The Wolverine: Covering University of Michigan Football and Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/337607
66 ■ THE WOLVERINE 2014 FOOTBALL PREVIEW four will be adjusting to new roles. A TV audience can see the game with their own eyes, and Dierdorf understands he must be a different kind of analyst now. "When you're doing TV, you're a slave to the pictures," he said. "You're servicing what the viewer at homes sees. And then there is a whole lot of coordination that goes into doing the replays, the different graphics and the add-ons that take part during a telecast. "Radio is much more relaxed, much more conversational, and it's something I'm really looking forward to. "The other part is I have always had to be absolutely and completely neutral in call- ing a football game, and I never cared who won or lost. I just wanted it to be close in the fourth quarter. I get to be a little bit of a homer now and root for Michigan, and that's going to be fun." Karsch's job remains relatively the same, though he admits the added 90 minutes will require critical preparation and planning. Jansen was often given only a few minutes during a pregame Big Ten Network show and a little more airtime when he did sideline work, but, like Karsch, must adjust to a 2.5- hour window. "We're going to start our game planning, and there is a time commitment involved in not only the show itself but getting ready for the show," Karsch said. "We envision that we will give Michigan fans everything they want — what's important to watch that day, to a historical perspective, to what Jon can relate, to what any team is going through based on the spectrum of results, to ramifica- tions of other games around the Big Ten and the country. "It'll be a full-service experience." Brandstatter is making the biggest change, moving from a role in which he chimed in with anecdotes and analysis to creating a picture for those fans listening instead of (or in addition to) watching the game. "It's a little different responsibility for me," Brandstatter said. "I have to remember that I have to get the guy that has the ball, what yard line he's on, how much time is on the clock, whether it's first down or not, who caught it, who tackled him, all those things that are the play-by-play guy's responsibility. "I have to change up a little bit, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a new challenge for me, but doing it 30 years, it gets me re- energized about broadcasting the games." With a docket of games of historical im- portance on the schedule — perhaps the final game against Notre Dame, the first Big Ten games for Rutgers and Maryland, rivalry matchups with Michigan State and Ohio State, and a rematch with Appalachian State — Brandstatter is practicing diligently to be at his best come Aug. 30. "I'm turning on Big Ten games, it doesn't have to be Michigan, and I'm sitting there actually trying to call the game as a play- by-play voice," he said. "When I'm driving in the car to Ann Arbor, I'm thinking, 'How am I going to open up the Appalachian State game?' I'm already rehearsing what I'm go- ing to do and how I do it. "Then when Dan and I get together, we feel each other out as we go along, but both of us have been doing this for 30 years, so I think we'll have an easy transition." The chemistry between the former team- mates should be strong, and both Karsch and Jansen anticipate an easy rapport, as well. "I knew Doug back when I was playing at Michigan, and we stayed in touch during my time in the NFL," Jansen said. "Whenever I came through this town to play the Lions, we had a chance to catch up. I've listened to him, and I couldn't be more excited to do Brandstatter, who has served as Michigan's color commentator on the flagship radio broadcast since the mid-1980s, will handle play-by-play duties for the first time in 2014. PHOTO BY PER KJELDSEN "I have to change up a little bit, but I'm looking forward to it. It's a new challenge for me, but doing it 30 years, it gets me re-energized about broadcasting the games." BRANDSTATTER ON SWITCHING TO THE PLAY-BY-PLAY ROLE 64-67.New Radio Team.indd 66 6/18/14 3:53 PM