Photo by: Kyle Kavanaugh
Every Broadcast Tells the Louisiana Tech Story
8/27/2026 9:00:00 AM | General
Tech continues to invest in in-house production for 2026-27 athletic season
RUSTON | Every game begins with a story.
Sometimes it's a rivalry renewed. Sometimes it's a championship pursuit. Sometimes it's a freshman stepping onto the field for the first time or a senior playing their last game in a Bulldog uniform.
But at Louisiana Tech, the story doesn't end with the final score.
Every broadcast is an opportunity to introduce viewers to the university, celebrate the people who make it special, and create one more way for fans, alumni, and the community to connect with Bulldog and Lady Techster Athletics.
As Louisiana Tech enters its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, the Athletics Production Studio returns after successfully completing its first full season of in-house production in 2025-26—a milestone that reflects years of planning, investment, and a commitment to telling the Louisiana Tech story from the inside.
"Every game gives us a story to tell, but our responsibility is bigger than documenting what happened on the field or court," said Senior Associate Athletics Director and Chief Brand Officer Kyle Kavanaugh. "We want to tell stories that create connection, build affinity, and give people a reason to care about Louisiana Tech. Bringing this operation in-house gives us the ability to be much more intentional about how we do that and how every production helps advance our brand."
Building Something Bigger
The vision began taking shape during the spring of 2024, when Louisiana Tech Athletics made the strategic decision to bring its ESPN+ production fully in-house.
It was an intentional institutional investment—one designed to create greater control over quality and storytelling, provide more consistent access for fans, develop Louisiana Tech students through meaningful experiential learning, and build a more fiscally responsible and sustainable production model.
"Bringing our production in-house was an intentional investment in both our people and our brand," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey. "We believed we could raise the quality and consistency of our broadcasts while creating greater long-term value from the resources we were already investing. What we've seen in the first full year validates that vision, but what excites me most is how this operation continues to create new opportunities for our students, our fans and the university as a whole."
The department began broadcasting its first events under the new model in spring 2025, then went full scale that fall and completed its first full academic year of in-house production throughout 2025-26.
The result was more than a successful transition.
It was the creation of a production operation capable of serving the entire department and university.
Led by Assistant Athletics Director for Broadcasting and Production George "GB" Brandon Jr. and Associate Directors Jack Stribrny and Carson Fryou, the Production Studio produced 107 home ESPN+ broadcasts during 2025-26. In all, 143 Louisiana Tech events appeared on ESPN+ at home and on the road, generating more than 25 million minutes watched.
Those figures represent ESPN+ alone and do not include additional linear television opportunities.
Along the way, Louisiana Tech successfully produced simultaneous soccer and volleyball broadcasts for the first time, before later accomplishing another departmental first by televising three events from three different venues on the same day. The team also navigated numerous crossover dates involving men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball throughout the year.
Those milestones represented far more than production numbers. They reflected a team building the capacity to tell more stories, reach more people and create more opportunities to showcase Louisiana Tech.
"What I'm most proud of isn't a statistic," Brandon said. "It's watching our team continue to grow. Every production challenges us to improve, every event gives our students another opportunity to learn, and every broadcast is another chance to represent Louisiana Tech the right way."
More Than Game Day
Today, the Production Studio reaches far beyond ESPN+.
The same team helps shape the in-venue experience through video board productions, brings Tech Drive podcasts to life, delivers postgame and weekly press conferences to fans, supports live digital events, and handles streaming efforts that provide access to LA Tech Athletics wherever fans may be.
Owning the production also allows Louisiana Tech to intentionally tell stories that extend far beyond athletics.
Throughout the year, broadcasts have welcomed university leadership, faculty members, alumni, spirit groups, coaches, student-athletes, staff, and community and regional leaders, and even a cameo from the big guy up north, Santa Claus. Those conversations have provided opportunities to showcase everything from academics and student success to university initiatives, traditions, and the greater Ruston community.
"Athletics gives us an incredible platform, and we have a responsibility to use it well," Kavanaugh said. "When we control the production, we can create access that goes far beyond the game itself—whether that's introducing our audience to a professor doing incredible work, celebrating an alumnus, showcasing our spirit groups, or giving a community partner a platform. You often hear that Athletics is the front porch of a university. This gives us another way to invite people inside."
