I am working on the Local News section of the class newspaper.
My article will be about the new TV studio, and students' and faculties' reactions to it.
I will interview the librarians and other faculty members in charge of the usage of the new studio, as well as students who regularly work on the morning show. I also plan to conduct a survey of classes to get a feel of how the student population feels about the expense and the usage of the state-of-the-art studio.
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What I Already Know
The cameras in the new studio cost several thousand dollars each, and there are also many professional-grade pieces of TV equipment, like sound boards and a teleprompter. The librarians are ultimately in charge of the studio, but several students know how to work all or most of the equipment. After getting a chance to see the new studio during a tour of the library, many students dubbed it "the biggest waste of money, ever." Others, however, were in awe of the cameras and other expensive equipment, and thought the studio was "really cool."
This TV studio is one of the most modern in the county. It consists of two rooms, separated by a sound-proof door. One room holds all of the "behind the scenes" equipment, such as the sound and light boards. The other room is where the announcers anounce. It has the three cameras, the teleprompters, and the tiny clip-on microphones for the announcers.
------------------------------------------------------------ Wow, you know a lot of information! I don't have any information for you. Great Job!~margaret Anton
>>> probably: how important really is it to pay for the tv studio and make it "state-of-the-art"? Isn't it better to spend the extra money on something that is more useful? (azalea)
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Sources and Questions
Mrs. Bruce, librarian in charge of the show
George Eichinger, student in charge of the show
Mr. Holloway, administrator in charge of the show
random students (SURVEY)
What kinds of equipment are in the new studio?
How much did the studio cost to build and equip?
Is there anything the studio is lacking/needs?
What are some special things we can do with the new
equipment?
Do you think the studio was worth it?
Are any steps being taken to improve the morning show?
SURVEY- What was your initial reaction to the studio?
Do you think it was worth it to spend that money on a television studio?
How can the morning show be improved?
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Interview #1
Bryan Terrill, 9th grade at McLean High School, McLean VA
January 16, 2002 7:30 p.m.
Have you seen the new television studio?
(Pacing around room, organizing desk, homework, etc:) Yes, during the tour of the library in my history class.
What was your first impression as you walked in?
(Thinks for a moment, replies:) It was spacious.
Anything else?
Yeah, it was clean.
Are you pleased with the morning announcements show?
(Cautious, not wanting to offend; Be honest; replies:) No, not really.
Why not?
They aren't creative enough, and there's no comedy I guess.
So how could the morning show be improved?
(Sits on bed:) I would prefer more of those Matt Bradshaw videos, and more blue-screen stuff, like how they put the announcers under a bridge or in a movie.
Can you make a guess at how much the studio cost?
(Surprised, really does not know, but willing to guess:) I don't know . . . $300,000?
What is your overall, final impression of the studio and the show, after having walked through it and seen the morning show?
The studio is really nice and it's going to be used a lot in the future. It feels like there should be more to the show than there is.
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Interview #2
Heather Tompkins, 11th grade, McLean High School, McLean VA
Is it correct to say that you are a technician in the new studio?
(Sitting in the school's theater, she knows I know the answers:) Yes.
What exactly do you do there?
I usually use a camera, but I did the teleprompter once or twice. I'm going to learn how to do use the sound equipment, too.
Are there many technicians?
Yeah, there are always six to eight people working, plus the announcers.
How did you get involved with the morning show?
I told the librarians last year that I wanted to help out, so they told me to talk to George [Eichinger], and he let me work on the show.
Do you enjoy what you do?
(Excited:) Yeah, it's a lot of fun, and I get to work with really expensive stuff!
Do you have any idea how much the new studio and its equipment cost?
Not really . . . I know the cameras cost a couple thousand dollars each, and there are three of them . . . I don't know, maybe $50,000. But it's just a guess.
Was the money well spent?
(Adamant, sure of her opinion:) Yes, I think so. We have one of the best studios in the county now, not the crappy one we were using last year!
Do you think the morning show is going well?
Yeah, I think it is.
Do you think other students enjoy watching it?
I hope so! I mean, I can see that sometimes it's better than other times, like it's more funny or with a video or something, but I think it's a good show. And it's very professional, too.
How about you, do you enjoy watching it?
(Adjusts in her creaky chair, sighs at the loud noise it makes:) Well, since I'm always in the studio, I get to watch it live, and it's pretty good. If we use the blue-screen, I can't see what's behind it, but we don't use it that much so it doesn't really matter. I think it's even funnier seeing the announcers act all crazy up close instead of on a monitor. It's hunky-dory!
