Kathryn Tappen - NBC Sports Broadcaster

Straight From Her Inbox: 5 Questions with Kathryn Tappen

We're talking all things Attendance, Atmosphere & Brand with NBC Sports Broadcaster, Kathryn Tappen:

Rob: What has been the biggest change in sports communications/marketing that you've seen from your start in the industry until now?

Kathryn: ​​I think we are seeing it right now. We are literally watching sports, television, marketing, and communication change before our very eyes. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced us all to get creative. Access to athletes has never been so vast. Athletes are showing vulnerability on their social media platforms and they are showing their personalities on ZOOM calls with broadcasting networks. I think we'll see a true evolution

of the athlete moving forward. Social Media, over the last 10 years, has become a tool to communicate. Now, social media in the last 2 months has become a necessary means to keep sports alive. I believe we will see even more of this when the pandemic is over.

Rob: In your eyes, what is the perfect gameday "driveway-to-driveway" experience for a sports fan?

​Kathryn: I'm a big tailgating girl! I tailgate for concerts, football games, you name it! The perfect gameday experience begins with your prep. You have to make sure your tailgate is ready to be loaded into the car hours before you take off to the stadium. Once on site, it's all about the flavor: of the food, the beer, and the atmosphere. Colleges and Universities mix in their flair in tailgating parking lots. The more pep bands, cheerleaders, Athletic Director appearances, mascots, the better! Fans tailgating love feeling like they are a part of the "show". By weaving in these key "ingredients" into the tailgating madness, fans feel more connected and more invested in the brand.

Rob: In today's world, what inspires someone to attend a sporting event?

Kathryn: Success. Fans love to say they were at a "Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots game, or AFC Championship game"... If a team has success, they draw fans. But if a team isn't at the top of the pack, the second best thing for a fan is gameday experience. What happens during time outs? What kind of entertainment is there in between innings of a baseball game? What's on the jumbotron at halftime? Also, ticket prices need to come down to a reasonable number so it's not a strain on families to attend.

Rob: We love your work with NBC and coverage of Notre Dame Football. What's it like working on perhaps the most unique broadcasting arrangement in all of college football? How have NBC + Notre Dame worked together to make those broadcasts must-see TV for millions around the country?

Kathryn: First off, thank you 🙂! Working on the unique property of Notre Dame football on NBC is exciting and can also be a challenge. We are a broadcasting partner of Notre Dame, but we are also journalists and have to maintain neutral footing during the broadcasts. We cover both teams equally throughout the week, the same access for the opposing team as we have for the Irish.

The atmosphere on game day in South Bend is family friendly. There are generational fans, and there are new fans just coming for the first time. We try to capture the tradition of Notre Dame throughout the broadcast. It's also all about storytelling, and that's a significant part of my role. In addition to being the eyes and ears on the sidelines, I speak to players throughout the week and get really neat stories on these student athletes. We try to make the viewer at home feel like they are there with us, whether they're watching at home or in the parking lot at their tailgate because they may not have a ticket. Storytelling is paramount in broadcasting, even just letting the game tell the story.

The NBC brand- the Peacock- brings instant credibility. Both Notre Dame and their opponent each week recognizes that and they are always cooperative in helping us deliver the best possible, unbiased, broadcast for a national TV audience.

Rob: In the sports marketing world, we talk a lot about getting people off their couches & away from their TVs and into our venues. In TV, we have to imagine it's the opposite. How do you & NBC Sports differentiate your coverage from the "in-venue experience" fans can get? Are there any emerging trends in live sports broadcasts?

Kathryn: ​Just like in sports marketing, on the television side, we also want fans in their seats. We want bumper shots of fans having fun, we want the shot of the jerseys in the stands, we want the kids banging on the glass to get the attention of an NHL player. We want ALL of that for the broadcast. So for us, if you're watching at home, you want to feel like you're at the game. We're always told "Take fans into the arena, tell the story". We take pauses so you can hear certain elements of the game. The clanging of the helmets on a football field, the banter between players on the ice during a scuffle. We could have upwards of 18 cameras for a Notre Dame Football game, we've got eyes everywhere! So we are constantly looking for ways to showcase the gameday experience with viewers at home.

One emerging trend we tested out for two NFL games when NBC had the "Thursday Night Football" package, was putting the SkyCam behind the offense, simulating a video game approach. Last Fall we experimented with the same perspective for ND on NBC. It received mixed reviews from fans. But I think in general fans do not appreciate change! We'll keep testing it, however, and perfect it.

Another trend in hockey that we've tested out at the All Star Games has been player and puck tracking. This will play a significant role in sports betting. Tracking players speed, time on ice, tracking every element of each player in the game including the puck speed will allow fans to engage in the game in an entirely different way.