Abington resident Raul Martinez is on just another business trip this week. The NBC10 Boston Morning Anchor has been broadcasting from Santa Clara as part of the station’s coverage of Super Bowl LX, which takes place Sunday.
Martinez lives in town with his wife, Rachel, and their three kids, and is also a title-winning coach with Abington Youth Soccer. Before he left for California, he spoke with Abington News about what it’s like covering the Super Bowl, going on TV at 2 a.m., and his appreciation for his wife and family.
This interview has been lightly edited for brevity and clarity.
AN: How many Super Bowls have you been to now?
RM: This is my sixth. I did two with the Denver Broncos (as a reporter for Denver-based Fox 31). I did the one where they got destroyed in New York (Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014, when Seattle won 43-8), and then when they beat Cam Newton and the Panthers in Levi Stadium (Super Bowl L in 2016, a 24-10 win). And then I immediately came to Boston and covered those back-to-back-to-back Super Bowls against Atlanta, Philly, and the Rams. You never know when you’re going to get to go back so you just have to appreciate it.
AN: Do you like covering the Super Bowl?
RM: How can you not? It’s hard work, but you’re just so grateful for the opportunity. You don’t realize how lucky you are until people ask what you’re doing that weekend and you say, “Oh, I’m going to cover the Super Bowl in San Francisco.” “Oh, that’s amazing!” It’s just a reminder of how grateful I am for this opportunity.
I don’t do sports any more, so it’s an opportunity to go back to my roots and do something I know very well. It’s amazing to have a station that wants you to go and trusts you to go. It just makes you want to go and do well and have fun.
AN: When do you start making plans to actually go to the game?
RM: You mentally start making plans when the Patriots go to the playoffs. Any team in the playoffs has a chance. When you really start to get ready is when they make it to the AFC Championship game. That’s when you have to start preparing the family, and talking to those at work. [The Patriots] win against Houston to go to Denver, and you say, “OK, there’s a very good chance they could be in the Super Bowl,” and then when (Broncos quarterback Bo) Nix goes down, you think, ‘OK, now there’s a a very, very good chance.’ Now I have to start thinking about what I’m going to focus on, what am I going to cover, how am I going to differentiate myself from other stations and newspapers.
AN: What’s it like doing an East Coast morning show when you’re on the West Coast?
RM: When the show starts at 5 a.m., it’s 2 a.m. Pacific time. The best part is that I’ve been able to wrap my head around it when the Celtics faced the Warriors (in the 2022 NBA Finals). That helped a lot. I’ll also do something like set my watch to West Coast time and phone to East Coast time, that helps. I don’t want to miss a deadline because I don’t know what time zone it is.
AN: Is it tough to work in that sort of situation?
RM: I’ve done it 20-plus years, coast to coast. I don’t want to say it’s muscle memory, but I’m just used to it by now. I’ve had the kitchen sink thrown at me when covering sports so you’re used to it. You’re just focused on getting the job done and making sure you’re doing the best you can do for the viewers watching at home. I get paid to do an incredible job with incredible viewers, in a city that’s very successful in sports, so it’s an awesome job.
AN: Do you need a big space for the set up? I don’t think you’re using satellite trucks out there.
RM: We no longer do the trucks. The tech has advanced so much. We have a system called the Dejero. It’s about the size of a backpack. There’s maybe a second delay but it’s a very clean picture and sound. To go live back in the day you needed a satellite truck. Now our photographer just powers up the backpack and it’s good to go.
AN: How do you figure out what to spend your time on?
RM: The biggest thing is trying to plan ahead. We’ll have group meetings and people pitch stories. It doesn’t have to be about the Patriots players or Patriots coaches. There’s feature pieces we can do on fans or other things going on in San Francisco that have ties to Boston.
But after covering so many Super Bowls, I know plans change. Things can happen dramatically. Players get injured or arrested. Coaches make a dramatic change. You just go with the flow, prepare when you head out, and then go hour by hour. News and sports never play out the way you think its going to. Did we ever think Malcolm Butler was going to be benched? No. You couldn’t plan for that. Did we think Butler was going to make that interception? Absolutely not.
AN: How do fill your day once off the air?
RM: A lot of sleep because I get up so early. I try to at least have some time in the city to appreciate it. Maybe there’s a restaurant the city is well known for. Ultimately this is a business trip. You’re thinking about work and work only. You’re working long hours, early hours. After we’re done on air, you’re not done. You can go to a press conference, could be doing a sidebar story or a feature the day after that. Maybe doing some social media, or something for our web team.
If I get a free moment I appreciate it. But I’m there to work. That’s what people forget. “Yea I’m going to San Francisco.” “Oh, have fun.” “Nope, it’s a business trip.” We’re there to tell a story and that takes up most of your time.
AN: How helpful is it to have a wife that understands when you say I have to go to the Super Bowl for a week?
RM: Oh, I have the best wife in the world. She’s amazing. She’s been through that with me so many times. She’s a warrior and handles it so well. And she never makes me feel guilty. She knows I have a job to do and is so supportive. I also miss them tremendously, my kids and wife.
The one time I really felt guilty was in 2018. The Red Sox went to the World Series, and we followed them from New York, to Houston, to LA. And then the Patriots went to the Super Bowl in Atlanta. And the Bruins went to the Finals (against the St. Louis Blues). That was one year I felt truly guilty.
AN: What’s your prediction for the game?
RM: This just feels like a team of destiny. Everyone talks about this weak schedule, they haven’t played anybody. We just saw them take on three of the toughest defenses. Drake Maye struggled in most of those playoff games. And now that they’re not playing in cold weather? I think the Pats can do this. Maybe 23-21, I think the Pats are going to win this.
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