On Tuesday, October 21st, I had my very first class of my new Master’s programme.
I started this semester with a course called “Radio Sport,” taught by one of my two professors: Arancha Rodríguez.
Ms. Rodríguez is not only a lecturer at Universidad Europea, but also one of Spain’s most respected sports journalists — a radio producer and reporter at COPE, analyst for Real Madrid TV, and commentator for Real Madrid Femenino.
She’s been working in sports media for more than a decade, covering football from the pitch to the press room.
Inside COPE: Where Football Meets Radio
For our first class, we visited COPE, one of Spain’s biggest sports radio networks, on a Champions League night. Barcelona were playing against Olympiakos Piraeus, and we got to experience how a live radio commentary show works from the inside.
Tiempo de Juego studio during the Champions League night.
A short Clip of the Live Show of Tiempo de Juego.
The Chaos of Live Broadcasting
Watching a live broadcast was completely different from what I expected.
The anchors weren’t just commentating — they were reacting, producing, fact-checking, and talking to reporters in Barcelona, all at once.
The coordination was chaos in motion, but somehow perfectly synchronized.
Every time something happened on screen, the studio came alive — shouts, laughter, and that typical Spanish mix of emotion and professionalism.
Multiple Screens, Multiple Games, Multiple Reactions.
What I Learned
Seeing how fast decisions had to be made reminded me why live media is such a rush. There’s no time to edit or rewrite — you have to think, speak, and trust your instincts.
It also made me realize that sports journalism isn’t just about narrating games. It’s about storytelling and bringing emotion alive by capturing that exact moment between sound, silence, and reaction.
Three Hours That Flew By
The class in itself was three hours, but time flew by. After I left and walked home, I was still thinking about how well the six hosts worked together and making it look effortless, when it’s anything but easy. But after three hours I am excited to find out what more I get to learn about the Radio…
