Amy Lawrence (’96) speaks about her career and new course
At 4:00 p.m. on Monday, February 20th, Newhouse welcomed Amy Lawrence. She came to discuss her now over 20 year career in the sports media industry as well as her new title as Professor Lawrence for her new class SMC 500: The Art of Radio. The conversation was moderated by Professor Olivia Stomski.
Lawrence started by discussing her time before Syracuse and how she ended up as a graduate student in the program. Ever since she was 16 years old the decision on her future had been decided and that was to be in sports radio. She was halfway through applying for the naval academy but realized that sports radio was her dream in the process. Many people in her life at the time were skeptical and advised Lawrence to have a backup plan because women just had not broken into the sports radio world when she was beginning her path.
She went to Messiah University and earned two degrees in communications and accounting. While there she was planning her future, doing research and knew that Syracuse University was the only place for her graduate pursuits. What Amy Lawrence admitted was that she did not realize how challenging and intense it was going to be. At the end of that journey, it was worth it for many reasons, one of which is because being a Syracuse grad gives you credibility and a vast collection of connections in the industry. Some of her opportunities in the professional world even came from her Syracuse background. She noticed a massive benefit of the school beyond the connections is the chance for reps which other students with the same goals at other universities do not have access to. The graduate program she went through at Newhouse was difficult but, “it was worth every day and every penny.”
Professor Lawrence takes those sentiments into the way she is going to design her class, creating a course that provides instruction but also the chance for those repetitions. Her passion for radio, an art that is about connecting with and entertaining an audience for immediate and portable medium. Sports add a unique excitement for her as someone who is live and one of the first voices you can hear discussing a given game. She added that she loves radio and even more than sports which was a sentiment hammered home by her audience during covid when there weren’t any sports to discuss. Professor Lawrence reflected on her favorite moment from her career, one that had little to do with sports. During Sunday Night Baseball in May 2011, she was the studio anchor cutting in to tell a national audience that the White House reported the death of Osama Bin Laden. The benefit of learning news, but also the adrenaline of delivering that impactful of a live update are two things she included in the story. She later said that the best classes are the ones you can take something with you and her course will provide ample opportunity for practice, to try and fail at times and to find your radio voice. One important lesson her students can look forward to is the importance of knowing when to listen.
Aside from the course Amy Lawrence also gave insight into her career. She spent nine years at ESPN before joining CBS Sports in 2013. Through her now over 20 years of experience she learned quite a bit including the importance that perfect is almost impossible to attain. Her job is live and when you are live you can’t expect perfect. She also added you need to choose your battles as not every one of them is worth fighting. Lawrence added further advice on social media, which is not her favorite aspect of the industry. It is important to understand what feedback and opinions about you or your work is worth listening, much of which does not come from twitter replies. She also discussed other standout moments for her like calling a game at Cameron Indoor Stadium and her return to call a game for the first time as a professional.
The event was attended by numerous students and was the final guest speaker of the semester. Many more will take place next semester through the end of the school year. For more information on the Sports Media Center, follow us on Twitter @NewhouseSports and visit us on the at Newhousesports.syr.edu.