As the Hofstra University men’s soccer team took on Columbia University on Sept. 23, much of the action got underway just after 7:00 p.m. However, at the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication, the evening got started two hours before the opening whistle, as the Tony Cavallaro Control Room on the building’s first floor is the heart of the evening’s broadcast.
The room is the home of Hofstra Sports Media, founded in 2024 as a new hub of Hofstra Athletics broadcasts. The project was spearheaded by the Director of Athletics Rick Cole, and the Dean of the Lawrence Herbert School of Communication Mark Lukasiewicz. Upon its completion, they tabbed the Assistant Director of Athletics Kevin Dexter, for broadcast production to take an administrative role with this new venture.
“Anything that has had to do with this project I’ve had my hands on in some way, shape or form.” Dexter said. “As I like to tell people, last year we were figuring out what we were doing, so we have a chance to really make this an awesome experience for everybody.”
The room itself is filled with industry-standard technology. Items include a switcher that routes multiple camera angles to broadcast feeds, a replay machine, graphics computer and audio booth, with students tabbed to fill production roles.
In addition to the goals of elevating Hofstra Athletics and making broadcasts among the best in the Coastal Athletic Association, Dexter brought in professionals with ties to Hofstra’s previous broadcasting work. Among the adults in the room are the Director at MLB Network Dan Gentile, stage manager at SportsNet New York and producer of Long Island Nets basketball, Russ Relkin, and Director at MSG Networks Joe Reiter.
Another producer is a 2016 Hofstra graduate, Mark Weiner. He served as an on-air talent as a student for WRHU – Hofstra’s student radio station. He called games that were primarily produced on laptops for television air on FloCollege. He remains active in Hofstra broadcasts in hopes of passing his knowledge onto students looking to break into the industry, calling the changes in production from his time as a student “astronomical.”
“It’s really just incredible what they’ve built,” Weiner said. “I wish I had that opportunity when I was a student because it’s just such a hands-on learning experience. It’s really incredible what they get to do now.”
On the leadership front, Weiner notes that the real world can treat production talent a bit tougher when mistakes happen in the broadcast. However, he understands that the Tony Cavallaro Control Room is, above all, a learning environment. The professionals take the role of leaders to student talent on broadcasts.
“I think the role that me and any of the other professionals take on is that we’re here to teach,” Weiner said. “I want to be the one to show them how to act in the control room when they’re in the real world.” He adds that they walk the line of being professional while also having fun when the situation permits.
Dexter notes that 85% of the professional staff are Hofstra alumni or have some ties to the university, adding that it’s another way to make connections.
“If you’re a student and you come in and do a good job, you work hard and you stand out, then you’re going to get that recommendation from one of the people we have,” Dexter said.
A recent graduate of Hofstra Sports Media is Michael Albrecht, who finished in Spring 2025 with a degree in television and film production. He called it an “under-the-radar,” opportunity when reflecting when he first got involved.
“During that first semester, we had a small but dedicated group made up of just a few students and some alumni, and together we essentially built the organization from scratch,” Albrecht said. “By the next semester, Hofstra Sports Media became more public and began to grow significantly.” He also noted the impact of networking with professionals, highlighting shadowing experiences with the New York Islanders and New York Liberty he gained as a student staff member.
The day begins two hours before the start of the day’s game. Crews show up to both the field and the control room, with on-site crews setting up the cameras and audio equipment. In the control room, students begin to build graphics and establish connections with on-site equipment and game providers. After prerecording the game’s open with on-camera standups on the sidelines, the show begins.
The control room is not the only way Hofstra is adapting to the ecosystem of media. In 2023, the university launched a new major in sports media, combining aspects of journalism, public relations and radio, television and film into a Bachelor of Science. Previously, journalism and public relations students could declare either sports media or sports promotion concentrations, respectively.
The market itself is only going to continue to grow. According to Precedence Research, the sports broadcasting technology field is valued as an $84.43 billion industry, projected to grow to a nine-figure market as early as 2028. By 2034, their research predicts the market value to be about $146.3 billion.
While on-air talent roles are more finite, production jobs are always in demand. Weiner says that the world of broadcast distribution is growing as digital media continues to evolve. Opportunities like these can give students a valuable upper hand.“In Division I athletics, almost all of them have some sort of stream, some sort of broadcast for most of their sports. So, there’s jobs all across the country, and that’s not even including the professional ranks,” Weiner said. “Think about how many jobs there could be in news and other things as well.”
Albrecht hopes to participate in productions even after graduating, adding that the “controlled chaos” of live sports production has prepared him well for getting a job after graduation.
“Producing unscripted, live sports broadcasts taught me both the technical and creative sides of handling high-pressure, unpredictable situations. It sharpened and refined existing skills while also helping me develop new ones,” Albrecht said.
As the Tony Cavallaro Control Room reaches its one-year anniversary, it has reached remarkable highs on a local and national level. Locally, games across Hofstra Athletics can be found on MSG Networks. Nationally, Hofstra produced ESPN’s broadcast of the Men’s Soccer’s NCAA Tournament matchup against University of Vermont – the eventual national champions, once again composed of student and professional talent.
As the project continues to grow with more students getting involved, Hofstra Sports Media has delivered on the goals Dexter set out to accomplish. While he didn’t expect it to grow at the rate it has, the success has only made him more excited for the future.
“I’m very happy that it has worked out as well as it has, and I’m excited to see where this continues to grow, to get out in the school and we continue to build upon everything we’ve done over the last year,” Dexter said.
