Never a Dull moment for ESPN producer Tom Roche
By Kim Dunbar

There are five voices yelling at once as breaking news of Kobe Bryant scoring 81 points crosses the newswires in the ESPNews control room. Tom Roche’s is the most dominant. It has to be. He’s the one running the show and calling all the shots.

Roche is a producer at ESPN in Bristol, CT. It’s a job that takes immense patience, organization and enthusiasm Roche, or Rochey, as his co-workers call him, has it all. The show is broadcast live, so there is no room for error. Perfection is a high priority. With breaking news, the world of sports spins at unimaginable speeds ~ but there is no time to get caught up in the whirlwind. All focus and energy must be given to the matter at hand. It doesn’t matter whether your heart sinks deep into your chest or the butterflies feel like they might break through your stomach lining. What matters is that the news is broadcast to the public. One wrong move, one black screen, one second over or under, makes all the difference in producing a successful show or a show with an error. One wrong move and everyone notices.

“It’s a huge rush…especially when news is breaking ~ there is nothing like it,” said Roche. He describes Kobe’s 81-point night as “unreal.” “We didn’t even realize it was happening until the 3rd quarter of the game,” he added.

Bryant’s 81 points changed the entire show ~ in fact, Roche had to change the show 3 times to cater to Kobe’s scoring spree. Elements had to be moved around as the dynamic of the show took sharp turns in several very different directions. Roche usually has an entire day to plan his show; that day, he had to plan it in less than a minute, just before the show returned from a commercial break. No one said being a producer of a live television show at ESPN was easy ~ but the adrenaline rush sure does make it fun and exciting!

Roche, who was born and bred in Worcester and attended St. John’s High School in Shrewsbury, was like most other guys his age. Fresh out of college and an avid sports fan, working for ESPN had always been his dream job. After trying his hand in Engineering for a year, Roche decided to major in Communications at UMass Amherst. He gained experience working in the communications field as an audio operator and cameraman for Worcester’s Channel 3 newscast and other original programming.

“I was also an intern at WEEI radio in Boston, and also did an internship at New England Cable News in Needham on their weekend sports shows,” he said.

After graduating from UMass, Roche returned home to Worcester to figure out his next move, unsure of what direction he wanted to take. In March of 1993, he interviewed with ESPN ~ but never expected a call back. “I got the letter thanking me for my interest and I figured that was it,” he said. “But my call back came in June.”

Roche made the 90 mile move from the busy city of Worcester to the sleepy town of Bristol. He started work as a Production Assistant but was awarded the promotion to Associate Producer in 1996. Four years later, Roche moved another step up the ladder, nailing down the title of Highlight Supervisor. In 2003, Roche moved from overseeing individual highlights to running the big show as a Producer.

“I didn’t start thinking about becoming a producer until I got to highlights, but once I got there, I knew I wanted to produce shows,” he said.

In 12 years, Roche has learned to meet challenges head on and adapt to changes ~ much like he adapted to the changes from engineering to communications, from big city to small town, and from Super Bowl preview to Kobe Bryant spectacle.

But Roche does not forget where he came from; while he makes his home in CT with his wife and daughter, the rest of his family still lives in Worcester.  When he gets a break in his busy schedule, the one place he makes sure to visit is his old stomping grounds. “The one thing I really miss is my old neighborhood,” said Roche.

Roche also makes sure he helps those who someday hope to be sitting in his chair. The busy Producer spends his time in the newsroom sharing his knowledge and helping newcomers get along as he did. In fact, it’s his favorite part of the job.

“Teaching ‘the ropes’ to the younger folks who start here about how we do things is great,” he said. “I love watching them develop.” Roachy’s advice to those interested in television is simple: “Start early and get your foot in the door somewhere. Getting into TV is hard, but once you get in there are tons of opportunities that can be taken advantage of.”

The same kind of patience and poise that helped Roche land his job at ESPN helped him in the control room on that Night of 81 Points. He did not flinch. Rather, he embraced and controlled the moment. He had to. He was the one running the show.