Broadcast Booth: Behind the Scenes

It's Wolves game night, you're in your car away from a television ... what do you do? Chances are, you tune into BOB 106.1 to hear the voices of Timberwolves basketball, Alan Horton (play-by-play) and Billy McKinney (color).

We were in the booth to give you a play-by-play not of the action (we'll leave that to Alan and Billy), but of what went on in the booth and in the studio throughout Wednesday’s game vs. Golden St.

Pregame
As you sit in traffic, you tune your dial to BOB at 6:30 p.m. when the Wolves Pregame Show begins. Alan and Billy, followed by head coach Randy Wittman, who does his regular interview, greet you. While Wittman’s interview is seemingly live, it is taped outside the Wolves locker room at approximately 5:30 p.m. and isn’t edited. Similarly, "In the Paint" with Billy McKinney and Wolves TV analyst Jim Petersen is taped on the floor around 6:00 p.m., and is un-edited. A Wolves player is always interviewed prior to tip, which is also taped … Randy Foye was Wednesday’s selection.

So you ask, who compiles the recordings to make them seem live? We’ll leave that to radio producer John Focke, whose office sits one level below the Target Center floor. Focke’s responsibility is to ensure that the broadcast runs smoothly. Before the pregame show, Focke is in constant communication with BOB and all affiliates to ensure that the show tips off at 6:30 and not a second after. With the click of one button, Focke initiates the playing and halting of a commercial.

All in all, not much is recorded live, except for Alan and Billy’s opening words, Focke’s brief look at scores around the league and the Keys to the Game directly before tip. While there is a set agenda for each and every pregame show, all is fluid on any given night because interviews may run longer than expected or Alan and Billy may take an extra minute to devote to analysis. That’s okay because Focke adjusts recordings and is in constant communication with Alan and Billy to relay the specific timeframe.

Game
Going into each game, Alan and Billy have already conducted extensive research about every player, matchup and statistic one could imagine. Both keep a detailed game log throughout, which serves to keep track of statistics and numbers that a boxscore doesn’t pick up. Although there is a screen that displays a boxscore that updates live with points, rebounds, assists and notable statistics, the game log serves to keep track of runs and statistics a boxscore can’t detect.

While Alan and Billy spend a whole game day studying up and preparing notes, the duo does have a counterpart that helps come up with stats on the fly during the action. Much of what goes on behind the scenes in the booth is left to Dave Hamline, a freelance statistician guru for the club and whose sole responsibility is making the lives of Alan and Billy easier. Want to know Al Jefferson’s scoring average when eating a sandwich prior to tip? Check. Want to know Sebastian Telfair’s assist to turnover ratio on Sunday games that tip at 5 p.m. or earlier? Check. However, Hamline also servers as a reference point, double-checking statistics for both Alan and Billy.

Did you hear that swish? How about the Target Center crowd after a dunk? Well, you should have. Let me tell you a little secret: That swish you heard wasn’t that spectacular. Engineer Al Flom arrives hours before tip to put microphones on each net and around Target Center in an attempt to capture the NBA game-night experience.

In the studio, Focke arranges calls worthy of playback to be played when Alan and Billy return from a break. With the click of a couple buttons, he arranges highlights. Alan’s first-quarter call of “Telfair, right side to Brewer who slams it home with the right hand!” was replayed late in the first.

The "Bug Billy" segment occurs every halftime, in which Billy answers e-mailed questions from fans. In the studio, Focke reads Billy three to four questions while Billy stations at NBA City Restaurant for the segment. Billy, as always, provides a thorough and thoughtful response. To Bug Billy, e-mail your questions to bugbilly@timberwolves.com.

Postgame
Following 48 minutes, the Wolves half-hour postgame show begins. Alan and Billy wrap things up from courtside, while Focke prepares several highlight clips for inclusion on the highlight segment. If the Wolves win, a Minnesota player is interviewed. After every broadcast, a player of the game is selected … Wednesday’s selection was the Wolves' Gerald Green after contributing 18 points and 8 rebounds off the bench. At this point, Alan and Billy’s night is done, while Focke wraps things up in the studio by playing the previously-prepared highlights from Wednesday’s game and also looking at scores and notable highlights from around the league. And there you have it … a night at the Minnesota Timberwolves broadcast studio. Remember to tune in to Alan, Billy and John each and every Timberwolves game on the BOB 106.1.