BRYAN, Ohio — For students at Bryan High School, the best seat at a game isn’t in the stands — it’s behind a camera, inside a van, or behind a microphone.
The Golden Bears Sports Network, known as GBSN, is a student-run broadcast program that produces live coverage of school athletics year-round. The operation grew from modest beginnings into a hands-on training ground for students interested in media, technology and production.
“We want them to be the best of the best to do it,” said Chris Malanga, the group’s executive producer.
Malanga, a local television veteran who began broadcasting Bryan sports in 2006, helped launch GBSN in 2010 and serves as its executive producer. He said the school tapped his experience when it expanded career-technical programming three years ago.
“Three years ago the school reached out and said they wanted to do more career tech stuff. This fit right in, and it’s been awesome to see it grow,” Malanga said.
Students call play-by-play, manage cameras, direct broadcasts and run technical equipment. Community sponsors underwrite the broadcasts, allowing students to earn modest pay: starting at $25 per game with experienced students earning up to $45.
For years, Malanga said, broadcasts were improvised affairs — a laptop, a microphone and a tent. The program’s capabilities changed when Lima-based WOSN donated a production van stocked with cameras, soundboards and other professional gear.
Senior John Dalrymple, a student director, said the van has made a real difference. “Before, we’d be sitting out under a tent hoping our computer didn’t get wet,” he said. “Now we’ve got air conditioning, power, and everything we need. It’s awesome.”
Students said the experience offers more than technical skills. It builds confidence, teamwork and a sense of responsibility that follows them beyond the game clock.
Malanga said the program’s success is measured in those moments — when a student finds their voice on the air or helps solve a problem behind the scenes. “I just want these kids to keep growing and love it as much as I do,” he said.
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