Interview with Greg Roberts
beamerball.com
by: Megan Caligiuri

            Since graduating Virginia Tech in 1985, Donald Gregory Roberts has become an experienced media professional in such areas as radio, TV, and the Internet, and continues to be a part of the Hokie community through his work with Virginia Tech’s athletics.
            After gaining experience in TV at Channel 10, in radio through his show at WGMM in Roanoke, and in the business areas of media through working for ISP Sports, Roberts’s career brought him back to Blacksburg for new projects, including the play-by-play for Hokie Playback and work for BeamerBall.
            Before the Virginia Tech football game against Marshall University on Oct. 8, Roberts was getting ready for interviews, Hokie Playback and various other jobs he has for Hokie football games.  Despite the busyness and fast-paced atmosphere of Roberts’s media career, he carried on each task calmly and smoothly with his laid back and easy-going attitude. 
            After the game Roberts agreed to do an interview that was conducted via e-mail.  The following questions and answers were selected from the interview:

Q: You have worked at Channel 10 heading the sports department, and presently work a lot in radio.  What do you think is the major difference between the two?

Roberts: … I believe that in order to be good at anything, you have to be passionate about it.  In the ‘80s and ‘90s TV was a lot of fun.  The sports segment of the newscast was a vital part of the product.  However, in the late ‘90s, more and more time allotted for sports was cut.  At one time, I’d get over five minutes to do the sportscast in the 6 p.m. news that eventually was trimmed down to about two minutes.  It became apparent that [Channel 10] wasn’t passionate about their sports, and that’s when I knew it was time to move on to a forum where I could really get into sports, and that was radio.  I have a two hour talk show where I’m able to completely cover or discuss any subject.

Q: What did you like more: TV or radio?

Roberts: TV has a lot of drama behind the scenes. I'm not into drama. Plus, there's really not a lot of money to make.  The pay is cheap when you're trying to break in.  However, TV is funny, because the higher you climb, the more you make and the less you do.  I enjoy doing TV in terms of covering games for ESPN or some other outlet … but I have no desire to go anywhere and become a ‘TV talking head’ again. …

Q: Many people pursuing careers in sports media dream of working for ISP Sports or ESPN, both of which you have worked for, or do work for.  How did you go about getting a job with ISP Sports, and later ESPN?

Roberts: When I left TV on the local level, I wanted to stay in the market, but I had signed a one-year no compete clause in my contract, which meant I couldn’t be on the air for a year.  The guys at ISP called and wanted to know if I would be interested in working with them.  Hey, I had to do something for a year, so I took the job.  It was very interesting learning the business side of the industry.  It was also very valuable.  I learned about what goes into putting together sponsorships and how to go after, and secure sponsor dollars. … [As for ESPN], I sent them a tape and told them I was looking for work.  They’ve used me mostly as a sideline reporter, but I want to be in the booth doing play-by-play.  That’s why I’m trying to make the most of calling the Virginia Tech rebroadcast games.

Q: Working in the media you’ve met a lot of people, know how to manage your time, and learn about news before the general public.  What do you think is the greatest advantage of working in media?

Roberts: Networking—working in the media gives you personal exposure.  People know who you are.  You can really use that to your advantage to open other doors and other opportunities if you’ll pursue them.  Remember [quoted a Nike commercial], ‘The man who thinks he can and the man who thinks he can’t are both right.  Which one are you?’

Q:  You are a well-known media professional who has held various jobs in your field.  What made you decide to open Greg Roberts Sports Club, especially with all the other job responsibilities you had at the time you opened it?

Roberts: I thought it would be fun.  My business partner, Julie Conner, already had a deli, and wanted to do more business in the evening.  We expanded the deli, built a long awesome oak bar, put up about seven big TV’s, made sure we had ice-cold beer, didn’t put up with any surly behavior, and had a blast.  I didn’t want to call it ‘Greg Roberts Sports Club,’ because I thought that sounded a bit presumptuous, but Coach Beamer told me to put my name on it because, ‘The people who don’t like you, aren’t coming in there anyway.’  When I was at Virginia Tech, my major was Business Marketing and Management, with a minor in English.  I’ve always had a business background and I enjoyed having my own bar very much.  It became too much for Julie to run … and we decided to sell it while we were hot.  That’s what we did.  I still have people every day asking me when I’m going to open another pub.  It won’t happen because that really is a tough business.  I like staying busy, and have always had several irons in the fire at once.

Q: Being a former Hokie, what advice can you provide for other Virginia Tech students interested in pursuing a career in media?

Roberts: Well, my formula is simple and it works.  I believe that the ability to communicate … coupled with the willingness to work …  is the formula for success.  Also, you must be passionate about whatever it is you choose to do.

