From small-town TV to Tennis Channel: Steve Weissman’s long game
Talking to Steve Weissman about his stacked path to Tennis Channel, the prep behind every broadcast, and how he gets players to actually open up.
You’re reading The Insider, a series on the many folks doing really cool shit behind the scenes of tennis (or, in this case, off court but on camera) to help the sport run.
When we think of “the faces of tennis,” our minds—for good reason—quickly turn to the players, many of whom continue to live on our TV screens as commentators. But when you watch a lot of tennis, a few other people become synonymous with the sport too, and one of those is undoubtedly Steve Weissman.
As the host of Tennis Channel Live—along with the lead-in and post-match shows where he regularly interviews top players—Weissman has become omnipresent in the sport since he began working with Tennis Channel in 2015.
In a sport where interviews can easily slip into cliché or media-trained autopilot, Weissman has become one of the few people players actually open up to. He sets the tone for how tennis is talked about on its central network in the U.S.—always upbeat, curious, and disarmingly conversational. As one IMG agent put it to me, players like going to the desk because “he puts them at ease.”
That ease is built on hours of preparation, a deep understanding of personalities, and an approach to interviewing that’s closer to a conversation than a performance.
He’s also—and here’s my bias, guys—very supportive of the new wave of tennis media. When we meet in person and later talk at length, there’s no pretense or ego, just someone who’s genuinely excited to talk about the sport and the work that goes into shaping it.
I spoke to Weismann about his stacked path to Tennis Channel, the intense preparation that goes into his work behind the scenes, how he navigates interviews with different personalities, and his advice for up-and-coming tennis content creators.
Let’s start with the basics. What first got you into tennis, has it been a longtime love?
I have an older brother and when I was about seven or eight, he went with a friend to play tennis, and I tagged along, so that was my first introduction to playing. I was pretty good so I kept at it, we got some lessons, and then I started to train kind of year round. I played all sports, but that was what I was most proficient at. And around the same time, I think in the third grade, I did a career project, and it was for sports broadcasting, because that’s what I’ve always wanted to do.
I can’t believe that you knew that in the third grade. I feel like no one knows what they want to be at that age or wants to be something fairly unrealistic like an astronaut.
Yeah, I know it’s like super rare, but I’ve always been crazy focused. It was sports broadcasting in general, so not tennis specifically, but that’s kind of how it all started.
Wow. So tell me how you ended up actually getting into the sports broadcasting world.
So I went to journalism school at Northwestern and after college I just was like, I’ll go wherever, do anything. But it was always sports and always TV. So my first job was in market 208, in a town called Alpena, Michigan with a CBS affiliate. There are 210 television markets in the country and it’s the third smallest. My salary was $14,000 a year. The TV station was like a red pole barn in Alpena, which is on Lake Huron.
I mostly covered high school sports. I shot and edited all my own stuff, so I would go to a high school basketball game, for example, and have one of the kids stand in front of the camera and focus on them. Then I’d run around, shoot my own stand ups, and eventually started sending out tapes. When I graduated college, I had a seven year plan for where I wanted to be, and so I went from Alpena to Madison, Wisconsin, which was market 85, so a nice little jump. I was the sports reporter slash fill-in anchor at the NBC affiliate there. I covered the Green Bay Packers, Wisconsin basketball… so I was getting to do bigger stuff.
And then, because of a relationship I was in, I ended up taking an interview in Saginaw, Michigan, which was a bigger market, and they offered me a job. I was making like $10 an hour in Madison, and this was $40k so I was like, Holy shit, I’m balling out! I ended up taking it, but then me and the person I was dating broke up, and that’s all I knew of that town. So it was tough for the first six months there, but it became an amazing experience.
There were a lot of good things going on in Michigan at the time. The Pistons were on the way to winning the NBA championship, beating the Lakers in the finals. I’d go down to The Palace of Auburn Hills and cover all those games. Tiger Woods was sponsored by Buick so he played the Buick Open every year in Grand Blanc, Michigan, so we covered that. Michigan State Basketball was doing great so I would travel with them when they went to the Final Four—both the men’s and women’s teams. The Super Bowl was in Detroit at Ford Field, and so on.
