On Wednesday, January 21st, The AV Club went to a local broadcast news station WTAJ’s Studio 814 to film for the “Broadcast Now!” competition.
“Broadcast Now!” is a program that annually gives high school students an opportunity to learn more about life in a career at a local broadcast station. Students are given a structured timeline and guide for how to create their project. This year is Grier School’s first time participating in the competition. Maya Beckel, ‘26, says, “This has been a great opportunity to branch out and learn something new.”
The purpose of the trip to WTAJ on Wednesday was to film B-roll, or footage which will intercut interview footage. Students also interviewed multiple WTAJ personnel. “It was very cool to see the set and meet some of the people involved with it,” said Lydia Heller, ‘29.
Everyone who came on the trip had a different role in the interview process. Ella Daffron, ‘27, mentioned that her job was holding the light stick while interviews were conducted. Meanwhile, Violet Fisher, ‘27, was questioning interviewees to get insight on what they do and how their careers have adapted to modern times. Daffron spoke about how friendly and accepting the journalists were. “They didn’t mind a bunch of teenage girls just walking around,” said Daffron.
This was a great chance for the students to see what broadcast journalism looks like at the professional level. While Grier TV manages to produce their show in a one-room studio, Studio 814 at WTAJ had multiple rooms for every part of production. Also, as a high school AV club, Grier students are regularly running around to pull different sets together, while WTAJ had a more relaxed feeling. Daffron said, “They knew what to do.”
The AV Club is looking forward to submitting their piece. The group is proud of the effort they have put into making their first project outside of Grier School. “This was the first time anyone has done something like this,” Beckel said, and I am very happy with how things are going.”
The AV Club will also be participating in the Student Television Network Contest for Broadcast Excellence. They will be submitting their two-minute piece for “Broadcast Now!” upon completion of the editing process. “For this competition, getting viewer interaction is very important, so we’d appreciate all the support,” Beckel said. We know the whole Grier community will lend their support as our AV club continues to find new avenues of excellence.
