Life in the booth

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(Image: Cameras atop Ohio Stadium press box, 1955) During its heyday, on an average Saturday the press box’s three tiers of green Formica tables seated reporters from 60 newspapers. For major events, such as the Michigan game, twice as many would file from Columbus, for outlets as far afield as the Los Angeles Times and the Philadelphia Inquirer. After the installation of elevators in 1964, and an expansion in 1965, the 24-by-180-foot box held 146 seats, 28 booths – reserved for broadcasters and dignitaries – and mimeo and telex machines, all fit for a plague of press. According to the Dispatch, the army of reporters consumed, during a typical pre-game to half-time shift, 1,500 hot dogs and 20 gallons of coffee. The 2001 stadium renovations included construction of an entirely new pressbox, including 25 skyboxes below press level to be sold for up to $75,000 a season.