A Game of Inches

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) is home to some of the world's best sporting events and whether you are a participant or a spectator, the sporting calendar features an impressive mix of events, from the Dubai Tennis Championship to heart-pumping Formula One racing action. Giving a voice to these events is a certain sports broadcast journalist, Chris McHardy. He is, in his own words,“a football anorak”and no sporting statistic is safe from his eye.

"I just loved all being in the thick of it. The 3 pm on a Saturday, just kind of lent itself into me going on to university, studying publishing journalism"- Chris McHardy

He believes he is a kind of a poster boy for the saying 'your job is your hobby'. "As for my interest, look no further than sport and more sports. A huge football tragic, but I take a detailed and genuine interest in any kind of sports", he explains. His journey started at a young age of 13, where he collected scores for the Highland League, a semi-professional league in Scotland. A freelance opportunity in Belgium proved to be an eye-opener for Chris on how to manage a team of freelancers, which lent itself to McHardy landing a job at Sport360 in Abu Dhabi. Three years later, he was later headhunted by Yahoo and later moved to Dubai Eye 103.8 Radio as the Head of Sports.

"The five words to sum me up would be hard-working, enthusiastic, passionate, knowledgeable and adaptable" McHardy said. His list of highlights and achievements is a long one. A world exclusive interview with legendary Argentinian footballer Diego Maradona, where he discussed everything from the 'Goal of the Century’ to the ‘Hand of God’, and a black-tie event with boxing legend Mike Tyson or popularly known as 'Iron Mike' are some of Chris’s prouder moments of his career. In a decorated career, Chris has ticked the boxes of all three; print digital, and broadcast sports journalism. His reputation shines through his work and reflecting on his journey, he describes these moments to be an opportunity for "professional and personal development." The United Arab Emirates boasts a wide spectrum of nationalities, which makes it is a herculean task to cater to everyone's liking. He says: "The beauty of the job is that we always continue to learn. I think the biggest challenge is that the industry here is just a small one". 

The natural chemistry between Chris Mchardy and his co-hosts Sonal Rupani and Robbie Greenfield has been their key for success of their radio show called Off Script. "I think the sooner you realize that and you come up with a real kind of linear and more structured strategized approach where you're admitting can't please everyone, but you're staying true to who you are and I think that's something that we've done really well"he continued. The UAE might not be seen as a hotbed for broadcast and journalism, but Chris is optimistic. Opening up on the benefits of being in the broadcast industry in the UAE, he says: "There is no other entity, other than my particular station and we're kind of known as the 'Sports Guys' around major events and are the media partners for them." 

The region has some consummate journalists with the likes of Paul Radley and John McAuley, but Chris doubts titles such as The National, Gulf News and Sport360 have a strong base among the readers: "I just worry, a 9.2 million population of the UAE and how many of them are looking at those publications truly for their news? Everything is done not on a shoestring budget, but with overheads in mind. There's simply not the volume of journalists pumping out the content required to please everyone" he said. With a lot of entities in the region struggling for investment and finding a unique voice, the recurring question for consumers and the media outlets would be: What content can the UAE provide different to that of Sky Sports or ESPN?"

The million-dollar question is how one creates engaging content. A strenuous question to answer, even for Chris. "From a social media aspect Sport360 is a great example here, but how much does that translate back to actual website traffic?" he asks. While content is ever-changing, and in times where the audience can be bought, he points at a lack of genuine creators in the UAE. He says: "I see a vacuum and just from my experience, there is undoubtedly one or two blind spots. From that perspective, you need people who truly live and breathe social media daily to generate the required content." The question from 'how' shifts to the challenges that one faces in producing in creating content in the region, and sensitivity is one to keep in mind. "It would be remiss of me to not mention this, you need to be mindful of the cultures" Chris pointed out. 

Another challenge is access to big-name athletes or actual access to individuals who have a keen, compelling and emotive story to tell. While the Arabian Gulf League is a prominent football league in the region, it hardly features big-name footballers and certainly lacks big expatriate followership. "It's almost chicken and egg in this regard, and while relying on stories, you join the masses. By commenting on the international sporting front, you get in line with many other radio and podcast stations ahead of you", suggests Chris.

But there is a solution, and with the social media landscape ever-changing, one can look at citizen journalism to lead the way in content creation, and using the Arabian Gulf League as an example, they can certainly create a buzz among communities and football fans. "We need people who have a genuine interest in the sport and are able to package up content and understand social media", Chris said. He stresses that the way forward is to speak in a language that the consumer understands. He points out: "the only way you're going to get a new generation to follow your sport your team is if you're talking to them in their language and not enough being done. So, from that perspective of citizen journalists, someone who is at the coalface, if you will, of these clubs."

In the UAE, the radio is still king, and a powerful tool for communication. With the COVID-19 pandemic posing a unique situation, the media industry across the globe faces a familiar challenge, the battle for survival and sustenance. Emphasizing on the need for reliable sources, Chris says: "People are looking for trusted voices in these times for information and news and in that regard, that's where we've kind of come into our own a little bit". His advice to aspiring journalists: be adaptable to situations. He explained: "you have to elevate your game and adapt, whether that's an interview or at your place of work, being able to see an opportunity and adapt with it fluidly is vital for the longevity of your career.” The best works are those where one puts in the time and effort to glean knowledge before approaching the subject, and as the old saying goes, there is no substitute for hard work.

Bonus Feature:

Two sports geeks catching up on sports and more sports! Hear the entire conversation on this podcast.

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