Students will operate their own cable access channel

Broadcasting students at the Cape Girardeau Career and Technology Center have been learning lessons in filming, editing, directing and producing since September.

While the students have made a lot of clips and public service announcements for class, the only things they've produced and been able to watch from home have been school board meetings on Charter Communications public access Channel 5.

That will change at 6 p.m. Thursday, when the district starts broadcasting educational news, announcements and programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week on its own cable access Channel 23.

Part of the programming will be student produced, directed and edited talk shows with various members of the community, including Mayor Jay Knudtson, fire chief Mike Lackman and Area Wide United Way executive director Nancy Jernigan.

Randy McWilson, who teaches the broadcasting class at the CTC, said most of the time the channel will display informational items and announcements like the public access channel, but other programs, like talk shows, chat sessions and eventually live sporting events, will be shown as well.

"The dream of having a broadcast program in the district goes back several years," McWilson said.

Avid interest

He said the opportunity to broadcast educational programming from the CTC benefits the district as well as the students, who will be getting hands-on experience editing film using Avid Systems software.

McWilson said Avid software is used to edit 93 percent of national television each year.

"CBS, NBC and ABC all use Avid," he said. "My students are getting trained on same thing so when they go out into the real world they will be ready to edit right away."

That experience has students and parents excited.

"It's awesome to have this kind of experience," said junior Destiny Culver. "We're going to have something to show when we get out of school to say we can do this already."

Dan Bowlin's daughter, Laura, is in the afternoon broadcasting class at the CTC.

"I think it gives them the edge up," he said. "It gives them just a natural confidence knowing what they're dealing with."

Thursday's broadcast will begin with a 15-minute video entitled "The Best is Yet to Come," which highlights where the district has been and where it plans to go in the future, including moving into the new high school on Silver Springs Road.

Immediately following the video will be two half-hour programs featuring outgoing superintendent Dan Steska and incoming superintendent Mark Bowles.

"These will be two special episodes of Tiger Time," said McWilson. "The first will have Dr. Steska and Mr. Bowles talking abut the transition of all of the buildings throughout the school year and over the summer. The other is a sort of passing of the torch from Steska to Bowles. People will really get to know Mark Bowles."

'It's cutting edge'

Linda Leverich can't wait to watch. Her son, Tim, has been taking the class and helping with the production of some of the shows.

"I'm excited for him," she said. "I think it's a great experience for them, and I don't think I know of any other school anywhere close to Cape that's offering this. It's cutting edge."

The district began offering radio and television broadcasting at the high school in fall 2000.

When the Career and Technology Center opened last fall, with a full-size production studio, three private editing rooms, five additional editing stations and a large storage room, the class was moved there.

"We had a very humble beginning -- in the old in-school suspension room at the high school," said McWilson. "We now have about 10 times that amount. It feels good not to turn around and bump into something."

Capped enrollment at 30

McWilson teaches the three-hour class twice a day Monday through Friday.

Last year, 12 students took the class. This year, 23 are taking the class. And McWilson said they've already had to cap next year's enrollment at 30.

He said the students who are enrolled to take the class next year are coming from six different school districts, including Eagle Ridge, Notre Dame, Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Oak Ridge and Scott City.

Michael Brawley won't be one of them. He's graduating at the end of the month.

But Brawley said the experiences he has had in McWilson's class has made him want to get involved in broadcasting as a student at Southeast Missouri State University in the fall.

"A lot of people haven't had any of this experience, so we're already ahead of them," he said. "This is our foot in the door."

hkronmueller@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 128

WANT TO WATCH?

The inaugural broadcast of the Cape Girardeau School District's education programming station will be at 6 p.m. Thursday on local cable access Channel 23.

More education news, Page 14B