By Darayus Sethna
© 2020
Now heading into his sophomore year at Baldwin Wallace University, it is safe to say that Nordonia graduate Jacob Malensek has already established quite a resume for himself. In his junior and senior years at Nordonia, Malensek was a part of the Digital Journalism and Sports Broadcasting Group, where he did some media work for the Nordonia Knights football team. He is majoring in media production and minoring in marketing, with the goal of being a sports media member for a television or radio station. During his freshman year at Baldwin Wallace, Malensek announced the play-by-play broadcasts for the Yellow Jackets. Now heading into his sophomore year, Malensek is looking to stay on track in the broadcasting world, especially during these unprecedented times.
This past week, I had the chance to communicate with Jacob Malensek via email. He discussed how he has been holding up during the COVID-19 Pandemic, his responsibilities as a reporter with Baldwin Wallace, and some of the specific aspects related to his play-by-play broadcasts.
In terms of how he was holding up during the pandemic, Malensek informed me that he has been okay and is trying his best to stay positive and focus on having an enjoyable summer. With his broadcasts, Malensek is certainly kept busy. He works with other team members of the Baldwin Wallace media community, which has its own official radio station (88.3 The Sting). You may think that his preparations for each individual broadcast can be somewhat taxing, however Malensek explained to me that this is not necessarily always the case:
“It’s not as complicated as you may think. Since we don’t use cameras and it is all on the radio we just need to make sure our mics can be heard and that we are connected to the station using the internet.”
Although the process to set up the broadcast may not seem like a burden, there are always some technical difficulties that may await:
“System malfunctions are common, such as audio cutting in and out but nothing that is too extreme.”
Along with his play-by-play broadcasts, Malensek participates in a pre and post game show on his station. He is also responsible for conducting interviews with players and coaches of the Yellow Jackets.
Needless to say, it certainly seems that Jacob Malensek is heading in the right direction towards achieving his goals. I would like to thank Malensek for his time in our discussion and wish him the best of luck as he continues his media career at Baldwin Wallace University!
* Photos via:
– NordoniaHills.News (YouTube)
* To access the “Cleveland Sports Show” podcast and my other work, please visit darayus.news, where you will be able to view my “Twitter” account (@NordoniaSports) as well as my “SoundCloud” Channel.
* You can also locate my “Spotify” Channel by typing in “The Cleveland Sports Show” or “Darayus Sethna” in the “Spotify” search bar.