Veteran sportscaster STEVE WEISSMAN moved to L.A. in '15 after hosting "SPORTSCENTER" and other programs at ESPN for five years, and the Northwestern grad has grown fond of the California lifestyle. He likes to stay active with plenty of tennis, yoga and weight lifting. That is, when he's not on the air at either of his network homes. Weissman currently splits his time between Tennis Channel, calling matches and hosting "TENNIS CHANNEL LIVE," and the NFL Network, anchoring the "UP TO THE MINUTE" hourly update segments. He recently spoke to THE DAILY to explain how he manages jam-packed days that puts him on-air for several hours at both networks -- like this coming Saturday, when he will arrive to the Tennis Channel bright and early to cover the Shanghai Masters and then work late into the night updating NFL fans on the latest news and notes from around the league.
3:30am: I will wake up and have some coffee. I make some overnight oats the previous evening. I’ll take those out of the fridge, slice a banana, some strawberries and drizzle honey over that. I’ll check scores from overnight and matches that are actually in progress. Then I'll go over any new NFL news or injury updates.
4:00am: L.A. is known for its traffic, but this time on a Saturday is not too bad, so I can get to Tennis Channel in about 20 minutes. I’ll also bring a cut-up apple, orange and an RX bar as snacks.
4:30am: I’ll get in to Tennis Channel and meet with the producer. DAVID ARNOLD oversees “Tennis Channel Live,” MIKE HASTIN or MARK HOUSKA will be line producing. We’ll go over the rundown, I’ll start to write portions of the show. It’s non-scripted, for my purposes, and non-prompted. But I do have a lot of stuff that I prepare -- notes, questions for the analysts. I like to keep it as ad-lib and free-flowing as possible, I think the analysts really appreciate that. I work with JUSTIN GIMELSTOB, LINDSAY DAVENPORT, TRACY AUSTIN, PAUL ANNACONE and JAMES BLAKE. I’ll watch highlights from earlier, features that we’ll have in the show. Then I’ll prepare for my match, because I usually call a match before I host the show.
6:00am: I’ll call the last match or two of the day from the voice over booth, and then we’ll take a three-minute break and I’ll walk from the booth into our “Tennis Channel Live” studio. There’s no determination of exactly when it will air because it airs after the last match. Then it’s a collapsible show. Say it starts at 7:15, we’d probably take it to 8:00. Maybe if it started at 6:59, we’d take it to 7:30.
8:00am: I’ll go over the show with the producers and talk about the next day before heading home.
9:00am: I go to SoHo Yoga -- owned by RICHARD JEFFERSON -- in Hermosa Beach. When I moved to L.A., yoga became one of my favorite exercise routines I got hooked. MARIA SHARAPOVA, MATT LEINART and STEVE NASH have all been known to go here. I take an hour-long sweat-and-sculpt class.
10:30am: There’s a place called Paradise Bowls right next to the yoga studio. I’ll treat myself to an acai bowl and take it to the beach.
Weissman this weekend will cover the Shanghai Masters before pivoting to NFL updatesSTEVE WEISSMAN
Noon: I’m a massive Northwestern fan. I’ll try to watch their football game. I may fall asleep because that’s time to get in a nap before heading to NFL Network.
3:00pm: I’ll be getting ready and heading over to NFL Network. It’s about 20-30 minutes away depending on traffic.
4:30pm: I’ll get to NFL Network, get makeup, meet with the producer -- TODD SPERRY runs the “Up To The Minute” news staff. MCENROE FRANCIS is one of the line producers I work with a lot. Then I’ll get into my rundown and begin writing my scripts.
5:00pm-1:30am: I anchor the updates and keep researching for any potential breaking news. We record an update about once an hour. This shift can be extremely busy or more routine depending on breaking news. The crew gets a dinner break, sometimes I’ll order Postmates. Sugarfish has an amazing to-go platter. There are tons of snacks in the green room and I try to stay away from the candy! They did just sign a deal with SnackNation, which provides healthy snacks to companies.
1:30am: After that shift wraps up, I’ll drive home and try to get to bed. In this situation, I’ll be back at Tennis Channel the next morning. If I need to fall asleep right away I drink Som Sleep, it’s a natural beverage that helps promote relaxation and a normal sleep cycle. When I come off the air I’m normally pretty amped.
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