When Charlie Sarafian transferred to the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to double major in journalism and media and business, he wanted to be a sports broadcaster but was unsure how to achieve that goal.
Fortunately, he met former Voice of the Vols and College Communication and Information alumnus Bob Kesling (‘77), who gave the senior -some advice. Grateful to Kesling for sharing his wisdom, he started with the alumnus’ top recommendation of seeking out as many hands-on opportunities as possible to hone his craft.
Sarafian started broadcasting basketball games at his old high school in Los Angeles over winter break. That led to an opportunity with the Tennessee Hockey Club as their play-by-play commentator.
“I ended up calling over 50 games that year, posting clips on TikTok, and a few of them went viral. Even Barstool Sports wrote about one of the games I called,” Sarafian said. “People kept asking where they could watch full games, and I realized that even though it was club sports, fans still cared if you made it entertaining. From there, things just snowballed.”
He was then invited to call the College Hockey South playoffs and the College Hockey South All-Star Game. He also started covering club baseball with his friend John Hanson and secured a summer internship as a broadcast and audio technician with ESPN Houston.
Those early successes made the two-man team consider scaling up their coverage of club sports. The result was the establishment of the Tennessee Club Sports Network (TCSN)—a student-led organization focused on supporting UT club sports and providing students with hands-on experience in live event video production and on-air sports commentary.
Starting this fall, TCSN has joined The Media Center at the College of Communication and Information to expand its coverage and impact. Sarafian didn’t know The Media Center existed when he started at UT, but once he discovered it, he changed his major to have access to the center’s broadcasting and video equipment.
“Welcoming TCSN into The Media Center was a no brainer,” said Nick Geidner, professor and director of The Media Center. “Our students will now be able to get live-event video production experience and on-air sports broadcasting experience in a real-world environment.”
As part of TCSN, students engage in every part of live sports production. TCSN provides live video coverage and commentary for club sports such as hockey, lacrosse, and baseball. Matches are streamed on TCSN’s YouTube channel.
Sarafian encourages students interested in live event video production and on-air sports commentary to consider joining TCSN. He said students will receive real-world experience that can help them grow their portfolios and more.
Sarafian, who anticipates graduating in December 2026, hopes TCSN will continue to provide quality hands-on opportunities for students even after he leaves Rocky Top.
“The whole point is to build something that lasts beyond me, that gives students opportunities and makes UT a place where you can get the kind of experience I once went searching for,” Sarafian said.