Wesner: Not “one and done!”

Peyton Wesner – Producer and Men’s Basketball Reporter
February 24, 2020

A first show is a first step. The second show is the continuation of hard work and collaboration.

With the blessing of Professor Ken Erdey, I was allowed to take a step back for the second show as my responsibilities were directly related to social media. Hence, I produced social media posts on the IHSA State Wrestling Championships (which will be featured in video content during our third and fourth shows) as well as wrote website-exclusive stories on Fighting Illini men’s basketball and men’s golf.

The opportunity to write stories on the website is something I have really enjoyed. At this point, I consider myself the “clubhouse leader” in doing so and the short write-ups keeps my print journalism skills sharp.

My coverage of high school wrestling will benefit Mariah’s newscast as well as my own. For Mariah, I will contribute a VO-SOT-VO on an Illinois commit (Luke Odom) who won a 3A state championship. Plus, I will have a PKG on the Braunagel brothers and their support of Joe Braunagel — who competed during the IHSA State Wrestling Championship.

In terms of looking ahead, I am very excited for my opportunity to produce on March 6. The newscast will be heavy on wrestling and men’s basketball. Honestly, with the wrestling room traveling to Piscataway, N.J., for the Big Ten Championships and Brad Underwood’s group competing for a regular season conference championship, I am excited to produce rich content that interests, you, the viewers. Also, keep an eye out for a new type of package. I had a great opportunity to capture footage at the high school wrestling championships and I look forward to you seeing my content. No spoilers!

That is because Illini Sports Night is all about beyond-the-field reporting and in-depth stories. I will not rest until Illini Sports Night and my first solely produced newscast represents this mantra and exceeds my personal expectations.