This week’s guest is Lance Allan from Today’s TMJ4 Sports, the NBC affiliate in Milwaukee. After growing up in Rice Lake and attending UW-Madison, Lance worked in Rhinelander and Green Bay before finding his place in Milwaukee for the past 19 years. He currently holds the position as main sports anchor for TMJ4, a position he has held for the past 10 years. Lance won the NSSA’s Wisconsin Sportscaster of the Year twice and hosts the Mike McCarthy Show, Preps Plus, and the pregame show for the Packers Television Network. The Mike McCarthy show will begin September 15, the week following the Packers’ Week 1 matchup with the Bears, and you can follow Lance on Twitter @LanceAllan.
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Below are the highlights from the podcast.
Career path and Wisconsin sports (1:15-4:15): Lance explained how he knew at a very early time in life that he wanted to work as a sports announcer. His first gig was in Rhinelander before working in Green Bay and then ending up in Milwaukee. He also accredited a lot of his success to hard work, but also being in the right place at the right time. Fortunately for Lance, the Packers and Badgers have had great teams throughout his time covering them.
“You cover Final Fours, Rose Bowls, and Super Bowls, and the Heisman Trophy with Ron Dayne and you know it’s actually been pretty cool.”
Favorite stories to cover (4:15-6:30): In terms of his favorite segments and stories to cover over the years, Allan affirmed that covering the bigger games like the NCAA Championship, Super Bowls, and Brett Favre’s jersey retirement. Obviously meeting people like Aaron Rodgers and Mike McCarthy are special, but, he still loves getting to know those with unique stories such as athletes that have faced adversity.
“I don’t care what level your at…sometimes you can do one of those stories that… really speaks to me.”
How sports media business has changed and false media leaks (6:30-10:15): When he started in Rhinelander, Lance’s station did not even have a computerized newsroom. He admitted that he feels he’s in between in terms of understanding how to utilize social media and being old school. The most important thing, in his opinion, is the ethics of journalism and being truthful to the public. We discussed certain media leaks that were not true such as the OnMilwaukee report of Jason Kidd being promoted to GM, and the importance of accurate reporting.
“You better make sure that everything is set up and everything is true.”
Packers: Impact of Jordy Nelson’s injury, Aaron Rodgers, Nelson replacements, free agent signings, and rookies (10:15-18:35): Allan believes the team still has a very dynamic offense, and the Super Bowl winning Packers teams of the past dealt with terrible injuries as well. We discussed the importance of Aaron Rodgers in the offense, and that losing Jordy Nelson is a big blow, but Rodgers keeps the offense very relevant. In terms of what Allan has seen at training camp, he thinks Ty Montgomery definitely has what it takes to be the #3 receiver. Furthermore, we talked about how the Packers reward their players from within that develop well in their system. Lastly, we discussed the Packers rookies and how they’ve looked in training camp.
“There’s only a few guys on the planet that are like that.” [about Rodgers]
Rice Lake “exports” and other high school athletes to watch (18:35- ): As a Rice Lake native, Allan joked about how Henry and Wally Ellenson, both Marquette basketball players, have taken over as the top exports from his hometown. He called Henry one of the new age big guys that can dribble and shoot, and that he can really play. His brother Wally is an incredible high jumper and also a member of the basketball team. In terms of high school athletes in Wisconsin, Allan mentioned a few football players to watch, including Michigan commit and Arrowhead’s Ben Bredenson, who he called one of the best offensive lineman he’s seen come out of the state in 5-10 years.
“He’s the real deal.” [about Ellenson]
Thanks again to Lance for taking the time to speak with me.