CBS Sports' show “We Need To Talk" recorded live Friday in a Franklin Hall studio in front of about 20 IU students and faculty. People talked, waiting with anticipation, but as the show went live and the room fell silent, all attention was on the hosts and guests.
“We Need To Talk” is an all-female sports talk show starring sports broadcasters Tina Cervasio, Summer Sanders, Lisa Leslie and Sarah Kustok. Students had the chance on Friday to assist in the production of the show alongside the experts from CBS. They ran the cameras and all of the graphics in the control room.
Before the taping, students had the chance to ask director Suzanne Smith and producer Amy Salmanson questions.
IU students could also attend different sessions during the day including “Storytelling and Marketing.” At this event, Visser and screenwriter Angelo Pizzo discussed entertainment and production in sports.
Isaac Hicks, IU’s director of sports performance nutrition, put on a cooking show in Franklin Hall to show how to eat joyfully and healthy.
The live taping featured guests such as Indiana football coach Tom Allen, and Olympic gold medalist Lilly King. The owner of Butler University’s mascot, a bulldog named Trip, and IU alumnus and businessman Mark Cuban were also interviewed, but not live in the studio.
One of the reporters from the show, Lesley Visser, interviewed Cuban for the show. They talked about the NCAA, NBA and WNBA.
“I was surprised how humble he was and how much he wanted to problem solve,” Visser said to the audience after the clip aired.
The stars of the show were all seemed excited to meet King, as Leslie and Sanders took selfies with her in between clips. During their interview, Sanders told King about the time NBA Hall of Famer Reggie Miller called her, saying he was impressed by King’s swimming.
Kustok and Cervasio spoke with Allen about his relationship with his son, who is a sophomore on the football team.
“It’s a blessing to have my son on the team, and I always try to remember to cherish the moments I have with him outside of football,” Allen said during the interview.
Following the taping, students had little time to talk with the stars of the show since they had to catch flights. Most students asked them for advice on moving up in their media careers.
“Just keep pushing through and making connections, and I hope to see you here someday,” Visser said to one aspiring journalist.
