Lexington-based nonprofit LexMedia captures the excitement and energy of Lexington High School athletics through live streams featuring play-by-play commentary. Varsity home games at LHS are broadcasted with the involvement of LHS students and LexMedia volunteers. LexMedia covers a range of sports across all three sports seasons, including football, basketball, and volleyball.
Terry Samaras, the production manager of LexMedia, has been involved in sports coverage for a decade. His work includes reaching out to clients, editing the production, and operating the camera. The operation for broadcasting games at LexMedia increased significantly during the pandemic.
“I always liked [broadcasting] the basketball games. We’ve been at this pretty much for the last four years, even through the pandemic of 2020. We started doing an uptick of sports at LexMedia, because parents weren’t allowed to go to the games,” Samaras said.
Broadcasting games involve more than just cameras and cables. The success of LexMedia’s sports coverage is also due to its collaboration with a team of passionate students working alongside Samaras to provide live commentary for audience members. Some of these students are from LHS, including seniors Duncan Maloney, Austin Raiche, and Toshio Yuki.
While the role entails challenges such as balancing speaking time with multiple commentators and maintaining enthusiasm and confidence during live broadcasts, it can also serve as a rewarding experience.
Furthermore, LexMedia’s work also aims to connect LHS athletes to the broader Lexington community, sometimes extending beyond athletes and their families living outside Lexington.
“We got a really good response from the people. At halftime of the final game that we did, I had a parent run over. He was like, ‘Oh my God, we were watching it at home the other day, we don’t even have a player on the team. We were just watching it because we were just enjoying it,’” Samaras said.
While the basketball season has ended for LexMedia, this unique opportunity has presented itself with a lifetime full of lessons and experiences for both Samaras and the students.
“Honestly, it was the announcers, I really enjoyed that they took their time to volunteer and help. I think only Austin is going for broadcasting school, I don’t think Toshio or Duncan are but just to be able to give them experience on the mic and teach them valuable lessons along the way. I thought that was really gratifying. That was my favorite part. Just being able to help out the students and give them that type of experience,” Samaras said.