I was there for two years, and then started sending out tapes again and got a few auditions. I had an audition at KUSA in Denver, which is a really good station. They’re the Broncos station, so I was going to be their Broncos reporter slash fill-in anchor. Then I had an audition in Philadelphia, at Comcast SportsNet.
I flew out to Philly, did that audition, flew back, and the next week, flew to Denver. I came back to Michigan, and then Philly offered me the job on a Friday and Denver offered me the job on a Monday. I was scheduled to go to ESPN that Wednesday for an audition too, but they weren’t going to have a decision for a month. I didn’t want to put all my eggs in that basket and then be stuck in Saginaw [if it didn’t work out] when I had these two other great job offers. So I ended up taking the job in Philly and became the host for Comcast Sportsnet California.
So every night, I was in a top five market. I was 27 and the main host of SportsNite. I did that for three and a half years, but then they ended up opening a Comcast Sportsnet directly in the Bay Area, so they didn’t need the five person crew in Philly anymore, and I was out of work and on unemployment. That August, I got another audition at ESPN. Since I never went to that first one, I was always wondering in the back of my head, What would have happened if I had gone then? But thankfully I was able to get another audition there, and they hired me two weeks later.
So basically, I started in Alpena in January of 2002 and got to ESPN in January of 2010—I had a seven year plan and it took me eight years. To go from market 208 to the worldwide leader was amazing. I was there for five years and my main role was to host SportsCenter, among other things.
I also started to cover tennis there. Tennis had always been a big part of my life, so any way that I could get into the tennis world, I did. ESPN had all the majors at the time, and they did the DirecTV mosaic for those majors—so I did that for the Australian Open, the US Open and Wimbledon, both hosting and play by play. And when ESPN opened the Longhorn Network in Texas, I was able to go to Austin and do play by play for The University of Texas tennis. Anytime I could get out of Connecticut [where ESPN is headquartered], I did—no offense to anyone who lives there or loves it there, it’s just not for me, it’s cold, where love goes to die [laughs]. I was coming out to LA four times a year and had met a bunch of NFL guys who lived here and would let me stay at their homes when they were in season. I really liked it and started to think, I wonder if I could love every day of the year as opposed to just parts of it?
So I left ESPN and reached out to somebody at Tennis Channel who had been a producer at ESPN, and they passed me along to the head of production, Mark Woodforde, the Tennis Hall of Famer. I worked with him while I was at ESPN and he and his family became like a second family to me. He was like, “Why don’t you come out to the desert and I’ll get you a gig with BBC Radio for Indian Wells?” So I went out, and Bob Whyley was the VP of Production at Tennis Channel. I was supposed to meet with him and he calls me like, “Hey, I can’t meet right now, but how about you call matches for the first two days as an audition?”
So my first match that I called at Tennis Channel was at Indian Wells 2015. It was Mardy Fish’s comeback from his time off against Ryan Harrison. Mardy’s a huge sports fan and I had become buddies with him when I was at ESPN, so it was just very meaningful to me. I also love to be creative in my writing so I wrote this whole intro about it before the match started. After I read it, Mary Carrillo was in the broadcast booth—I had never met her before, but always looked up to her—and she came from behind me and kissed me on the top of my head. I got chills and was just like, Wow, I must have done something right—I’m accepted here. After the second day, Bob was like, “You killed it with our top talent, we’re gonna bring you back out to do Miami.”
I also had an audition at NFL Network on April 7th of that year, and they hired me to host their morning show, so I was living at The Marina Del Rey Marriott for like five months doing both. I would still do Tennis Channel stuff, but I was waking up at midnight every day to do the morning show for NFL Network. Neither one had a contract yet, but I was like, What am I still doing living in Connecticut? So I moved myself to LA on December 10th, 2015, and when the NFL Network realized I was here full-time, they signed me to a contract. Then I laid out to Tennis Channel what I was saving them in terms of flights, hotels, and rental cars and they sent me a contract. I was doing both for eight years. But tennis always took over more and more, and eventually it got to the point where I couldn’t complete my contracted days at NFL Network.
