Summer 2018
BY BECCA NADLER
A longtime fan who grew up attending Mets games with her father, Amanda Rodriguez is proud to have worked as a PA for CBS Sports for the past five years—a job, she says, "that allows me to combine both my love of sports and my passion for production."
Rodriguez is an early riser during the busy football and basketball seasons ("my call time can be as early as 5 a.m.") so she can check the timing of the commercial rundowns and game formats—what she calls "the ordering of programming and commercial breaks"—and deliver them to the control room long before the game is scheduled to begin. She then coordinates with the game's AD to ensure that any last-minute requests get handled as the game begins.
The unpredictability of broadcasting live sports can be both challenging and exciting, Rodriguez notes. "We prepare as best we can, but ultimately every second counts. There can be a weather delay or the game can go into overtime… we always have to adapt [and] have a room on standby ready to continue the broadcast as seamlessly as possible. Not an easy feat, but working in live sports always keeps you on your toes!"