Over the years, viewers who watch Georgia Public Broadcasting’s coverage of the GHSA live high school football and basketball championships have become familiar with on-air hosts like Matt Stewart and Jon Nelson. They have been staples on the broadcasts for years.
Few viewers would probably even recognize Kevin Gerke’s name, even though he’s the guy who makes it all come together. Gerke is GPB’s vice president of local productions, a fancy title that means he’s the man in charge of producing the games and ensuring they meet the highest professional standards.
Gerke, 65, who will officially retire later this spring, prefers to remain in the background. He’s more comfortable in the shadows, putting all the pieces together and watching the magic unfold.
“GPB has been fantastic,” Gerke said. “It’s been like a second career.”
At last week’s GHSA basketball championships in Macon, Gerke was easy to spot with his closely cropped silver hair, black-framed glasses and GPB windbreaker. He was always on the move, stopping at the table to talk to the on-air talent, schmoozing with the GHSA officials or checking with the guys in the truck at the back of the arena to see if they needed anything.
“Kevin is the equivalent of a player’s coach,” Stewart said. “He’s laid such a great foundation, and I think the last decade of GPB sports has been the best under his leadership.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Gerke was born and raised in San Diego, grew up in Maryland and graduated from the University of Georgia, a school he chose sight-unseen based on the advice of his stepfather.
“I was a DJ in college,” Gerke said. “That’s when R.E.M. was playing, Dominique (Wilkins) was there, and Herschel (Walker) was there. It was right on the cusp of everything. It was so much fun.”
After graduating in 1984, Gerke got his start in local broadcasting at Channel 2 WSB-TV, where he filled in for someone who went on vacation and never came back. There, he received some insightful on-the-job training from Ernie Johnson Jr.
“He showed me how to do everything the right way,” Gerke said. “Talk about a mentor.”
A week after Gerke was hired, a young Chuck Dowdle was hired on the sports staff. They worked together 27 years — many of them with Bill Hartman, another legendary local sportscaster — and all remain close friends.
Gerke’s resume has the depth and width of a Cheesecake Factory menu. He transitioned away from local news and produced things like professional wrestling, Georgia political shows, candidate debates and court shows. He chased storms with The Weather Channel’s Jim Cantore and even worked as a paralegal in the DeKalb County public defender’s office.
When the GPB position came open in 2012, old TV colleagues Steve Graham and Nelson encouraged Gerke to apply. He went through the interview process and was on his way to work the Olympics in London in 2012 when he was offered the job.
“He was perfect for the job,” said Graham, an Atlanta native who himself has produced hundreds of hours of shows and documentaries over an exemplary 50-year career. “We told him what we needed, and it went from there.”
Gerke immediately began to upgrade the broadcasts, adding a technological wrinkle here, another one there, from improved on-screen graphics to digital lines that illustrate the down and distance. He helped elevate the broadcast to new heights.
Gerke, like a good football coach, distributes the credit to his team, from the people in the production truck, the camera operators, the sound equipment and the folks who drag out the lights on the court for the halftime show.
“Our team is amazing,” Gerke said. “I’ll put our coverage up against anybody else in the business. Our team in every facet is that good. It’s all about hiring the right people.”
Glenn Diamond produced Atlanta Braves broadcasts for more than 30 years. Gerke coaxed him into joining his team to help produce the weekly GPB Football Fridays in Georgia broadcasts, as well as the state championships. Diamond understands high standards and has seen the reactions.
“We were doing the football championships one year at Mercedes-Benz, and I went out to brunch the next day, and there were a bunch of people there, and one of them said, ‘Did anybody watch that high school game last night? It was like watching Saturday night ABC football,” Diamond said. “It’s not in Kevin’s DNA, it’s not in my DNA, to do any less.”
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
Credit: Hyosub Shin/AJC
The results bear him out. GPB has won an Emmy for best live sportscast twice over the last three years, beating other more high-profile productions.
And while Gerke won’t be going into the office every day, there’s a good chance he may return to produce football games again in the fall.
“They might want me out there for at least a little bit, but I’ve got folks who have done this, and I’ve kind of showed them the ropes already,” he said. “I’d love to keep doing it.”
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