Wow, you’ve really covered the gamut of sports. I’m so impressed by how much you’ve done, but also your memory of dates is insane. I don’t remember what I did yesterday, so the fact that you’re citing specific dates from years ago… no wonder you can remember tennis stats so well. That’s wild.
I don’t know if I can remember yesterday [laughs], but I definitely have a really good memory when it comes to numbers and just memories in general, like I remember things from when I was one-years-old.
Okay, so moving into your life now, I want to talk about all the preparation that goes into hosting TC Live, interviewing players, and so on. Because I feel like there’s a misconception that television hosts just show up, get their makeup done, and are handed scripts from other people. Tell me what really goes into it.
Yeah, it’s a lot. For example, at the Australian Open this year, we did a two hour pre-game show every day and that involved me writing for five hours the night before in the hotel room. So a day in Australia would be basically… I get the rundown from a producer for TC live, which has the order of the stories, highlights, graphics, features, sound bites, and general conversations we will be having. I can’t start writing until I get that rundown, so say I get it at like 5 pm, then I’m probably writing until 10 pm. I’ll have dinner in there at some point. Some nights I go to bed at 1 am, some nights I go to bed at 11 pm, it just depends. And then I’d be up around 6 am if not a little earlier, because call time was 7 am and I’d walk to site.
When I got there I’d have to pre-record some stuff, get makeup, and then do the show. So we’re live for two hours and then I’d go back to the hotel, take a nap, maybe get in a workout if it’s a good day, and then start writing again for the next day. And this is rinse repeat for 15 straight days.
And then for a tournament like Indian Wells, we do a one hour TC live—which takes about three hours to write the night before—and then I’m also hosting the desk and doing interviews until 3 pm. Those interviews are being prepped throughout the day. So I get a list of the players we’re going to request, and then I’m following all of those matches. Once one set is done, I’m prepping for the player that won the first set, and then if they split sets, I’m prepping for both players. So I’m ready to go, no matter who wins. But I’m basically scouring social media and the internet for stories, because I like for my interviews to go beyond tennis. There’s always going to be tennis questions, but I want to get to know the player beyond that, and bring up fun topics, stuff that they’ve posted, or something that’s introspective. I’m looking to learn—these are incredible athletes that are inspiring in so many ways—so as somebody who is into that kind of motivation, I want to learn from them, and hope that the viewer does as well.
Yeah, that’s so interesting. I knew you were doing a lot behind-the-scenes but when you really spell it out, it’s non-stop. I also don’t think people today think of television hosts as writers.
Yeah, writing is the backbone of everything I do. If I’m going to be off camera [and can reference the script more], I write that intro and I want it to be creative and different, and I pick each word for a reason. I’m not just there to say, “Welcome, this tournament’s going on again.” I want it to be poetic and I want it to be unique. And there is no teleprompter ever, whether it’s in the studio or on site.
So you just have notes and things that you can refer to?
Exactly, so I have a script in front of me that, when I’m off camera, is used a lot, and when I’m on camera it’s barely used. It’s more about… Preparation leads to success. So if I’ve written stuff, I’m probably going to remember it. And when I’m having a conversation, I might start with something I’ve written, but that conversation is probably going to go somewhere else, and then it’s all about listening. That’s not just for interviews but even a segment during TC Live, when I’m with Lindsay [Davenport] and Jim [Courier], it’s not going to go according to script, because my follow-ups are going to be based on what they say, and that conversation may go a completely different direction than what I have scripted.
All that said, that preparation that I have is still the backbone that will take us wherever we need to go. I mean, during an interview, I have 1,000 questions ready and will ask questions for days until the producer tells me to stop, but a lot of times I don’t get to half of those, because the first question I ask leads me to seven follow-ups. The best thing to do in an interview is just to listen and hear what somebody says, and then I get curious and want to know more about that.
But for TC Live specifically, I view myself as a point guard, so my job is to put my analysts in the best position to succeed or score. Every one of them is different—some want to be asked a question, some want to be given more of a statement where they can go anywhere, some want to know what that question is beforehand, some absolutely do not want to know it, and some don’t care one way or the other. So over time, I’ve gotten to know these people really well, they’re great friends of mine. I want to give them the ball in the best position for them to do their best work.
