For the past decade, Charger TV has transformed the way fans follow Corner Canyon High School sports. 

What began as an idea by teacher Rob Geertsen has grown into a full-scale broadcast program that reaches thousands of viewers, offering hands-on learning for students and even helping football and basketball players gain exposure to college recruiters.

“Charger TV is more than a live stream,” Geertsen said. “It’s an opportunity for students to learn and it connects students, families, alumni and the community to Charger athletics nationwide.”

Geertsen, who teaches broadcasting and video production, launched the program after serving three years as the school’s sports announcer. He had previously coached 22 seasons of boys basketball at other high schools.

“I thought it would be fun to call the games and create something that would benefit our community, where people could watch the games without paying,” he said.

The broadcast is a polished production designed to mimic professional sports coverage. It is sponsored by local businesses, OrthoAthlete and Move Utah Real Estate.

“A lot of schools go with lazy live streaming that follows the ball. It’s terrible,” Geertsen said. “My whole model is the viewer experience so I’ve tried to create it so it’s as close to watching a professional production on TV as we can make it.”

Games are streamed through Vimeo and accessed through ChargerTV.net, allowing the system to handle large audiences. He said the typical football game draws 5,000 logins, while girls basketball broadcasts has more than 100 logins and boys basketball, about 400. 

One 2023 game against nationally ranked Bishop Gorman (Nevada) drew watchers near and far.

“It was our biggest audience we’ve ever had with 50,000 logins,” Geertsen said. “The word got around the country, so the national audience tuned in.”

Viewership also boomed during 2020-21 when schools restricted fan access because of health and safety concerns surrounding COVID-19. 

For students, Charger TV provides hands-on opportunity to learn real-world broadcasting skills. 

Sophomore Hudson Quinney-Packard is one of the students helping run cameras during the broadcast.

“I decided to take a fun class this year with Geertsen fall semester and took TV broadcast,” he said. “It was fun to learn about operating cameras.”

After the class, Geertsen invited the former basketball and football player to help him film varsity games. Knowing his responsibility of operating the main camera combined with his knowledge of the game, he anticipates the action and is ready with the shot.

“I’ve definitely learned from watching the players how they play and what’s expected from the camera,” he said.

Geertsen said his growth is typical of students who know sports and gets hands-on experience.

“Before September, Hudson had never run a camera in his life. The progression of what students learn and do, with their talent level, grows fast with the experience,” he said.

 Students learn to run cameras for live broadcasts, adjusting lighting and aperture, frame shots correctly and understand the game flow. Many take Geertsen’s video production class where they learn editing and storytelling and afterward, may work cameras from the sideline. 

Several alumni are pursuing videography classes or working in the field at Utah universities, he added.

Beginning in fall 2026, Geertsen is expanding opportunities for current students.

“We are going to start our first ‘Charger TV Junior’ edition. Students next fall will have the option to run their own live stream, produce their own broadcast and even learn to call play-by-play,” he said about broadcasting freshmen, sophomore and JV games as well as more girls’ volleyball and soccer matches.

Another option will be learning how to be a PA announcer, playing music during timeouts and breaks as well as announcing games in action. There also will be internship opportunities with Wing Pointe Studios, working alongside a professional videographer at school games.

“The goal is to give students the option to be trained on ‘career-ready’ options that allow them real opportunities to explore their interests in broadcasting and videography,” Geertsen said.

In addition to entertainment, Charger TV has become a valuable resource for student-athletes and coaches.

Wes Patterson, Corner Canyon football offensive coach and parent, says the broadcast uplifts the program.

“It’s been awesome having it as a resource,” Patterson said. “It’s part of the player’s and community’s experience and it elevates the program and seems more professional.”

Head football coach Casey Sutera agrees: “Having that platform for people all around to watch the games with a quality production has been really positive.”

Patterson said occasionally footage is used for film study.

“It’s not meant to be that, but we use it in that way occasionally and we can view plays from different angles,” he said.

While Geertsen’s students use footage for social media posts, players also have used it to create highlight reels for recruiters.

Former Charger and current NFL quarterback Jaxon Dart said he took advantage of Charger TV.

“It helped being able to put things out there to the media,” he said. “Geertsen and everyone does an amazing job of helping us and promoting us. We definitely have an advantage there.”

Games are archived online, allowing viewers to revisit past seasons.

“We can pull up games from 2021, ’22 and so on and relive those moments,” Patterson said.

Geertsen said the rewatch viewership is as heavy as the live watch.

The broadcasts also help families stay connected.

“We have family who live out of town, out of state, so it’s nice for them to tune in and watch their nephew or grandson,” Patterson said.

One of the viewers is NFL and former Charger quarterback Zach Wilson.

“I’ve enjoyed Charger TV more now that I’ve graduated, being able to watch the guys, my brother, on the team, and follow them from wherever I am,” he said.

Basketball player Brooklyn Olsen’s dad shared the link with relatives in central Utah who now are regular viewers.

“I watched your last game on replay,” he told Geertsen at the final home game. “You were like, ‘I love her energy. She gets the ball and tears off.’ We really appreciate Charger TV.”

Geertsen said he hears compliments often, but his motivation to provide this service goes back to his high school days in Logan when his extended family listened to games on the radio.

“My grandparents lived in southern Idaho and they couldn’t go to games so they’d follow on the radio,” he said. “I wanted to give back and provide what I had in high school only it’s way better now because it’s visual.”

Jon Franzen and his family have watched broadcasts the past three years.

“They do a terrific job,” he said. “In my opinion, they have the single-best high school broadcast in the entire state of Utah.”