CSN California

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It’s game day at Golden 1 Center in Downtown Sacramento and Doug Christie has just wrapped up his radio duties for The Grant Napear Show on KHTK. But the day is far from over for the former Sacramento Kings guard.

Christie makes his way up to the plaza level of the arena where he joins Jim Kozimor at CSN California’s vibrant new set. The veteran TV/radio personality is hard at work, methodically preparing notes for the evening’s game in Sacramento.

Not long after, James Ham joins Christie and Kozimor at the CSN desk. Ham, the network’s Kings insider, arrives at the set from the locker room, where he’s spent pre-game availability surveying the thoughts and perspectives of players ahead of the night’s matchup.

Together, Christie, Kozimor and Ham are the faces of CSN California’s new-look Kings pregame, postgame and halftime shows. Each bring their own take and fill a unique position on the lively television broadcast.

“My job is to be the point guard for both players,” Kozimor said of his role on the program.  “Doug’s specialty is knowing what a player will do. My job is to set him up and then if he makes a point, sometimes playfully challenge that point. James - he’s the guy, boots on the ground, reporting what the story is from the locker room perspective because we’re far away from the locker room.”

Fans walking into the Grand Entrance of Golden 1 Center are immediately struck by the grandeur of the new building. They’re also greeted by the lights, camera and action of the CSN California set, which centrally overlooks the Kings new court. When the show is live, fans are afforded the exclusive experience of being part of the program.

“I haven’t seen it at other arenas in this way,” Christie said of the CSN set. “So it’s really nice that when you first come in, this is the first thing that you see and it engages the fans with media.”

Viewers of the show might think fans in the arena only serve as a backdrop for Christie, Kozimor and Ham’s analysis.  But in reality, they get so much more.  The show’s personalities all enjoy taking a moment out of their days to connect with the fans in attendance.

“We take the time to shake hands, look you in the eye, take pictures, talk to you about your experience with how you see the Kings,” Kozimor said of the interaction with fans. “And many times, you’re the sounding board.”

In year one, the CSN California telecast with Kozimor, Ham and Christie is still in its early stages. But, all three men have enjoyed the ride thus far.

For Kozimor, it’s been fun to return to Kings television after several years out of the market.  Through 2009, he previously spent a decade as part of the broadcast team for the Kings and the WNBA’s Sacramento Monarchs.

“With the new energy behind the arena, I felt that if I was going to come back, now would be the perfect timing,” Kozimor said. “The feeling is things are on the way up and I want to be a part of that energy.”

For Ham, it’s been a wonderful experience to bring his reporting to a television audience.  Prior to joining CSN California last season, the self-professed “seeker of knowledge” spent several years cultivating a following among Kings fans at Cowbell Kingdom, part of ESPN’s TrueHoop Network.

“I like to just collect knowledge for myself and my brain,” Ham said of his favorite aspect of the job.  “I use it in my writing. I use it in my podcasting. I use it in the broadcast.”

For Christie, being part of the CSN broadcast has been a great opportunity to reconnect with a community that embraced him as a player.  He notes that the passion and fire from fans he enjoyed during his days on-the-court are still alive and well.

“Sacramento Kings fans are a different bunch,” Christie said. “The dynamic is just so good because these are some special fans. I’ve only run into one other fan base like this, but this is a special environment and now going from Arco and coming here to Golden 1 Center, this is big time stuff.”

The revamped program is one that strives for excellence while also seeking to have a good time on air.  The trio isn’t afraid to be critical when necessary. But they’re also full of smiles and laughs as they work to provide strong insight and entertainment for people glued to their screens.

“I think when you look at our pre and our post, we’re trying to just give you something that you’re not going to get anywhere else,” Ham said. “You’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna have a good time.  We may say something that completely changes your mood while you’re sitting there getting ready to watch a game that draws your attention back to the TV.  That’s what we’re trying to provide.”

Kozimor, Ham and Christie are only in their inaugural season together, but viewers of CSN California’s new-look show aren’t probably noticing any first-year hitches. That’s because the trio has cultivated a chemistry hard to find in the world of broadcast television.

It’s a kind of camaraderie they’re working to cement for years to come.

“I like the fact that we all work as a team,” Kozimor said. “We all pull for the same (goal) and that’s to put on a good show. I love the fun that we have on the show. We’re allowed to have personality and be ourselves. We’re allowed to be fans at some point and I think that goes a pretty long way.”

Catch the show before and after every game online, streaming live on the NBCSports App.

familiar-faces-bring-new-vigor-to-csns-kings-coverage

Familiar Faces Bring New Vigor to CSN’s Kings Coverage

Kyle Ramos

When Kings fans aren’t at Sleep Train Arena watching the game live, many tune in to Comcast SportsNet California to catch the action on TV or on the go.

Headquartered in San Francisco, Comcast SportsNet has two separate studios under one roof: CSN Bay Area and CSN California. The latter is the home of Kings basketball broadcasting and is where fans are able to see Sacramento's home squad in action.

Most fans are familiar with the long-time tandem of Grant Napear and Jerry Reynolds when they watch the team on TV, but there’s a whole other side of the CSN team that brings the game to the screen.

In the studio, Producer Eric Simms is one of those responsible for running the show. Simms broke down just a brief look at some of the preparation that goes on before the cameras even start rolling.

“Primarily, I start with a blank slate. I go through the rundown of the show with [on-air talent] like Grant [Napear] and Jerry [Reynolds] and make sure I have it all timed out. I get the topics of the game going,” Simms said. “So I’ll go through all of the game previews, the game notes, and I dig for the little nuggets of info. Basically, my job is to create as many elements as I can for the presentation to be as diverse as possible and to lead the conversation.”

When the show goes live, Simms also explained some of the juggling that goes on while his team tries to keep the on-air presentation as smooth as possible.

“Once we’re actually doing the show, I’m in the [on-air talent’s] ears on the headset and I’m also timing all of that out,” Simms continued. “So if I have Grant and Jerry for 90 seconds and they go two minutes, I have to account for that time lost and make up for it in other ways during the show.”

In front of the camera, there are a variety of on-air personalities for CSN. Two of the hosts for pregame and postgame are Guy Haberman and also former Sacramento guard Doug Christie. This pair sets the stage before Kings games, while also providing their own insight and thoughts after the buzzer sounds.

“I had no idea what I was coming into really, but the people I work with like Guy and all of the producers have been fantastic. That’s one of the things I really enjoy the most about this position,” said Christie. “On top of that, it gives me a way to stay close to the game and I’m just having a great time watching basketball and getting to talk about it!”

Much like the sports they cover, there is a tight-knit team mentality at Comcast SportsNet, an aspect that Haberman considers to be one of the best parts of his position.

“That idea of being on a team is what you get here [at CSN] when you’re working everyone - with the producers and the graphics crew and the researchers and the analysts,” said Haberman. “That’s the great thing about our analysts like Doug and Bobby [Jackson] is that they were on really good teams and know what it means to be a great teammate.”

Between those working on everything behind the scenes to those on camera, it is a collective team effort at Comcast SportsNet to produce and deliver top-notch sports coverage for fans all over the region to enjoy.

CSN California

Familiar Faces Bring New Vigor to CSN’s Kings Coverage

Behind-the-Scenes at CSN California