As Seen on TV: New Canaan Students Hit the Airwaves

By Dave Ruden, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.

Feb. 20–NEW CANAAN — When Mallory McLean applied to be editor of New Canaan High School’s student newspaper last spring, she was surprised to be offered something else.

Faculty advisers Mike McAteer and Roman Cebulski asked whether she would like to run the school television station instead. For McLean, the answer was clear.

“They told me what they were looking for and offered me a lot of independence and creative license to make something great out of the program,” said McLean, a senior who has lived in five countries. “I said I would do it without a doubt.”

After a bumpy start — the debut show was shelved for poor quality — the 20 students who work on NCTV have made strides in a short time. Eight months after the first video was shot, they now produce 20-minute monthly airings, with bigger plans for the future.

“It has improved so drastically . . . Everyone has worked so well together, and that’s what makes a show,” said McLean, the executive producer and co-anchor.

NCTV’s most recent episode offered an update on construction at the school, a guide to throwing the perfect Super Bowl party, a behind-the-scenes look at the wrestling team and a comedic Valentine’s Day take on speed dating.

“I’m really very surprised and also very pleased with the way everything is progressing,” said Cebulski, who teaches TV broadcasting.

New Canaan decided two years ago to join Staples, in Westport, and Darien as high schools with their own television stations. Cebulski’s department head, Tom Smith, started the project, and they looked at schools in Florida and other places for ideas.

Cebulski last year helped raise money for a studio, cameras, an audio board, a public address system and lighting.

“The Board of Education in the school budget gave us some initial funds and then we raised close to $50,000 for the equipment we needed,” Cebulski said.

The first episode was completed in June, but no one outside the station saw it.

“It was the kids who decided not to let people see it. They were dropped in the middle of TV land without a map. By October, they had taught themselves to do it on their own,” McAteer said.

The students improved with experience, Cebulski said.

“They propose stories, the executive producer decides what to run and then assigns people to work on the stories,” Cebulski said. “The reporters go out with the people working the cameras, they capture footage and bring it back and they see what’s good and what they want to use.”

Running the station has become a labor of love.

“At first I was skeptical because I had never done it before,” said junior Ali Merrell, the features editor who worked on the school newspaper last year. “It was a challenge, but I am so happy I was given this opportunity. I’m shocked how much we’ve improved.”

Senior Peter Cherry started by shooting an interview. Now he is a co-anchor with McLean and a sports reporter who covered New Canaan’s state championship football team.

“This has been a lot of fun,” Cherry said. “I love the journalistic aspect as well as learning the different techniques of what makes a good visual.”

The students tapped into New Canaan’s many professionals in the broadcasting field.

Taylor Clarke, NCTV’s news editor, got speakers for a recent symposium, including Sean McManus, president of CBS News and Sports; Ken Schanzer, president of NBC Sports; and George Bodenheimer, president of ESPN.

Like most others on the staff, McLean puts in many hours outside of class. She spends about 10 hours a week editing scripts, compiling technical crews and keeping her finger on the pulse of the station.

“Mr. McAteer and Mr. Cebulski believe it should be a class by the students and give us a chance to fulfill leadership opportunities,” said McLean, who will attend Bucknell University next year and would like to pursue a journalism career. “My goal as executive producer is to help other people do their job as best they can.”

Staples is believed to have the longest-running school television station in the area, dating to the 1970s, media teacher Jim Honeycutt said. Staples airs three weekly 10-minute broadcasts each morning, a “Coach’s Corner” show, and oversees educational access television for the town.

Honeycutt said he expects the number of school television stations to increase.

“In the last 10 years, the cost for all of this has become so much more affordable,” he said.

Currently, NCTV productions can only be broadcast in certain parts of the school. But after a three-year renovation is complete in the fall, the plan is for more frequent productions that may be viewed in every classroom.

McLean said she envisions daily five- to eight-minute pieces in addition to the longer monthly shows.

“The construction is going to help the technology so much, so we have a lot more opportunity to distribute programming to more people,” she said.

Cebulski said the capabilities could go further.

“NCTV wants to be the channel dedicated to finding out more about students and what’s going on at the school,” he said. “We would like to be able to eventually extend into the entire community.”

—–

Copyright (c) 2007, The Stamford Advocate, Conn.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Business News.

For reprints, email tmsreprints@permissionsgroup.com, call 800-374-7985 or 847-635-6550, send a fax to 847-635-6968, or write to The Permissions Group Inc., 1247 Milwaukee Ave., Suite 303, Glenview, IL 60025, USA.