I want to ask you a bit more about your interview style, because you’ve mentioned getting to know athletes on a more personal level. How much does that factor in when you are interviewing players? As a traditional print journalist, if that term even applies anymore, we’re always told, don’t befriend your sources and don’t get too close to the subject. What’s different about your position?
Yeah, I’m not there to “get” anyone in a negative way. The Tennis Channel desk is a positive space. There’s good energy and that’s how I want it to be—I want it to be a fun place where you’re going to get to know something that you didn’t know before about a player, and the players should feel free and open to share whatever they’re comfortable with. If we have a good rapport and you’re comfortable with me, then I believe you’ll be more comfortable in front of the camera—then you’ll forget about the camera and we’re just having a conversation. I want it to be a conversation where it’s enjoyable—both me and the viewers are learning, and the player is able to put themselves in a good light.
Are there any questions you’ve learned not to ask anymore because they just never produce anything interesting?
No, I don’t think so. Because every situation is different, every match is different, and every player is so different. The great thing about what I do is that every day is a new challenge and it’s filled with new opportunities. So it’s never the same, even if the question is similar, I don’t believe that the answer will be because the match was different, the day is different, you never know what anybody’s going through on any given day.
That makes sense. What about when you’re interviewing a player who’s either really media shy or media averse, or, alternatively, is just very media trained, so they’re giving you boring answers? [Weissman laughs] Do you have any tricks for getting them to drop the script or for making them more comfortable?
If I know a player, then we’re good, right? But if I’ve never met them before and we just go live when we haven’t spoken at all before that, it’s probably not going to go... It’ll go fine, but it won’t go as well as if you gave me 30-45 seconds before we’re live on air to break the ice, make them smile, make them laugh, and get more comfortable. So I try to have that time. Some players, just like all humans in life, are more comfortable sharing certain sides of themselves than others—everyone’s personality is different.
I don’t want to name names, because I don’t want to call people out for being a bad interview, but Andrea Petkovic complimented me recently about an interview I did. She told me that she was like in awe, because she had talked to this person previously and they gave her nothing, and she was impressed by how I was able to break them down and make them comfortable. I had interviewed this player a few times before and it was hit or miss. Every interview is not going to be the best interview on the planet. You have to go into it knowing that, just like every article is not going to be the best or every day in life is not going to be the best. But all you can do is be better, try harder, all those things. So, I’m always looking for a moment, and if I get one moment—you know, something memorable in the interview, that’s all I really care about. But in this specific situation, I broke this match down in a different way than others had and it seemed to bring this player out of their shell more, which was cool.
So I’m always trying new things. Some players are really good at talking tennis, so if I know somebody has a high tennis IQ and is very knowledgeable when it comes to breaking down the technicalities of the game, I’ll lean into that. If I know somebody else is really good with more off court stuff, I’ll lean into that. If somebody else is just very introspective and comfortable [going deeper about] their life, I’ll lean into that. So it is about knowing the player, but it’s also about trying new things. And I never want the interview to be the same or for the player to feel like I’m asking the same questions. Because it shouldn’t be that way—that player is evolving, just like I am.
Totally. Are there players in tennis right now who you would say are great interviews?
Yeah, absolutely. Coco Gauff is a great interview. Mirra Andreeva is a great interview. Iva Jovic is a star. She’s somebody that I’ve just gotten to know recently and has that same “It” quality for an 18-year-old that Mirra and Coco had when they were very young. I mean they’re still young [laughs], but not a lot of people have that “It” thing straight away—Iva’s got that and Moise Kouame has that. I got to talk to him in Miami, and it was amazing. He, out of nowhere, was just like, “I have a secret to tell you, and it’s that Novak Djokovic texted me and I don’t know how to respond to him.” It was just so endearing. Frances Tiafoe is always great.