Whether a fan is sitting inside Joe Aillet Stadium, watching ESPN+ from across the country, following a press conference online, or consuming Tech Drive on their phone, the purpose remains the same: create more access and more opportunities to connect with the Bulldogs, Lady Techsters, and the university at large.
Developing the Next Generation
Perhaps the Production Studio's greatest impact isn't measured by viewership.
It's measured by people.
The operation has become another classroom for Tech students, providing hands-on experience in live television production, directing, replay, graphics, audio, camera operation, and digital media while producing broadcasts seen by audiences across the country. And that impact is already being felt.
Students have entered the operation looking for a campus job or an opportunity to get involved and discovered a profession they want to pursue. They've developed technical and leadership skills, built professional portfolios, and found mentors while gaining experience that is difficult to replicate inside a traditional classroom.
It is experiential learning in its truest form—students discovering what's possible by actually doing the work. The Production Studio has created opportunities for nearly 50 Louisiana Tech students since its inception.
"Our responsibility isn't just producing broadcasts," Brandon said. "It's developing people. If a student leaves here more confident, more capable, and discovers a career they love because of this experience, that's every bit as meaningful as producing a great show."
That opportunity reflects Tech's larger commitment to maximizing human potential, creating environments where students can discover their strengths, develop them through real-world experiences, and turn those experiences into meaningful careers.
Built by Bulldogs
The same philosophy extends to the voices behind the microphone.
Rather than relying solely on outside broadcasters, Tech Athletics has intentionally built a broadcast team made up of people who know the university because they've lived it.
Malcolm Butler, Teddy Allen and Kyle Roberts anchor that effort, with connections to Louisiana Tech that began decades before they stepped behind an ESPN+ microphone.
A Louisiana Tech graduate and former student worker, Butler spent more than two decades leading Athletics Communications, served as the radio voice of the Lady Techsters and later succeeded legendary broadcaster Dave Nitz on football and men's basketball radio broadcasts. He continues serving Louisiana Tech today as the sport administrator for softball.
"My Louisiana Tech story began as a nine-year-old attending my first sporting event: a Tech homecoming football game against USL," said Butler. "I was instantly hooked. That first game grew into a passion and ultimately into a career for me. I've spent almost three decades telling stories – whether through the written word or on the radio, and now TV – of Tech student athletes, coaches and administrators. Telling stories of the brand; of the logo.
"Everyone has a story. And my goal every time I call a game is to tell the story of the men and women representing the red and blue. My goal is to do my part in advancing the Louisiana Tech brand."
Roberts also came through the Athletics Communications office after being hired by Butler as a sports information director. A Louisiana Tech graduate and former radio voice of the Lady Techsters, he now serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Business while continuing to tell Tech's stories.
"My connection to Louisiana Tech goes from being a preschooler running around the Thomas Assembly Center to proud student to now broadcasting and being a professor for my beloved university," said Roberts. "I've been blessed to have many hats for Louisiana Tech, and my alma mater has always taken the best care of me. It's great to see a current generation of students get the same kind of experience that prepares them for their own journey. I know I'm forever blessed to have been on mine."
Allen began his Tech storytelling journey as sports editor for The Tech Talk, then as a graduate assistant in sports information before moving on to newspapers. His career eventually earned him induction into the Louisiana Sports Writers Hall of Fame, and today he continues serving his alma mater as part of University Communications.
"With no plans for college, I was lucky to be dropped off at Tech years ago, and the University found a place for me; over and over, I've seen the same thing happen for others," Allen said. "Because of the University's commitment to broadcasting, today we get to spread that good news, but we also have the privilege of telling the story of Tech's rich athletic history, game by game, season after season, to fans who care, to listeners and viewers who refuse to miss a chance to pull for the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters — and fans who have a distaste for losing, fans hungry for championships.
"Our crews who make these productions come to life care just as much or more than the fans do," he said. "I see it all the time, every game, starting hours before we flip the switch and go on air."
Around them is a roster of analysts who bring their own Louisiana Tech experiences to the broadcast.