Is there anything that would improve the show?
(Nods her head, replies:) More videos, we should use the blue screen more, and not have so many announcers. I think we should focus on a few main people, like last year. That way the school would get to know the people better, and it would probably be funnier too. But we're doing what we can to make it better now.
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After Delay New Television Studio Deemed “Really Nice”
As part of a long, stressful, and expensive construction, or rather, reconstruction project around the county, McLean High School was recently fitted with a brand new library. With it came a high-tech, state-of-the-art television studio, used to broadcast the school’s daily “WMHS Morning Show,” a short presentation of any announcements from clubs or other organizations at the school. In order to do this successfully, new, technologically-advanced equipment was ordered, and after a long delay over the summer, it finally arrived and is currently up and running.
The studio consists of two rooms separated by a large glass pane and a sound-proof door. One of these rooms, which is itself about as big as the studio used last year, contains three brand new, professional cameras, each costing several thousand dollars. There is also a teleprompter, an overhead lighting grid, and tiny clip-on microphones for the announcers to use.
The second room in the studio, also in itself approximately the size of last year’s studio, contains the confounding audio and light boards, a visualizer, and several small television screens, which enables those operating the boards to be able to see and hear what is being broadcast, as well as allowing them to see what each camera is focused on. In order to communicate between the two areas while the show is live on air, each camera is equipped with a hands-free headset, and there are three at the audio/visual board panel as well.
“Basically,” says George Eichinger, who is the student in charge of the show, “everything is just updated. Things are advanced.” Librarian and staff member in charge of the morning show Charlotte Bruce, agrees. “Things are a lot better now.”
There are, however, some slight problems with the new studio that still need to be worked out. The school is using a verdant Cox Communications system, and because of its novelty, some wiring throughout the building is faulty. This causes multiple classrooms to receive little or no reception from the studio. Also, the studio still lacks a real blue screen, which is what allows for scenery or a movie to be playing behind the announcers. “The screen is pretty much made of felt, which means the depth isn’t equally flat like it needs to be . . . You see a halo around the person in front of it,” confessed Eichinger.
However, despite these small kinks, the student body of McLean seems to have a generally positive opinion of the modern studio. Bryan Terrill, a freshman at the school, commented that “the studio is really nice, and it’s going to be used a lot in the future.” The equipment’s high price (estimated by Bruce at around $80,000) only put a small damper on opinions.
Some students feel that the money could have been better spent on other school needs. One student suggested “new uniforms for the sports teams,” for example. However, most are content with the newly-innovative morning show. One junior argued, “The sports teams get enough money as it is. This is something for the rest of us, as well as the athletes, to enjoy. And anyway, you can’t argue with the fact that that money made the morning announcements so much more fun to watch. It’s a great improvement. Money well spent!”
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My second story is for the Style section. I am going to write about fashion trends at McLean High School.
I plan to interview Stephanie Edwartoski, a student in the fashion marketing class; Doug Sloan/Ryan Caskie, who have very distict personal styles; and other students who dress in popular or nonconventional styles (ie-preppy, glam, etc).
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Interview #1
Stephanie Edwartoski, student in Fashion Marketing
Q: You are a student in the Fashion Marketing class at McLean, right?
A: Yeah, but there are actually students from a bunch of schools around the county.
Q: What exactly do you do during class?
A: Well, it's kinda funny, we don't do much at all. My teacher tells us to walk around the mall, because our classroom is in Tysons II, and talk to store managers to find the latest trends. We also read magazines to look for future trends.
Q: Do you see any of those trends at McLean High School?
A: Yeah, some of them. It's all in the different cliques. There are lots of preps, jocks, ganstas, and glam-girls here. Punk is pretty fashionable too. I see a lot of that.
Q: So you think a person's style has to do with who their group of friends?
A: (jokingly) Yeah, you know, all that peer pressure! Nah, but seriously, I mean, if all your friends dress preppy, you're probably gonna dress preppy too.
Q: How would you describe your own style? Do you try to stand out from the crowd at all?
A: Mine? I guess it's . . . kind of . . . gosh, I don't know. Maybe a combination of glam and preppy? Every once in a while I go all sporty, but since I'm not athletic at all I don't do that very often! I don't really try to stand out. I mean, I wear what I like, and if I stand out in it, I guess that's fine. But I don't make a point of it.
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