CTV. We all watch it before school, but what are the backstage jobs that go into making this fabulous broadcast? 

There are many important roles in CTV, with a current staff of eighteen students from grades 6th through 8th. There are the anchors, obviously, the people who you are seeing on-screen, but there are a whole host of other jobs that are just as vital behind the scenes: the audio board controller, the video switcher, the master of the Mac, and the director, who runs the entire operation.

The audio board controller is the person that controls the sound input. From the moment that the music begins and the introduction plays to the hosts’ introduction and the pledge, the sound must be monitored and adjusted.  The controller has to switch to the first microphone, then back to the Mac for the intro, back to the microphone, and then turn all the audio off for the moment of silence. If there is a guest, then they have to switch to their audio, and then back to microphone one. It is certainly an important job, and it would be impossible to run CTV without it.

The video switcher is the one that controls what you are seeing. There are different video inputs, like the ones from the Mac and the cameras. The video switcher is the one that controls which one of these you are seeing. Whenever there is a guest speaker, they have to switch between the first camera and the second camera. Whenever they announce something and there is a graphic to go with it, they have to switch to the Mac and back. For the weather, they have to do the same. It is certainly an important job, and without it, the show would be severely limited to run.

The Mac Master is the one that controls the graphics and any videos that CTV runs, including the intro. When you see the weather, that is on the Mac. There is a google slide that is constantly updated with all of the necessary slides for the day. It is also responsible for the music you hear. It is very important, and CTV would be much worse without it.

All of these stations are very important to CTV, and it wouldn’t be able to function without them.

Last, but certainly not least, is the director.  Mr. Rogers is the director of the show. He has been running CTV for six years now, inheriting the position when he transferred over from the role of Technology Integration Specialist at Bedford Middle School. Along with running CTV, he also teaches 7th Grade Social Studies.

This is just a small part of what happens behind the scenes of CTV. Tune in to get the news you need!