After more than two decades climbing the ladder at local news stations in Grand Rapids, Denver and Minneapolis, BILL DALLMAN made a big leap last year, taking on the role of FS1 VP/News. Hired on July 23, he had less than a month to get ready for the August 17 debut of Fox' new 24-hour sports network. "I was kind of ditching everything I knew for something I didn't, and that was by design," he says. "It's been challenging and invigorating." After six months on the air, FS1 is looking to expand its coverage, and Dallman expects more news programming to be announced "very soon." Here, he chats with THE DAILY about making the leap from local to national TV, how he stays informed while stuck in traffic, and a very memorable experience at Chavez Ravine.
From local news to national sports...
I would equate it to going to a foreign country. Everything is different, the language is different, the nomenclature is different, the relationships are called different things. I added perspective of how to get things done in a local television environment that perhaps enhanced a network perspective, in that I maybe brought some ideas or systems that hadn't been thought of or hadn't been tried before at this level. I devised from the ground up a system of how we're going to break into programming for breaking news events and assigning a scale of how important those things were. We're 24/7 sports, so we better be on top of everything that’s breaking.
FS1's six-month check-up...
We need to improve every single day. We need to refine our systems, we need to make sure we’re consistently offering a great product. We need to define what our show stands for and why the viewer should come back and watch each night. As we get better, as we get more consistent, as we provide a better product, the viewership and the ratings will come.
Role in talent acquisition...
I’m in more of a scouting role. People above me make the ultimate decisions, but I’m kind of on the ground floor scouting. We want our talent to be memorable. We encourage them to take a stand and to be memorable, to say something distinctive, and to have a style.
Looking for in a job candidate...
A positive attitude overcomes so many things. The first thing I look for is a positive attitude, and the second is a knowledge base. I can't tell you how many people come in interviewing for a job and they know nothing about it. It's conversation over if you don't know who you're talking to, or what you're applying for, or why you should know about the network or the company.
Wake up, get out of bed...
Traffic is so bad in Los Angeles that I have to get in my car immediately. I now am listening to news on SiriusXM Radio. I'm going back and forth between the various cable and sports networks on radio, which is a sort of back-to-the-future kind of thing. I never thought that would be my first source of information in the morning. If I'm not on the road before 7:00am, I'm dead.
What I'm watching...
News, sports channels and sports. That's my job, and that's my interest. I spend my time focused on my vocation. I don't really listen to music because it's not in my wheelhouse of things I care about, which all makes me sound terribly boring. Maybe some vintage NHL games now and then; there's nothing better than watching a 1970s playoff game, love that stuff.
Adjusting to Tinsel Town...
My wife, ANGELA DALLMAN, is the Executive Producer of a show called "BATH CRASHERS." The two of us rely on each other a lot in terms of what have you seen that is interesting -- she keeps me apprised of the latest trends. I wouldn't know a celebrity if they sat down in my office, so she keeps me apprised on what's cool and what's not.
Lacing up the skates...
I love my golf, and I still play hockey out here. There's actually a lot of men's league hockey. I haven't really had time yet since we're launching our network, but I have played several times out here. The greatest thing was when the Ducks played the Kings at Dodger Stadium. I got a chance to play in the media game a couple days before, so I got to skate on that ice out there, which was just amazing. The ice itself was fine, and what a venue.
