By: Elijah Pinckney, Staff Writer

On Oct. 31, 2023, selected students within Morehouse’s journalism track were afforded the opportunity to take a tour of Warner Brothers Discovery Sports studios. Students were accompanied by Journalism Department chair, Ron Thomas, and Maroon Tiger Advisor, Craig A. Brown, everyone was able to gain knowledge about the company through WBD staff.

“The event was held not only to expose students to WBD Sports’ studios, but to also re-establish a relationship that we [Morehouse College] once had with the company,” Thomas said. “We had a strong relationship before, but the pandemic affected us once we entered the quarantine period.”

Upon arrival, the students were greeted by WBD staff, then taken through various areas of the facility to learn about each production room. Tonya Figueroa of Turner Sports explained how the rooms that were visited have high-end technology pieces that help create great visuals for viewers to enjoy. 

Students were able to visit the control, social war and reels rooms.

Ann Lutzenkirchen, a supervising producer at WBD Sports, expressed her joy of working at Turner Sports. “It’s like a family here, though we’re not related, that is what it feels like,” said Lutzenkirchen, who has been working at Turner for ten years and has never worked another job. 

Keith Robinson, three-time Emmy winning producer at WBD Sports, explained the importance of one’s knowledge and enthusiasm for sports if one aspires to be a member of WBD Sports or work in sports generally. 

“It is required that you know about various sports if you want to be on our team,” Robinson said. “This is because you may be working two or more sports at one time while on the job.” 

The guests of the night were able to watch moments of the New York Knicks vs. Cleveland Cavaliers game from the production room at Techwood studios. 

To end the tour, students of Morehouse College, accompanied by Thomas and Brown went onto the set of NBA on TNT. While on set, the students were able to meet Charles Barkley, Kenny Smith, Ernie Johnson, Jr. And Shaquille O’Neal. 

During halftime, Morehouse’s students stood before the camera and appeared live on the show just before the third quarter of the game started. Every student was excited to be on set as well as on national television. 

The tourists from Morehouse expressed immense gratitude to Tareia Williams who helped Ron Thomas and Craig A. Brown put together the visit for students. Both Ron Thomas and Tareia Williams hope to be able to continue the tradition post-pandemic.  

Copy Edited By: Kobe Scales, Sports Editor