If you watched any of the WolfPack men’s and women’s basketball games on Madison College TV (madisoncollege.tv) website, you may have noticed something different during the 2017-18 season.

There are now graphics and a play-by-play on the live game broadcast.

Matthew Webster was the student behind the scenes of Madison College TV, helping to provide the additional broadcast content.

It is Webster’s second semester at Madison College in the Liberal Arts Transfer program. He is looking forward to transferring on to University of Wisconsin-Whitewater to study journalism and video production.

Webster found his passion for video production while making stop-motion videos in middle school. When he was at LaFollette High School, he was in the video group for the yearbook his junior year.

During Webster’s senior year of high school, he helped start a broadcasting club. When making the club, he taught himself how to do the work, then the facility leader would learn from him.

“Sometimes the best way I find myself learning is by teaching myself, and having more experience in that,” explains Webster.

During that summer, Webster got an internship with the Madison Mallards, where he could learn more about broadcasting on a bigger scale. He worked there for two summers, starting out as camera man then worked his way up to camera director. Last summer Webster got a job as a computer operator. He would update the scores, post highlights, and adding graphics on to the scoreboard.

Once Webster arrived at Madison College he wanted to work with something that involved working with sports and broadcasting. He found the athletic department through Madison College TV. Then he connected with Jason Verhelst, the assistant athletic director to see if there was an opening to work with Madison College TV.

After talking with Verhelst, Webster went with the WolfPack baseball team to Rochester, Minnesota this past fall for the game against the 18U USA National Baseball Team. Verhelst liked what he saw and wanted to find ways to use Webster’s skills even more.

After the Rochester trip Webster helped to stream volleyball games this fall for Madison College TV. One the new Goodman Sports Complex got internet access, he did a women’s soccer game. Now they are trying to see if they can get broadcasts going for the WolfPack baseball and softball games.

“He (Verhelst) gave me some leeway, and then also pretty much let me have full control over the broadcast,” said Webster about working game broadcasts.

Now with the WolfPack men’s and women’s basketball season running in full gear, with the second half of the season. Webster travels with the teams to their away games, and also, he works broadcasts during home games. He enjoys traveling with the basketball teams.

When Webster is broadcasting during the games he is a one-man band. He runs the camera, the music, puts up the graphics, overlays, he sets up and takes down his equipment on game days. Days before he writes his own scripts, creates graphics, and learn how to pronounce players names.

As of this semester (and over winter break) he started doing play-by-play. He is a one-man band doing, running the camera, running music, and broadcasting. Sometimes he has help from Adam Eichstedt, who is the assistant to the sports information director at Madison College, also is the arena game day host for the Wisconsin Badgers men’s hockey games. Eichstedt is also a sports television and radio personality for Madison, Wisconsin.

“I love the aspect of the game where it’s everything seems to be in control. There’s no venturing off necessarily. You know what is going to happen, this team is going down here, weather if they score or not, that’s is a whole different thing,” Webster explains why he likes broadcasting sports. “You know how it is going to turn out, kind of. Unlike live broadcasting for breaking news, where you are not sure what is going to happen.”

Another thing Webster likes about working the Madison College TV is that he gets to connect people together. Having the WolfPack games being streamed over the internet is it’s good that parents can watch their kids online.

“I can make a broadcast so they can watch it, and then parents can call up their son that night… and they can just bond over that,” said Webster.

“That is a win in my book. I mean could have a horrible broadcasting play by play, but making sure they can see that and have that bond, that makes it all worth it.”