Former Bulldog quarterback and 14-year NFL veteran Luke McCown joins Butler for football. Former Bulldog basketball player and current Senior Vice President of Student Advancement and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Dickie Crawford and former Lady Techster player and assistant coach Katie Hall have lent their expertise to basketball. Former Bulldog Alexis Gilio provides softball analysis, Chief Revenue Officer and former conference Coach of the Year Wally Crittenden brings a coach's perspective to soccer, and Louisiana Tech Club Volleyball Head Coach Caleb Aultman does the same for volleyball.
They've been student-athletes, student workers, coaches, communicators, faculty members, and university leaders.
They've lived the stories they're now being asked to tell.
Who better to tell the Louisiana Tech story than the people who helped write it?
Strengthening Every Platform
The evolution of Louisiana Tech's television operation also created an opportunity to write the next chapter of the university's longstanding radio tradition.
As Butler, Roberts and Allen moved into expanded television roles, Louisiana Tech welcomed two new voices to its radio broadcasts before the 2025-26 season.
Kyle Schassburger was named the new "Voice of the Bulldogs," taking over play-by-play responsibilities for football, men's basketball and baseball. Sam Newcombe joined the broadcast team as the "Voice of the Lady Techsters" for women's basketball.
Both are slated to return for the 2026-27 season.
Their additions allowed Louisiana Tech to strengthen one platform without sacrificing another, expanding the number of voices, stories, and ways fans can connect with Bulldog and Lady Techster Athletics.
From ESPN+ to radio, in-venue production to podcasts, press conferences to live streams, and to the mobile app, each platform serves a different audience but shares the same purpose: bringing people closer to Louisiana Tech.
Looking Ahead
As Louisiana Tech begins a new chapter in the Sun Belt Conference, the opportunities to showcase the university will only continue to grow.
The Production Studio enters its second full season with greater experience, increased capabilities, and the same commitment to quality, stewardship, student development, and storytelling that guided the decision to bring production in-house.
More broadcasts mean more than more games on a screen.
They mean more opportunities for students to discover careers. More chances for alumni to reconnect. More platforms to celebrate faculty and staff. More opportunities to showcase Ruston and the greater community. More access for fans. And more moments to strengthen and advance the Louisiana Tech brand.
Every game has a story.
Every broadcast is an opportunity to share it.
And who better to tell the Louisiana Tech story than the people who know it best?
Sometimes it's a rivalry renewed. Sometimes it's a championship pursuit. Sometimes it's a freshman stepping onto the field for the first time or a senior playing their last game in a Bulldog uniform.
But at Louisiana Tech, the story doesn't end with the final score.
Every broadcast is an opportunity to introduce viewers to the university, celebrate the people who make it special, and create one more way for fans, alumni, and the community to connect with Bulldog and Lady Techster Athletics.
As Louisiana Tech enters its first season in the Sun Belt Conference, the Athletics Production Studio returns after successfully completing its first full season of in-house production in 2025-26—a milestone that reflects years of planning, investment, and a commitment to telling the Louisiana Tech story from the inside.
"Every game gives us a story to tell, but our responsibility is bigger than documenting what happened on the field or court," said Senior Associate Athletics Director and Chief Brand Officer Kyle Kavanaugh. "We want to tell stories that create connection, build affinity, and give people a reason to care about Louisiana Tech. Bringing this operation in-house gives us the ability to be much more intentional about how we do that and how every production helps advance our brand."
Building Something Bigger
The vision began taking shape during the spring of 2024, when Louisiana Tech Athletics made the strategic decision to bring its ESPN+ production fully in-house.
It was an intentional institutional investment—one designed to create greater control over quality and storytelling, provide more consistent access for fans, develop Louisiana Tech students through meaningful experiential learning, and build a more fiscally responsible and sustainable production model.
"Bringing our production in-house was an intentional investment in both our people and our brand," said Vice President and Director of Athletics Ryan Ivey. "We believed we could raise the quality and consistency of our broadcasts while creating greater long-term value from the resources we were already investing. What we've seen in the first full year validates that vision, but what excites me most is how this operation continues to create new opportunities for our students, our fans and the university as a whole."
The department began broadcasting its first events under the new model in spring 2025, then went full scale that fall and completed its first full academic year of in-house production throughout 2025-26.
The result was more than a successful transition.
It was the creation of a production operation capable of serving the entire department and university.
