Is It A Sound Byte or A Feature Lead? BU Athletes Will Know

WACO, Texas -- If athletics, as many alumni and fans believe, is a university's window to the world, Baylor University wants to make sure its players present a good picture.
To help its athletes deal with and better understand the media, Baylor will offer media training for any player who wishes to participate, with the first scheduled session set for 7 p.m. Monday, Feb. 24, in Room 101 of the Castellaw Communications Center.
The effort is a joint venture between the Office of Sports Information in the Department of Athletics, the Department of Journalism and the Office of Public Relations.
Guest speakers Monday will include John McClain, a Baylor graduate who has covered the Houston Oilers for more than 15 years for the Houston Chronicle, and Ray Peters, a University of Texas graduate and former sports anchor who is now news anchor at KXXV, Channel 25 in Waco. McClain will discuss dealing with print media and Peters will speak about the electronic media.
The speakers will give advice on how to do interviews, what to say to the media, what not to say, and other tips for athletes.
"This is something we've talked about for several months and we think it's important that we do it," said Dr. Doug Ferdon, interim chair in the Department of Journalism.
"The journalism department is considering a 1-hour credit course on dealing with the media, and this will be an opportunity to see if such a course is viable. Such a course would be open to any student at Baylor, but we would especially encourage our athletes to attend."
Depending on the response, other meetings and guest speakers will be scheduled for future media training.
For more information, call Ferdon at (817) 755-3261.