Big Fish In A Small Market

By Dave Guberman
In the sports broadcasting industry, it is sometimes hard to catch that first break, opening up an opportunity to cash in and make all your dreams come true. For Lee Shirvanian, that opportunity came in New Brunswick, New Jersey, right back where he grew up as a kid. And his four years “getting his feet wet” at WAER in Syracuse, New York prepared him for this opportunity to show his worth.

            Back when he was growing up, he used to sit in front of his TV set and watch Brooklyn Dodger games when he was eight or nine years old, just so he could hear Vin Scully call the game. “I used to go to games back in Brooklyn, and he was my favorite announcer, and still is,” Shirvanian said. One of the most thrilling moments of his career was when he was able to meet Vin Scully at an award ceremony in Salisbury, North Carolina. The biggest thing that he learned from Vin Scully was “preparation”. He wasn’t shy about repeating the fact that preparation is one of, if not the most, important thing in this business. He prides himself on being prepared, and knowing what to say, and when to say it. It is extremely crucial to know the facts, know what you are talking about, and be able to recall and relay information at the drop of a hat. “You don’t just walk into a broadcast,” Shirvanian said.

            Shirvanian moved on to Mobile, Alabama, where he has been lucky enough to be a voice for the South Alabama athletic program, and able to call games in not only football, but basketball and baseball as well. “I like doing different sports… at the time when I was young I thought ‘Wow it would be great to do 162 baseball games,’ but not now,” Shirvanian said. He loves every part about what he does, including a 6:00-9:00 morning radio show, and play-by-play for the football games. “Play-by-play is my number one love, and I’m doing quite a bit of it,” Shirvanian said.

            Shirvanian has never wavered, and has been loyal to Mobila, Alabama for the last 28 years. He has never had second thoughts, or an urge to move to a bigger market. Back in the 1970s, Shirvanian did go out to Los Angeles, and had ideas about covering baseball games, and doing all the national stuff. However, he eventually found a home in Mobile, Alabama, and refused to leave. The flakiness of the bigger markets turned him off. “You get into those markets, if a sponsor doesn’t like you, or somebody in the hierarchy doesn’t like you, it’s tough to keep a job,” Shirvanian said.

            Just as Shirvanian’s general manager in New Brunswick once told him, “Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a smaller market, than a little fish in a big market”. “This is where I belong. This is where things have worked out well for me. So there’s no need to move on. And at my age, nobody would hire me anyways,” Shirvanian said.

Q&A with Lee Shirvanian

Dave: While honing your craft, what was the most important thing that you took from Vin Scully that helped you get where you are?

Shirvanian: Preparation. I don’t have his voice. I don’t have his voice so I couldn’t take that. But his enthusiasm, first started... actually I don’t even know if you know my background. I was raised in New Jersey, and I used to sit in front of the TV set when I was like 8 or 9 years old, and listen to Vin Scully when he was doing Brooklyn Dodger games. Do you remember when they were in Brooklyn? I used to go to games back in Brooklyn, and he was my favorite announcer, and still is. And his number one is preparation I guess, and, I think that’s what to me the most important thing… I also don’t have his vocabulary either. The pictures he paints. He’s always prepared, even in the mid 80s, and that’s something I pride myself on too. When I was working in New Brunswick, New Jersey, which was my first real broadcasting job. And I don’t really hear this enough, but when I was named New Jersey Broadcaster of the Year the only time I got it, that same year they pull everyone down to Salisbury, North Carolina. Vin Scully was the National, at the time I got to meet him. Only time I got to meet him, because he was honored as the national award winner, where they bring in all the state winners also. That was a really big thrill for me.

Dave: Being a sportscaster in Mobile, Alabama for 28 years, have you ever had the urge or the desire to move to a bigger city or a bigger market?

Shirvanian: No. I did not. Because, I’d already.. well in New Brunswick I was between New York and Philadelphia. And I saw the pitfalls, and had I stayed there, I would have been the voice of Rutgers. For quite a few years I was on the broadcast team, doing color, and I did play-by-play for basketball, that year especially when they went to the final four. And I enjoyed it, but I also saw the pitfalls. And I was unsuccessful in landing positions in Philadelphia, and also New York. So, I always wanted to work in a warm weather area. And I had just had enough on the east coast. You know the weather, and I wanted to try new things. So to be honest, when I was hired at WJRG back in ‘80-‘81, I was really doing everything I ever wanted to do. In that regard I was doing basketball, I was doing baseball, and those things have matriculated through the years and I really have the best of both worlds. I do a talk show in the morning, from 6-9. I do play-by-play for football now since we have football, basketball, and baseball. Plus great place for the family, and I had a family then when I moved here, so, it made really no sense, why pack up and leave when I had everything here? It was like my general manager in New Jersey once told me, “Sometimes it’s better to be a big fish in a smaller market, than a little fish in a big market.” And to be honest, that’s pretty much the case, because when I was working in New York, I mean not New York, New Jersey, there was like a Marv Albert type at every street, where there were very, very few down here. I’m doing what I want to do, so based on that, there was no need to really, I never applied anywhere, I can’t think of anything, I don’t think I’ve had any interviews since I’ve moved down here. Radio I’ve had none, really. There’s no need to because I’m lucky I’ve never been fired, and I’m doing everything I ever wanted to do. I like doing different sports, and not just you know, at the time when I was young I thought, wow it would be great to do 162 baseball games, but not now. I couldn’t do that. It’s better to do about 15, 30 basketball, 12-13 football. So that keeps me busy, and the only months I have off are really, June and July. So to answer your question, no. Sorry that took so long. You know, I got to tell you something. Back in the 70s though, when I was in New Jersey, I did go out to Los Angeles. I have family out there, and I interviewed for a couple of jobs. And I went back again, about a year or two later, interviewed for jobs. In one case just fell short. They had just hired a short-time sports person. I did want to work out there, in the 70s, I wanted to do all the national stuff, so, cover baseball games and things like that. But it worked out well, because play-by-play is my number one love and I’m doing quite a bit of it. So there’d be no need… plus the other thing too is, in those markets very flaky. You get into those markets, if a sponsor doesn’t like you, or somebody in the hierarchy doesn’t like you, it’s tough to keep a job. There are a lot of things that go into it. So this is where I belong. This is where things have worked out well for me. So there’s no need to move on. And at my age, nobody would hire me anyways so.

Dave: How did you learn how to do such a variety of different things in the business, from writing, to sports analysis, to play-by-play, and how hard was it for you to become comfortable doing all those things?

  Shirvanian: Well, I’ll say this: What helped is the learning curve. That really, at WAER. I did basketball, and eventually it got to see… I made lots of mistakes. And you just grow into it. And again, David it all comes down to preparation. You don’t just walk into a broadcast. For me, I spent an enormous amount of time on notes, and getting facts, calling people. Now of course it’s easier after you’ve done it for a couple years. There’s no book that really… I don’t believe in that you’re going to get anywhere by reading about it. You have to do it hands-on, and you have to have a break where someone is going to give you that opportunity. Now, I don’t think I did everything correctly at Syracuse, because I should have tried to get to a professional station as an intern. I spent my four years at WAER, but in the long run, I think that really helped. Because there you can make mistakes and you’re not going to get fired. With play-by-play, you can get your feet wet.