Wednesday I got an email from Logan’s COVA teacher asking for any more last-minute volunteers for a scheduled tour of our local CBS news station on Thursday morning. How could I refuse? Field trip!

We arrived a bit early and met the other COVA family we were to do the tour with. Three other families called in sick, so it was just us.

The kids all waited patiently (and quietly) in the lobby, while a bevy of waiting business people made a big ruckus with their chatter and banter. We were glad to see them ushered past the “gatekeeper” after hearing them carry on and on for ten minutes! Soon enough it was our turn to be let into the mystical confines.

Our first stop was a big board of News4 Employees. Some of the kids and adults recognized the on-air personalities… anchors, weather people, sportscasters. Next, we got to see the News4 Weather Center where local weather god Ed Green sits to educate us about upslopes, downslopes, Doppler radar, and record winter snowfalls.

We were then whisked into the newsroom, where we got to see reporters scurrying about, hovering over police scanners, computers, TV’s of every size and shape… not to mention their competitor’s news feeds!

Then, we were led downstairs to the magical control room, where all of the video and audio gets patched, mixed, captured, and edited. A very nice (and supremely patient) gentleman at the video control board let the kids play with the faders and buttons. Naturally, I spent way too much tour time picking his brain about video, editing, and HDTV. The kids just wanted top know, “what does that button do?”

We were then led downstairs to the grand finale… the studio. While I ogled the cameras, monitors, lighting, and set design, the tour guide explained to the kids how the newscast works. Who sits where, who does what. How the magic happens.

Soon enough, the tour was over… and we were back on the street, blinking in the daylight of reality. For a few moments, the kids got to reach into the other side of the TV tube… and hopefully walk away with a little knowledge of the “magic” of newscasting.

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This entry was posted on Friday, March 9th, 2007 at 12:05 pm and is filed under family, photos, travel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.