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By Thomas Hauser - Very few people know who Paul Hoggatt was, and that’s a shame. Paul was an integral member of the HBO family when the network was known as “the heart and soul of boxing.” He began working for the sports department in 1978. At the time of his death on July 14, 2012, he was the longest-serving employee of HBO Sports.
Paul was the A2 on HBO’s boxing telecasts, an audio engineer who sat ringside before and during fights. The last show he worked was the first bout between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley on June 9, 2012. Five weeks later, he was dead.
Paul’s work embodied the principles of how a good television team is put together. A man of his ability and character shouldn’t be forgotten. Thus, this article.
Paul Hoggatt was born in Colorado on August 5, 1954, and moved to Las Vegas in the early 1970s. John Slagle, who was his friend for four decades, recalls, “I met Paul at one of my first jobs. I was working for KLVX Channel 10 in Las Vegas as a runner. You’d call it a production assistant today. I saw this guy sweeping the studio floor, so I went over to introduce myself and asked, ‘Are a runner?’ It was Paul. And he answered, ‘Oh’ yeah. I run a lot.’ I found out later that he was a cameraman. But the floor was dirty and he wanted it clean.”
That was Paul. Co-workers and friends describe him as “a neat-freak . . . meticulous . . . a detail man . . . a perfectionist . . . very intense about his work.” There was more than a little Felix Unger in him.
On paper, the A2’s job on an HBO boxing telecast is to set up and maintain the audio equipment at ringside. That includes the announcers’ microphones, their talk-back system, everyone’s earpiece (including camera operators), and effects microphones for crowd noise, knockdown counts, ten-second warnings, and the bell. Audio cables and wires have to be properly installed and each piece of equipment must be functioning perfectly to ensure that sound is transmitted seamlessly from ringside to the production truck. [Click Here To Read More]
Paul was the A2 on HBO’s boxing telecasts, an audio engineer who sat ringside before and during fights. The last show he worked was the first bout between Manny Pacquiao and Tim Bradley on June 9, 2012. Five weeks later, he was dead.
Paul’s work embodied the principles of how a good television team is put together. A man of his ability and character shouldn’t be forgotten. Thus, this article.
Paul Hoggatt was born in Colorado on August 5, 1954, and moved to Las Vegas in the early 1970s. John Slagle, who was his friend for four decades, recalls, “I met Paul at one of my first jobs. I was working for KLVX Channel 10 in Las Vegas as a runner. You’d call it a production assistant today. I saw this guy sweeping the studio floor, so I went over to introduce myself and asked, ‘Are a runner?’ It was Paul. And he answered, ‘Oh’ yeah. I run a lot.’ I found out later that he was a cameraman. But the floor was dirty and he wanted it clean.”
That was Paul. Co-workers and friends describe him as “a neat-freak . . . meticulous . . . a detail man . . . a perfectionist . . . very intense about his work.” There was more than a little Felix Unger in him.
On paper, the A2’s job on an HBO boxing telecast is to set up and maintain the audio equipment at ringside. That includes the announcers’ microphones, their talk-back system, everyone’s earpiece (including camera operators), and effects microphones for crowd noise, knockdown counts, ten-second warnings, and the bell. Audio cables and wires have to be properly installed and each piece of equipment must be functioning perfectly to ensure that sound is transmitted seamlessly from ringside to the production truck. [Click Here To Read More]
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