Novak Djokovic is amazing. I don’t think people give him enough credit for anything that he does [laughs], and he’s the GOAT, but I love talking to Novak because I always learn something. I mean he’s a one of one human on the planet, a genius. Him, Roger, Rafa—you don’t become a GOAT in any sport without being a genius. In one interview, he said to me, “Energy flows, where attention goes,” and I use that as a mantra in my own life all the time now.
Another thing is that, for a lot of these athletes, English is not their first language, and yet Novak, arguably, speaks better English than I do. They don’t get enough credit for how good they are at that. Like, if you put me on French TV or Serbian TV, it wouldn’t work, and yet they speak so beautifully and eloquently and have so many inspirational things to say. I’m constantly blown away by it.
Yeah, that’s a good call out that’s not often discussed. This might be a hard question to answer, but is there an interview in your career that you wish you could redo?
Not redo. I mean, I think after every—well, not after every interview, because some are just good—but there’s always something you would’ve changed. It’s more after shows where I’m like, Oh, I wish I had done that differently. But that’s like a lot of things in life, right? Like during a tennis match you probably wish you had hit one shot instead of the other. But that’s just a learning moment. There may be a show or an interview that I thought was the best and went so well, and I’ll rewatch it and I’ll be like, Actually, it wasn’t all that. And then there’ll be a show or interview that I thought was the worst, and I’ll rewatch it and think, That wasn’t so bad. So it’s never as bad as you think it is, and it’s never as good as you think it is.
When it comes to live TV, I think the only way to get better is to film study and watch yourself. I tell this to players all the time. They’re like, “Oh, I hate hearing my voice, I hate seeing myself.” And I’m like, Ok, but that’s how you get better. You need to be comfortable hearing yourself, because you may want to change the way you sound, or change the way you look—like where your hands are or where you’re facing. And so to me, it’s just like tennis—if you want to get your forehand better, watch that thing and then you can fix it.
As someone who listens to audio of themselves a lot, I can confirm this. So social media has obviously become a huge part of sports. How has your approach to broadcasting or even the questions you’re asking evolved as social media has grown and things like broadcast clips are becoming more important for online engagement? Is humor more important—what’s shifted?
I think in general, it just gives me more to pull from. Because the more open a player is on their social media, the more information I have to then come up with topics to discuss. So that’s the best part for me. I remember back in the day when Facebook was just starting, and I was in Saginaw, I would try to follow the athletes or “become friends” with [laughs] the athletes I covered [on Facebook], because then I could see their page and come up with a fun way to do an interview or write an intro.
And now, before any interview, I’m definitely looking at a player’s Instagram, Tiktok, whatever I can find. I’ll screenshot stories throughout the year and have a little notes page that I can reference if a player comes to the desk that lists things they posted online that I thought were fun or different or motivational. Just to be like, you know, what does this mean to you? And I think a lot of those moments become clips that Tennis Channel can use. So I think I do a good job of coming up with questions that can be clippable, but I’m not going into it being like, This is going to be clippable. I’m genuinely curious about that aspect of the player.
Another shift is that the tennis media space is booming. There are a lot of new creators and journalists coming up. What advice would you give those people when it comes to carving out their own lane?
It’s an interesting question, because I came up in a very traditional manner, so I can only really speak to my journey, which is starting in a very small local market and working my way to the top. I think it’s amazing that people can have different journeys to success now. But if somebody is graduating college, my advice would be to get a lot of reps in and be comfortable on TV, which now you can do yourself with your own platforms. I couldn’t tell somebody how to take their own Instagram or YouTube page and translate that to something on Tennis Channel per se, because I honestly don’t know, I’m not on that path.
But anything that promotes the sport, gets more eyeballs on tennis, and elevates the sport I am all for. I love people getting involved in tennis and people wanting to be involved in tennis on so many different levels—not just tennis, but the fashion and the behind the scenes. I mean what you’re doing is amazing. I love what you add to the sport. Like the other day, when you posted about Balenciaga and Arthur Fils, I was like, Oh, that’s dope, I had no idea. And that’ll be something that I can ask him about when he’s at the desk now. So I think that adds to what I do. But my overarching advice would be: be willing to work harder than anyone else and be kind to everyone you encounter along the way.
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