Led by Assistant Athletics Director for Broadcasting and Production George "GB" Brandon Jr. and Associate Directors Jack Stribrny and Carson Fryou, the Production Studio produced 107 home ESPN+ broadcasts during 2025-26. In all, 143 Louisiana Tech events appeared on ESPN+ at home and on the road, generating more than 25 million minutes watched.
Those figures represent ESPN+ alone and do not include additional linear television opportunities.
Along the way, Louisiana Tech successfully produced simultaneous soccer and volleyball broadcasts for the first time, before later accomplishing another departmental first by televising three events from three different venues on the same day. The team also navigated numerous crossover dates involving men's and women's basketball, baseball and softball throughout the year.
Those milestones represented far more than production numbers. They reflected a team building the capacity to tell more stories, reach more people and create more opportunities to showcase Louisiana Tech.
"What I'm most proud of isn't a statistic," Brandon said. "It's watching our team continue to grow. Every production challenges us to improve, every event gives our students another opportunity to learn, and every broadcast is another chance to represent Louisiana Tech the right way."
More Than Game Day
Today, the Production Studio reaches far beyond ESPN+.
The same team helps shape the in-venue experience through video board productions, brings Tech Drive podcasts to life, delivers postgame and weekly press conferences to fans, supports live digital events, and handles streaming efforts that provide access to LA Tech Athletics wherever fans may be.
Owning the production also allows Louisiana Tech to intentionally tell stories that extend far beyond athletics.
Throughout the year, broadcasts have welcomed university leadership, faculty members, alumni, spirit groups, coaches, student-athletes, staff, and community and regional leaders, and even a cameo from the big guy up north, Santa Claus. Those conversations have provided opportunities to showcase everything from academics and student success to university initiatives, traditions, and the greater Ruston community.
"Athletics gives us an incredible platform, and we have a responsibility to use it well," Kavanaugh said. "When we control the production, we can create access that goes far beyond the game itself—whether that's introducing our audience to a professor doing incredible work, celebrating an alumnus, showcasing our spirit groups, or giving a community partner a platform. You often hear that Athletics is the front porch of a university. This gives us another way to invite people inside."
Whether a fan is sitting inside Joe Aillet Stadium, watching ESPN+ from across the country, following a press conference online, or consuming Tech Drive on their phone, the purpose remains the same: create more access and more opportunities to connect with the Bulldogs, Lady Techsters, and the university at large.
Developing the Next Generation
Perhaps the Production Studio's greatest impact isn't measured by viewership.
It's measured by people.
The operation has become another classroom for Tech students, providing hands-on experience in live television production, directing, replay, graphics, audio, camera operation, and digital media while producing broadcasts seen by audiences across the country. And that impact is already being felt.
Students have entered the operation looking for a campus job or an opportunity to get involved and discovered a profession they want to pursue. They've developed technical and leadership skills, built professional portfolios, and found mentors while gaining experience that is difficult to replicate inside a traditional classroom.
It is experiential learning in its truest form—students discovering what's possible by actually doing the work. The Production Studio has created opportunities for nearly 50 Louisiana Tech students since its inception.
"Our responsibility isn't just producing broadcasts," Brandon said. "It's developing people. If a student leaves here more confident, more capable, and discovers a career they love because of this experience, that's every bit as meaningful as producing a great show."
That opportunity reflects Tech's larger commitment to maximizing human potential, creating environments where students can discover their strengths, develop them through real-world experiences, and turn those experiences into meaningful careers.
Built by Bulldogs
The same philosophy extends to the voices behind the microphone.
Rather than relying solely on outside broadcasters, Tech Athletics has intentionally built a broadcast team made up of people who know the university because they've lived it.
Malcolm Butler, Teddy Allen and Kyle Roberts anchor that effort, with connections to Louisiana Tech that began decades before they stepped behind an ESPN+ microphone.
A Louisiana Tech graduate and former student worker, Butler spent more than two decades leading Athletics Communications, served as the radio voice of the Lady Techsters and later succeeded legendary broadcaster Dave Nitz on football and men's basketball radio broadcasts. He continues serving Louisiana Tech today as the sport administrator for softball.
"My Louisiana Tech story began as a nine-year-old attending my first sporting event: a Tech homecoming football game against USL," said Butler. "I was instantly hooked. That first game grew into a passion and ultimately into a career for me. I've spent almost three decades telling stories – whether through the written word or on the radio, and now TV – of Tech student athletes, coaches and administrators. Telling stories of the brand; of the logo.
