As a culminating activity for the year, ORRHS students in Intro to TV Production, Video Journalism and Bulldog TV traveled to Boston to view a live broadcast of the noon news at WBZ-TV – a CBS affiliate. They were greeted by the General manager and President of WBZ-TV Ed Piette.
Next, Assistant Director Tisha Wilson took us on a tour of the facility. The first stop was the graphics department. The artists explained how they create logos and intros for various productions.
Next stop: WBZ’s website office. With an abundance of technology today people acquire their news from a variety of sources. All news stations have websites. Students asked what kind of skills are needed for this position. The web producer stressed the importance of developing good writing skills.
Next, it was on to the control room. Filled with an array of monitors, the technical director explained that everything today is automated. Gone are the days of a control room filled with people manning the equipment; camera operators have been replaced with robotic cameras. Students were able to view the live broadcast of the news both from the control room and in the studio.
“Seeing the live broadcast was intriguing and inspiring,” said Video Journalism student Tim Gonsalves.
After the newscast, co-anchors Paula Ebben and David Wade and meteorologist Melissa Mack fielded questions from the students.
” It was nice to see how everything worked and what kind of jobs are available” said Video Journalism student Brian Fox. “-They gave advice on what courses to take in college. They emphasized the importance of taking English and developing writing skills.”
“I thought it was a great educational experience and it felt really cool to see the news from that perspective and meet the people involved in the news,” said Bulldog TV member Josh Bardwell.
Article and Photo courtesy of Debbie Stinson