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Wesner: “It’s a NEW DAY! Yes, it is!”

Wesner: “It’s a NEW DAY! Yes, it is!”

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
March 7, 2020

Producing is much like I remember from TV 1 class: a lot of work, often under-appreciated and always a challenge.

But, for all intents and purposes, I am very happy with the final look of my show, especially considering the last time I produced was two years ago.

Many events were covered in preparation. I checked out a camera to cover women’s tennis before traveling for Illinois @ Indiana in men’s basketball. I also tag teamed with Professor Erdey on Fighting Illini baseball’s home opener.

What sets my show apart from others is the story presentation. I did not settle for VOs on headlines, rather they included sound bites — making it a VO-SOT-VO. Plus, I produced and voiced my own package (Illinois’ NCAA Tournament hopes), rather than allocating responsibility elsewhere. All in all, the stories were pertinent and graphics were utilized properly (i.e. wrestling seeds for Big Ten Championships).

My contributions include the entire show. I wrote the anchor scripts, edited the b-roll and pieced together segments (minus “Shotclock with Nathan DeHaan”). A lot of credit should be given to Jake Hasan for editing “Shotclock” and I am very appreciative for his efforts.

Ultimately, we will have to see what the future of Illini Sports Night holds. I am confident in my contributions and interested to witness the changes in my colleagues’ mentality. Will anything be different? Time will only tell.

Yet, I can tell you that my effort WILL STILL be the same. That’s because Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. And, I will continue to do my best for Illini Sports Night. If others do not take it seriously, that’s fine because I always will.

After all, I’m treating Friday’s show like a fresh start. To quote Big E Langston, “It’s a new day! Yes, it is!” Spring break will bring a rest period and a chance to “clear the cobwebs.” When I return, I’ll be full of excitement and fresh ideas to bring you unique segments and storylines that deserve attention here at the University of Illinois.

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Fighting Illini Headed to Callaway

The Illini Men’s Golf Team will compete in the Inaugural Callaway Golf Next-Gen 2020 Challenge, where they’ll be put up against defending NCAA Champion Stanford on Saturday, March 21 at Rolling Hills Estates in California.

The Challenge will see the Illini go head-to-head against the Cardinals in five matches, with two additional players from each team able to come off the bench in certain situations to fill in for a teammate. The match will also feature a new Coach’s Challenge, where Illinois’ Mike Small and Stanford’s Conrad Ray can toss out a challenge flag at any point in the match. Should the coaches do so, the opposing coach himself would have to step in and hit the shot for his player.

Callaway Golf is an industry leader in distance-enhancing technologies in golf clubs and balls. Callaway developed the concept and is planning to produce a live-stream broadcast on callawaygolf.com and amateurgolf.com, while just the opening match can be found golfweek.com. Each match will be followed by a single walking camera, and all players and coaches will be mic’ed up for their entire stream.

Yesterday the Cardinals finished sixth-place at the Cabo Collegiate, where they were led by freshman Barclay Brown’s second place finish. Brown had five birdies and five bogeys yesterday afternoon. The finish is the best that the freshman has registered so far this season, shooting even-par 71s in his first and final rounds.

Meanwhile the Illini last competed on Feb. 22nd where they finished fourth at the John A. Burns Intercollegiate. The Illini were sparked by Senior Giovanni Tadiotto on Day 3, closing out the tournament with five birdies on Saturday and a season best round score of 67, launching the Illini into a final round that saw them jump from 12th into a three-way tie at six, finishing fourth as a team.

The last time these two teams saw each other in action was back at the 2019 Cypress Point Classic to close out the fall season. Hosted by Stanford, the Illini defeated both Alabama and California, but lost to UCLA in its opening match. The Cardinals would later face the Bruins for the third place trophy, but lost that match 4-2.

Contributor Blog, Uncategorized

Wesner: Illini Sports Night was ‘dream’ come true

Wesner: Illini Sports Night was ‘dream’ come true

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 17, 2020


The premiere of Illini Sports Night was the realization of a dream.

I remember discussing with Thomas Polcyn inside Richmond Studio, pondering the logistical steps of launching a weekly sports newscast. Now, over a year later, Professor Ken Erdey has made this a reality.

Although the semester is not even a month old, I have learned so much. A videographer can only get better and, through covering a variety of different sports, I believe my skills have sharpened and improved. Plus, I have enjoyed the freedom to produce post-game wrap packages. With major sporting events or popular teams (in a market), post-game hits are essential for a sports reporter, so the experience is invaluable.

Speaking of my contributions, most — if not all — footage and b-roll appearing in Illini Sports Night’s first episode was captured by me. Furthermore, I also produced the first five minutes of the newscast, which included a package about Illinois sophomore guard Ayo Dosunmu and his injury (edited and voiced by me).

A courtside perspective of Illini Sports Night’s vantage point during Illinois’ battle with Michigan State on February 11, 2020.

Naturally, I feel more comfortable as our producing trio ventures into the second show. While my responsibilities will be less, I am relieved to know other talented videographers will be able to pick up the slack in covering events. For instance, Spencer Nelson was responsibility for capturing women’s gymnastics on February 14 while Tristen Kissack and Blake Landa covered women’s basketball senior day. Now, I could not stay away from checking out a camera and shooting wrestling, which was my twelfth sporting event covered since January 24.

Nevertheless, I know now our videographers are serious about bringing you, the viewers, an inside look to the talented varsity athletics on campus.

After all, Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. I will not rest until Illini Sports Night represents this mantra and exceeds my expectations.