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The LTV Project
Kidspeak interviews four students on the staff of LTV, a student-run daily television program that delivers school and community news, announcements, and current events to all of classrooms in the building. By Melissa Burgos Brown HPR*TEC |
 wo decades
ago, overcoming the barriers of communication within a school building would be
much more challenging than it is today. The greater availability of technology
has enabled schools to meet challenges using a wider variety of creative
strategies. L'Ouverture Technology Magnet School in Wichita, Kansas faced such a challenge when it
had no multi-purpose room or space to bring everyone together for an all-school
program. The staff solved its dilemma of having limited facilities by creating
LTV, an in-house cable program that reaches all of the classrooms in the
building. LTV includes a daily program with announcements, school and community
news, interviews with local community members, and promotional activities.
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 Alex, Logan, Jenny, and Katie stand in the library, where LTV is filmed each day. |
 ot only did L'Ouverture
solve its dilemma, but the staff used their solution as an opportunity to get students
involved. LTV is a student-run program designed for students to learn about
current events and improve their communication and technology skills in a fun and
creative environment. The staff consists of three teams of 10 to 15 students.
These tech-savvy students actually audition for their jobs as producer, director,
anchor, camera person, reporter, set-up crew, research staff, and graphics people. They
take their jobs very seriously. In fact, a requirement of the job is that they
maintain professionalism in their studies, they have to keep their grades up or
they'll get fired! This month, KidSpeak spoke with four members of the LTV staff
to learn more about the program and what they like about their jobs. |
 TV is a 20-minute program that is broadcast at 9:05 a.m. daily to all
of the classrooms at L'Ouverture. Logan, a fifth grader, is a director for LTV.
He talks about a typical morning on the LTV set. "We go to class and put our
stuff up and we meet in the library because that's where we do the show. We have
a three or four person set-up crew and they put the mics and everything together
... and we just kind of go over everything. The camera and graphics people come
in and make sure everything is running. Then I come in, the director, or whoever
it may be that day, and make sure everything is working and get everything
online. When the show is ready, we will say 'Quiet on the set!' and count down
5-4-3-2-1. At the same time we'll turn the volume on from the mics and the show
always starts 'Good morning L'Ouverture roadrunners!'" |
 The students pose with Ms. Fisher, the director of the LTV program. |
 lot of background work
goes on behind the scenes to produce LTV each day. Each student is responsible
for a different aspect of the show. For instance, each reporter is assigned a
different topic to research and report on. Liz Fisher, a para-educator with a
background in acting and film, works with the students in the LTV program. She
says that reporters are assigned to report on health and science, sports, school
events, community activities, entertainment news, and other special reports. When
there is late-breaking news in the community, LTV reporters also go out to the
scene and report on it along with the local TV stations!
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 e asked the students how
they get ideas for the show. Alex, a fourth grader, is a graphics person for the
show and explained how they go about it, "We have an LTV suggestions box and
other kids from the school will put in suggestions sometimes." Students put in
suggestions about guest interviews, features they would like to see, and school
news. They also get ideas from the newspapers, and TV. The first step to getting involved in LTV is the audition. The auditions are held once each year and students are interviewed by a panel consisting of Craig Bright, principal; Liz Fisher, director of the LTV program; and three directors of the show, who are fifth grade students this year. The interviewing team evaluates student auditions in: personality, voice (good volume, clear speech), facial expression, choice of reporting material, and comprehension of reporting material. |
| ccording to Liz, LTV is an
opportunity for students to build their scholastic and academic skills such as
vocabulary, public speaking, field interviewing, and the ability to meet strict deadlines.
Everyone has to be ready to roll by the time the bell rings. Students are
required to move and function as a real team, each individual being responsible
for an integral part of the show. Thus, the LTV experience teaches students a lot
about cooperation and sharing. Students are also expected to be aware of what is
going on in the community and the country so that they don't miss important
events that should be covered on LTV. It is a big responsibility! |
 n the technical side, Katie, a fourth grade camera
person, explains that you have to learn quite a bit to keep the
equipment running smoothly. "Sometimes it can be complicated, if there's like a
problem, if we lose a camera or if it's not connected right or something. It
depends on what position you're playing" says Katie. According to Craig Bright,
students get experience with many aspects of technology such as sound equipment,
monitors, computers, and cabling. They are expected to understand how to run and
operate everything from the operation of a camera to
running the graphics on the computer.
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| iz and the experienced
student directors of the show conduct workshops to train students on the various aspects
of their jobs. Depending on their position, students learn leadership and
management skills, public speaking and communication, technical skills, Internet
research, and interviewing skills. Jenny, a fourth grade student who is an anchor, spends most of her time before the show looking over the materials she will be reporting on. She says her job is not quite as complicated as the technical staff's, "If you are going to be a host, all you have to do is get on camera and do your best." She also mentioned that after this experience, she might want to be an anchor on a newscast when she gets older, but her main goal is to grow up to be an astronaut and go to Mars. |
| ther students who are not on the LTV staff at L'Ouverture also get a
chance to be involved in the show. Two kindergarten students are chosen each day
to lead the Pledge of Allegiance at the end of the show. There are also special
programs such as a special feature last year called the Heritage Panel. A group
of high school students came to the building to talk to students about ethnic diversity
and were featured on LTV. The LTV reporters then went
out to each classroom to field questions and bring them back to the panel. That
type of all-school function would not have been possible without LTV. We asked the students about some of the special reports they have enjoyed. They mentioned their most recent field interview where an LTV camera crew and reporters went out to cover Governor Graves while he was visiting Riverside Elementary School in Wichita. The LTV reporters and crew got to go with the press entourage and follow him through the building and film him. He even granted them the first questions of the interview. They were able to put their coverage on LTV and they had a lot of fun with it. |
| his year, the show has a new format and is adding the position
of producer to the LTV staff. Each day of the week there will be a special report
on a specific topic in a category such as; health and science, what's hot/what's
not, and weekly news updates. Each reporting category will have a producer who
works with the reporters assigned to that segment. The producer will be
responsible for facilitating the preparation of the weekly segment in advance.
Producers will keep a calendar of which topics will appear on which dates and
will manage the writing, research, and organization of each feature. Students
complete the writing, research, and practice for the show both during school
hours and on their own time. We asked the staff if they had any advice for a school wanting to start an in-school TV program of their own. Logan said, "I think it's a good idea to have workshops and just work with your people. Do a few shows and get used to it and I think it will be good. It also takes real commitment and these kids are really committed." The students all agreed that the fun atmosphere motivated them to work hard and work together as a group to produce a quality show. |
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