The work behind Media Day

For Las Cruces Public Schools, Media Day lasts a few hours. For Michael Rodriguez, the work can stretch across an entire sports season. 

Rodriguez, a production assistant with the district's communications team and LCPS.TV, helps coordinate interviews, photographs and video that give student-athletes exposure beyond competition. Long after they leave, he is still sorting through recordings and preparing material for future broadcasts. 

The idea took years to reach that point. 

Rodriguez first proposed Media Day after joining LCPS in 2022, drawing on his experience at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. There, he was executive producer of “Gridiron Glory,” a high school football program whose production team organized a similar event in 2016. 

After helping livestream Friday night football games in Las Cruces, he recognized a familiar gap in coverage. 

“There isn't a lot of recognition for these student-athletes around here,” Rodriguez said. “I noticed that right away.” 

His proposal gained little traction initially, but it took shape in 2025 with support from district athletics and communications leaders. Rodriguez envisioned a football-only event. Michelle Ronga, LCPS executive director of athletics, proposed expanding it to all fall sports. 

The larger event brought logistical concerns, but Ronga offered to handle much of the coordination. Planning began in earnest that May, leading to the district's inaugural Fall Sports and Band Media Day on Aug. 16, 2025, at the Field of Dreams football stadium. 

Behind the interviews and photo stations was a summer of preparation. Athletics, communications, fine arts and facilities personnel arranged portable bleachers, signage, equipment and locker rooms for headshots while coordinating the participation of more than 70 students. 

“Getting various departments across the district,” Rodriguez said. “That was probably the biggest challenge.” 

On event day, athletes and band members rotate between interviews, headshots and social media activities. Each station generally gets 16 to 18 minutes, with time built in to move participants along. 

Rodriguez oversees the media interview table and recruits student camera assistants. Samantha Lewis, LCPS public relations coordinator, takes headshots, while Rodriguez helps prepare the lighting. Kelly Jameson, the district's director of communications, assists with promotion, requests, and media notices. Athletics manages other activities and the broader logistics. 

Students from Rio Grande Preparatory Institute help operate cameras and assist with production, gaining practical experience in the process. 

Not everything has gone according to plan. Rodriguez recalled spending hours arranging lighting and camera shots only to discover that footage he expected had not been recorded. Those setbacks led the team to rethink its approach. 

Rodriguez said the team has shifted from longer roundtable interviews to shorter, more focused sessions, allowing it to collect usable material within the limited time available. The crew has also refined its questions and made headshot sessions more efficient. 

The work continues after the event. Rodriguez organizes files and edits interviews into features released during the season. LCPS.TV distributes videos through YouTube, district websites and social media, extending their reach beyond the athletes and families who attended. 

Rodriguez said football broadcast viewership has grown over the past two seasons, and the channel's analytics show interest from elsewhere in New Mexico. For him, the value of the content is also in showing athletes as people, not just competitors. 

“Our LCPS TV brand, it kind of gets washed in the wash sometimes with a lot of things that happen in the district,” he said. 

The next Media Day is scheduled for Nov. 19, from 10 a.m. to noon at Rio Grande Preparatory Institute, featuring basketball, wrestling, swimming and spirit programs. Rodriguez hopes the coverage helps build support from families, alumni, and fans. 

“I hope it translates into filling the seats a little bit more,” he said. 

Even after the cameras are packed away, Rodriguez will have recordings to organize, interviews to edit and material to release throughout the season. 

For the athletes, Media Day is a brief stop before competition begins. For Rodriguez, much of the storytelling is just beginning.