Just For TV Teachers

The day began at 4:45 a.m. with a road trip to Columbia, MO, so I am running on fumes as I write this. Coffee fumes, of course. It’s been a while since I did one of my little blogs about an assortment of things on my mind. So here goes:

*The fall TV season is upon us. My wife and I always look for a few new shows to try out. We really like “Studio 60 From the Sunset Strip,” and “The Class.” We have also been watching “Vanished” since it debuted about a month ago. It’s pretty much a poor man’s “24.” One thing we both noticed–the acting on “24″ is so good you take it for granted, at least until you watch “Vanished” or a few others shows that try to resemble the pacing and intensity of Jack Bauer and his gang.

*There are students in my class who actually list “Flavor of Love” as their favorite TV show. File that under “Signs of the Apocalypse” along with the Red Sox of 2004 and dogs in life jackets.

*I got a nice, unexpected e-mail from Matt D., who now lives in KC, a couple of weeks ago. He told me my class was important to him, and made a very positive difference in his life. Matt was in my first broadcasting class in 1989, and from all accounts, he’s doing well. I knew NOTHING about producing a TV show back then, and the 65 kids I had in those first two classes are the reason HTV still exists. They could have quit on me in maybe October and I would not have blamed them. But because they showed such enthusiasm and a willingness to work after school, on weekends, whenever, to finish the show, well, we decided this video experiment was worth continuing. Way to go, class of 1990. And thanks, Matt. I don’t want to turn this into a Hallmark moment, but hearing from former students is so important to teachers. I feel like dropping a note to Mrs. Wainright myself. She was my 8th grade Journalism teacher.

*Next week is Homecoming week at Hillcrest. We’ll have Spirit Days, an assembly, elect a queen, play a football game, and then the kids will dress up and dance. My problem is with that last part: the formal dance. Some kids never get the memo. It’s formal. No jeans, no tee-shirts, no ball caps. It’s one of two formal dances for the student body all year, and I have chaperoned every Homecoming since 1983. It would be really nice to see all the kids honor the formal occasion and at least try to wear something nice. About the time I get worked up about this topic, I remember something kind of important. Over half of our student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch. I’m not sure pitching a fit about dressy clothes is a good idea when it’s very possible some kids don’t own any. Wouldn’t that be a worthwhile fundraiser: “No Child Left Behind In Tattered Clothes If They Want To Dress Nice For Homecoming.” I wish we could provide one night of elegance for kids who never get the chance to dress up for the big dance.

The caffeine is finally wearing off. I suddenly feel very sleepy. I’ll see you back here in a few days.

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September 28, 2006

The first new “HTV Magazine” of the school year ran at school today. It airs tonight and all weekend on local cable. Show number 139, done, delivered, and now, critiqued.

We asked a freshman class of 20 to do fill out feedback forms about the show. I know, I know, normally freshmen should be seen and not heard. But we asked, and some of what we got back was okay. Some was brutal.

There were nine stories and a commentary on the show. The frosh graded each segment just like teachers grade essays or tests. A, B, C, D or (gulp) F. The top story was about dogs swimming in a local pool. That one got a lot of As and Bs. Then the feature about a couple of local guys who build tall bikes, very tall bikes, then ride them around downtown trying not to tip over on top of pedestrians, scored high, pulling some As, and a lot of Bs.

It was all downhill from there. We asked them which story they learned the most from, and well, let’s just say since that one required some writing, there was not a lot of response. Stories that we thought were pretty good got slammed. A nice piece about two twin sisters who do ballet got ripped. “No more stupid ballay stories.” Thanks, Beavis.

The lead story about home drug-testing kits, including a students whose mom used one on him and found out he had been using, didn’t even register. I’m not sure they even saw it. In fact, while I saw their eyes looking at the screen, and they didn’t talk or whisper during the show, it appears animals or cool bikes are about the only thing that kept the 14 and 15-year-olds captivated. Barely.

So then we screened the show this afternoon to our Broadcast I class. Thank goodness. The segment that got the most favorable response was the commentary, with senior Andrew Cotton pretty much laying out the new “wellness” movement in our district, and the new paint in the school cafeteria he calls a “decoy” for the new, lousy food. The bright colors not found in nature pretty much singe your eyeballs the first time you see them. After that, the cute, cuddly, swimming dogs placed high, as did (thank goodness) the segment about two transfers to Hillcrest who are leading the softball team to new heights.

It was fun for me to share the feedback with the HTV staff. They knew going in that the teens in their building would be the toughest audience of all. But that’s okay because the HTV staff itself is a cruel, evil, fussy, picky, unbelievably tough audience for anything I dare show them. They pick things apart and show no mercy. Of course, I’ve been reminded more than once they do that because I’ve been known to do that to them now and then.

Okay, but see, I call it “raising the bar.” That’s what it really is. Constructive, professional, caring criticism. Hey, I’m not telling them, “No more stupid ballay stories.”

So now that some of their peers have spoken, we’ll see how the next show goes. To be honest, the first one got a solid “B” from me. Plenty to build on, but some really good work for a first show. We’ll have some clips for you on the HTV home page in the weeks ahead. See what you think. And yes, the ballet segment will be there.

Dance on.

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Yeah, we finished our first “HTV Magazine” on time. Met deadline, we did. Feeling our oats now. Got the first one in the can. Time to celebrate. Until, well, next class period.

We’ll watch the show as a staff on Monday, talk about what worked, what didn’t, then begin planning the next one. It’s like a team that wins its latest game–you enjoy success for a little while, but there’s always another game to prepare for, so you don’t bask in the glory for long. For that matter, there may be no “glory” for this first show of the year. Viewers may not like it. We might get the worst reaction of all, which is NO reaction.

What were the lessons learned as the 139th edition of our little magazine show was in production? First, we noticed our less-experienced reporters were a little shy on their voiceovers, or talked too fast. Confidence and practice will take care of a lot of that. Then we noticed some of the interview framing could have been better. Too much talking space, or not enough, or a few too many profiles.

The pacing of the stories was pretty good. The “news” content was decent. The topics were all over the map, which we like. Our audience is all over the map, with diverse interests and experiences.

We will do something extra to get viewer feedback on this first show. Since we won’t air it at school until Tuesday, we have plenty of time to find a couple of classes to fill out some forms for us, telling us what worked for them, and what didn’t.

You’d think a show that’s been on local cable access since 1989 would have a grip on what works, what doesn’t. But every year the staff puts its own stamp on HTV, and we think it’s important to see what connects with the easily-bored, often-fussy teen audience.

I’ll let you know how it goes.

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