At Grosse Pointe South High School, students run their own TV program called Grosse Pointe Television (GPTV). Inside the studio, they work hard to bring news to their peers by producing the program.
GPTV is inside South’s semester-long TV Production class offered to all students and is taught by GPTV advisor Steve Geresy. Everyday, students write scripts, prepare music and operate cameras in order to create a smooth run of the daily news each morning.
“TV and Production started as a club here at Grosse Pointe South in 1987, back then we were down in the basement where the fitness center is, (and) we spent our time down there until we officially became a class in 2007,” Geresey said. “We’ve inspired both high schools to introduce the program, as well as some of the middle schools. It’s outstanding to see just how far we’ve come in broadcast journalism here at South.
There are many positions offered for TV Production: whether it’s running a camera, becoming a news anchor or directing, students have great impact into what goes into the production. The longer that a student takes the course, the more responsibilities and roles the student can take on. TV Production as a whole takes place during second hour with every version of the course. After the first segment in TV Production, students begin to produce the daily news program. Whether it’s importing a graphic for a bit, audio for a transition or directing the daily news, there are plenty of roles that anybody could fit into. Rebecca Roberts ‘24 is one of the directors for GPTV news.
“TV Production is a lot of fun; it’s a great class to take,” Roberts said. “You get to learn a lot about the news and when you’re not doing it you’re either editing videos or writing scripts. Being the director is a big responsibility, you have to work with all aspects of what goes into a news broadcast. In my past years I have switched cameras, and others have other jobs, like managing audio or showing a transcript.”
To start the news, information is sent in from various clubs, teachers and administrators to inform students of new updates at our school. These pieces of information are then formed into a script that is read out everyday. Audio editors choose what audio is used for the transitions and video operators switch the cameras that are shown on screen. On the day of production, news anchors read out the script produced for the day, and sometimes improvise their own bits of comedy. When production is finished, the video is uploaded and sent out to all teachers at Grosse Pointe South to be shown during third hour.
“It’s important to keep yourself involved at South and doing the announcements has been a great way to do that,” Roberts said. “(TV Production) offered a lot of knowledge and provided a computer and art credit for graduation. I have met a lot of my friends taking this course and have made a lot of memories.”
