasted since November have demonstrated steady improvement.
"It's a feel thing. When there's a lull on the court or field, that's when I jump in and give my analysis," he said.
Glatt, on the other hand, gets right in the action as the technical producer and "sideline guy."
"I wear a wireless headset that connects right to the radio as well," said Glatt. "I can walk around the basketball court or on the sidelines right alongside coaches, players and trainers. It adds a different perspective."
Since their first broadcast in November, the trio teamed up with two more commentators to cover a men's hockey game this winter, as well as men's and women's basketball games this past weekend.
"One of the criticisms we've heard is that there's quite a bit of background noise," said Jarrell, who believes that adding another member to the crew would help solve this problem.
"The gym echoes and if a coach is yelling it, can overpower us. We need to work on the technical aspects. That fourth person could be in the studio, listening to how we sound over the air and communicate with us to tell us what we should change," Jarrell said.
Spears and Glatt agree that, along with technical improvements, adding commentary from fans and music during intermissions would improve the broadcast.
"People are busy, it's difficult to get to sports games sometimes. As long as you have your laptop or smartphone with you, you can know what's going on all the time," said Spears.
Spears, Glatt and Jarrell who have been friends since the beginning of their first year at Bowdoin, also host another sports-themed radio show called "Mike and Wiley in the Morning," which runs from 12 a.m. to 1 p.m on Tuesday afternoons.
Jarrell calls the program the "genesis" of their love for the world of radio sports.
They hope to continue both their talk show and live broadcasts well into the future.
?"These are your friends, and chances are, while you're here, most of your friends are on a sports team," said Jarrell. "Now you can stay updated and congratulate them even if you can't physically go to games."
Spears, Jarrell and Glatt will be live broadcasting coverage of the womens' ice hockey game tonight at 7 p.m. They will also cover both the men's and women's hockey playoff games on February 25.