Jim Jackson, broadcast voice of the Philadelphia Flyers, spoke virtually with the Cabrini community on Wednesday, April 7, as part of the Sports Communication program’s speaker series. Sports Communication instructor and Emmy Award-winning television broadcaster Lou Tilley introduced Jackson as “one of the best in the business.”
Jackson has been calling Flyers games on TV and radio since 1993 and concurrently worked on the Philadelphia Phillies’ radio broadcast team from 2007-2020. He fielded questions and shared key tips with Cabrini students aiming for careers in the broadcast booth or television studio. During the course of an hourlong discussion, he also provided a look into the preparation and experience required for play-by-play commentary of a game as fast as professional ice hockey.
The veteran sportscaster summarized his wisdom into a three-part “PEP” formula: preparation, experience, and perseverance.
In an anecdote from his early days with the Flyers in the 1990s, Jackson recalled when original Flyers broadcaster Gene Hart told him that he might only use 10 percent of the notes he prepared for any given matchup, but he never knew which 10 percent it would be. Jackson took this advice to heart throughout his career and recommended that aspiring broadcasters in the audience thoroughly research opponent lineups and recent games, and practice name recognition and pronunciation.
But, when the puck drops, Jackson said to keep your head up: “If you’re looking at your roster sheet constantly, you’re going to be behind the play.”
As a broadcaster becomes more skilled, he continued, the job evolves beyond the simple mechanics of calling a game. Jackson mentioned times then-Flyers owner Ed Snider pulled him aside to request less enthusiasm for the opposing team’s goals and more criticism of officiating that penalized the Flyers.
Still, the basic task of keeping with the on-ice speed of Flyers, play by play, remains a skill—one that Jackson said came to him rather innately, but one that must be continually refined with repetition. He spoke of the necessity of vocal inflection and pacing for broadcasters of all sorts, including sideline reporters and even podcasters.
When it comes to varied experiences like these, young broadcasters should take on just about any opportunity and forget about getting their dream gig right out of college, Jackson said.
“You can have a bad experience, but you learn something about yourself, or the business,” he said. To me, that’s a good experience. Once you hone in on what you do, it’s all about reps.”
Jackson’s first professional job out of college was producing a Polish radio program for a local station in his hometown of Utica, NY.
“A Polish radio program is the reason I became the voice of the Philadelphia Flyers.”
Jackson’s mother was not supportive of his broadcasting dream, and while studying at Syracuse University, a director told Jackson that he wasn’t good enough to make it in the industry. It was then that perseverance began to guide his career, the broadcaster said.
“Every morning, even during the pandemic, and especially on game day, I know I’m doing what I’ve always wanted to do as a kid,” Jackson said. “Had I listened to that sports director, I would have packed it in before I gave it a chance.”