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Review Copy3... 2...1... We're on the Air
An Inside Look at Sports Television, Journalism, and Gender Equity
Published by: TCU Press
248 Pages, 6.00 x 9.00 in
For Professors: Exam Copies
Imagine what it's like to make hundreds of decisions in just two hours on "live" network television with your work seen by millions of people. That's what a sports television producer does each time they sit in "the big chair." In 3…2…1… We’re on the Air, Emmy Award Winning Producer Robert Steinfeld takes readers inside the world of sports television through his career producing some of the biggest sporting events, such as the Summer Olympics, the NBA and WNBA, the MLB, and the FIFA World Cup. Along the way he crossed paths with athletic stars like Cal Ripken, Alex Rodriguez, Nolan Ryan, Nancy Lieberman, Tim Duncan, David Robinson, Bill Walton and announcers Bob Costas, Jim Nantz, and Robin Roberts. Join Robert Steinfeld on his path from eager, ambitious teenage journalist to ultimately realizing his dream producing major sporting events. So, “3…2…1…We’re On the Air!”
Robert Steinfeld has produced and directed network sports television for five decades, covering MLB, NBA, WNBA, college basketball and football, NCAA Championships, World Cup Soccer, Cotton Bowl Classics, and the summer Olympics. He is executive producer of the WNBA Dallas Wings. His innovated work has earned him ten Sports Emmy Awards plus five more nominations, a national Cable Ace Award nomination, and additional industry accolades. Robert has produced five highly-successful and critically acclaimed baseball pitching instructional videos, including Nolan Ryan’s Fastball with Randy Johnson. He has been fortunate to work with hall of fame athletes and broadcasters along the way. A New Jersey native, Robert grew up in Dallas where he attended Hillcrest High School and then the University of Texas at Austin. He and his wife, Sarah, have two adult children, Elaine and Lee, plus two grandchildren.
"If you want a front row set into the adventurous odyssey of becoming a sports television producer, here’s your VIP Admission ticket. In 3…2…1… We’re On the Air, Bob generously takes us by the hand and walks us through the corridors of his early internships, cub reporter roles, and finally his high-octane television producing career—a world bursting with ambition, high stakes, home runs, air balls, penalties, and ultimately championships."
—Fran Harris, Television personality, MVP 1986 Texas Longhorns NCAA championship team, and 1997 WNBA Champion Houston Comets team
"A wonderful read. Bob gives insight behind the scenes with legendary sports stories and sports icons."
—Ann Meyers Drysdale, Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame, Network Sportscaster, VP WNBA Phoenix Mercury
"I have known Bob for almost thirty-five years as a decorated sports television producer. He made an immediate impression on me with his steady hand, gracious personality, and a keen sense of how to navigate a large crew through a broadcast. Nothing but respect. 3…2…1…We’re on the Air takes us into the production truck for an authentic look at how it all comes together. Just writing that title gets my energy and excitement up. I wish it was more frequently Bob’s voice that was counting down into my headset! "
—Jim Nantz, CBS Sports
"What a career [Steinfeld] had!!! I wish I could have been a fly on the wall for some of these stories."
—Sheryl Beesley, Associate Producer at CBSSN, ESPN, and Bally Sports SW