"Everyone has a story. And my goal every time I call a game is to tell the story of the men and women representing the red and blue. My goal is to do my part in advancing the Louisiana Tech brand."
Roberts also came through the Athletics Communications office after being hired by Butler as a sports information director. A Louisiana Tech graduate and former radio voice of the Lady Techsters, he now serves as an adjunct professor in the College of Business while continuing to tell Tech's stories.
"My connection to Louisiana Tech goes from being a preschooler running around the Thomas Assembly Center to proud student to now broadcasting and being a professor for my beloved university," said Roberts. "I've been blessed to have many hats for Louisiana Tech, and my alma mater has always taken the best care of me. It's great to see a current generation of students get the same kind of experience that prepares them for their own journey. I know I'm forever blessed to have been on mine."
Allen began his Tech storytelling journey as sports editor for The Tech Talk, then as a graduate assistant in sports information before moving on to newspapers. His career eventually earned him induction into the Louisiana Sports Writers Hall of Fame, and today he continues serving his alma mater as part of University Communications.
"With no plans for college, I was lucky to be dropped off at Tech years ago, and the University found a place for me; over and over, I've seen the same thing happen for others," Allen said. "Because of the University's commitment to broadcasting, today we get to spread that good news, but we also have the privilege of telling the story of Tech's rich athletic history, game by game, season after season, to fans who care, to listeners and viewers who refuse to miss a chance to pull for the Bulldogs and Lady Techsters — and fans who have a distaste for losing, fans hungry for championships.
"Our crews who make these productions come to life care just as much or more than the fans do," he said. "I see it all the time, every game, starting hours before we flip the switch and go on air."
Around them is a roster of analysts who bring their own Louisiana Tech experiences to the broadcast.
Former Bulldog quarterback and 14-year NFL veteran Luke McCown joins Butler for football. Former Bulldog basketball player and current Senior Vice President of Student Advancement and Chief Operating Officer Dr. Dickie Crawford and former Lady Techster player and assistant coach Katie Hall have lent their expertise to basketball. Former Bulldog Alexis Gilio provides softball analysis, Chief Revenue Officer and former conference Coach of the Year Wally Crittenden brings a coach's perspective to soccer, and Louisiana Tech Club Volleyball Head Coach Caleb Aultman does the same for volleyball.
They've been student-athletes, student workers, coaches, communicators, faculty members, and university leaders.
They've lived the stories they're now being asked to tell.
Who better to tell the Louisiana Tech story than the people who helped write it?
Strengthening Every Platform
The evolution of Louisiana Tech's television operation also created an opportunity to write the next chapter of the university's longstanding radio tradition.
As Butler, Roberts and Allen moved into expanded television roles, Louisiana Tech welcomed two new voices to its radio broadcasts before the 2025-26 season.
Kyle Schassburger was named the new "Voice of the Bulldogs," taking over play-by-play responsibilities for football, men's basketball and baseball. Sam Newcombe joined the broadcast team as the "Voice of the Lady Techsters" for women's basketball.
Both are slated to return for the 2026-27 season.
Their additions allowed Louisiana Tech to strengthen one platform without sacrificing another, expanding the number of voices, stories, and ways fans can connect with Bulldog and Lady Techster Athletics.
From ESPN+ to radio, in-venue production to podcasts, press conferences to live streams, and to the mobile app, each platform serves a different audience but shares the same purpose: bringing people closer to Louisiana Tech.
Looking Ahead
As Louisiana Tech begins a new chapter in the Sun Belt Conference, the opportunities to showcase the university will only continue to grow.
The Production Studio enters its second full season with greater experience, increased capabilities, and the same commitment to quality, stewardship, student development, and storytelling that guided the decision to bring production in-house.
More broadcasts mean more than more games on a screen.
They mean more opportunities for students to discover careers. More chances for alumni to reconnect. More platforms to celebrate faculty and staff. More opportunities to showcase Ruston and the greater community. More access for fans. And more moments to strengthen and advance the Louisiana Tech brand.
Every game has a story.
Every broadcast is an opportunity to share it.
And who better to tell the Louisiana Tech story than the people who know it best?
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