Q:  Do you believe you learned more about media through classes you took or through the experiences you had as a college student?

Roberts: I learned about media after college.  I was hired out of Virginia Tech by a firm in Atlanta.  I hated the job.  After doing that for about three months, I decided that what I really wanted to do was become a sportscaster.  So I walked into the CBS station in Richmond, Va., and told them I wanted a job.  They gave me an internship and I took it from there.  I got a job working construction from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. each day.  Then I’d shower, and hustle to the station where I’d learn what TV was all about. …

Q: What activities or jobs were you involved with as a Tech student?

Roberts: I came to Virginia Tech thinking I was going to be a football star, but I simply wasn’t good enough.  I worked hard in my studies.  I never missed a class until my senior year.  I loved college.  I loved the knowledge, the whole atmosphere. … Also I enjoyed playing the intramurals.  It gave me an outlet to compete in sports.

Q: The Virginia Tech Athletic Department has launched Hokie Playback, the rebroadcast of every home football game in which you do the play-by-play.  What is it like going from being a former Hokie watching the game in the stands, to announcing the game for people across the state to hear and see?  Would you rather be in the stands or broadcasting?

Roberts: I’m involved in this because I want to improve my play-by-play skills.  I’ve made a living off covering games over the last 20 years.  Honestly, if I wasn’t working a game, I’d probably be fishing or working on one of my other projects.

Q: You were with Virginia Tech’s football staff in the Bahamas when you purchased a wedding ring at noon, were engaged by 10 p.m. that night, and married the next night.  Do you think the spontaneity of working in media influences your spontaneity outside of your career?

Roberts: … Julie and I dated for about 15 years and she’s wanted to get married since we started dating, but I just had too much other stuff going on and never really thought of it as a priority.  She’s a great lady.  John Ballein [associate director of Virginia Tech Athletics for football] helped me pull it off, and we worked on it for about four months before it went down.  But, yea, I’m a spontaneous person.

Q: You are constantly throwing around new ideas for Hokie football, one of which is the Time Out Ticker, which will soon be used for Virginia Tech’s home football games.  How did you come up with this new idea?

Roberts: This was a combination of pulling together skills from ISP Sports and other areas.  Athletic departments are always looking for new sources for revenue.  Nobody was doing anything with the timeouts.  I decided that people wanted to know how long it would be before the timeout came to its conclusion.  If you could give them that information, somebody would be willing to pay big money to have their logo beside it as a sponsor.  My theory is that people will check the ticker at least five times during the timeout.  That means you’re forcing people to see the sponsor’s logo, which is exactly what the sponsors want and they’ll pay big money to have their logo up there.  I hope to sell this concept to the NFL or other major sports leagues and disappear.

Q: According to Roanoke Dazzle, you've been honored seven times for sports coverage in Virginia by the Associated Press. How did you feel each time you were honored?

Roberts: Very proud—I'm passionate about the things that I do and if others note that, it's cool.

Q: You work a great deal with football. Is there much difference between doing the play-by-play for Hokie Playback and basketball's Roanoke Dazzle?

Roberts: Basketball is much easier because it has such a fast, continuous pace to it. The action is literally up and down the floor. In football, there's a lot of time between plays. You have to be good at ‘teeing up’ your color analyst and keeping the flow of the broadcast.

Q: You do a lot of work with BeamerBall, what are your responsibilities with http://www.beamerball.com?

Roberts: Coach Beamer and I are in business on this venture. I handle the business side of the project and do a lot of the writing and interviewing.

Q: What has been your favorite job in media since you've been in this field and why?

Roberts: I like the variety. I like doing it all, TV, radio, and the Internet.  The variety keeps it fresh and interesting.

Q: What do you feel is most rewarding about your job?

Roberts: My freedom. I work for myself. I'm my own boss. If I need extra money I just have to work harder. When I need time off, I take it. You'll find that the only way to make good money is to inject yourself in the revenue stream. If you aren't the person who can directly influence the revenue, then your pay will pretty much be set. Find a way to become the person who makes the money go up, or, by your absence, makes the money go down. That's when you become a person of value and your pay will reflect it.

Q: What is the greatest media related experience you have ever had?

Roberts: Getting on a bus in 1985 with the tiny little Lunenburg High School football team and traveling with them to cover their state championship game. It was my first assignment, if it went well, the CBS station would hire me, if not, oh well. It was my first, and you always remember your first.

Q: You've accomplished so much as a media professional, are there any other goals or accomplishments you would like to achieve in your field?

Roberts: I've done a lot professionally. My goals now are more personal.  I'd like to have children, I'd like to be a good husband and I want to work hard on becoming a better person.