New media class puts PHS morning annoucements on TV

Petaluma High School’s morning announcements are now Petaluma High School’s morning newscast.

Petaluma’s new broadcast media class has gone into the telecast business, using content from the school’s daily bulletin to produce a morning news show that is accessed by the LCD televisions available in most campus classrooms.

English teacher Jonathon Knox’s media class produces the program, which is posted on the class’ own channel (Trojan Media) on YouTube. The process works well, but there is a glitch. Access to YouTube is blocked on school-issued iPads. However, teachers have been shown a way to bypass the filter system to allow them to show the production on their classroom televisions. Since the programs are instantly archived, students are able to access them on their personal computers.

Knox acknowledges that there are a few students who do miss the live performance. “We are still struggling with the PE department,” he notes.

Students do all the work, from writing scripts, to running equipment, to providing graphics, to serving as on-air personalities. They rotate in different roles.

And, they learn to work on deadline. They go live at 8:30 every morning and have to have everything ready to go by 8:17 a.m.

Knox says “there are a few kinks that need to be worked out, but things are going well. The students seem to be more engaged” with the daily information.

“Having students produce a live television show has long been a dream of mine,” says Knox, an English teacher and school drama teacher. He has a background in theater and acting and also has worked in television.

He began a film class at Petaluma, and last year four students from that class entered a TV broadcasting competition. In its first competition, the Petaluma team not only won regionals, but finished third in the state.

The success of that group led Knox to propose a school class. He won approval from both the Petaluma City Schools Board and the Sonoma County Office of Education. The only problem was funding.

The new class, which meets during the 0 period, an extra-elective period that meets prior to the official start of school, needed equipment.

Especially needed was a TriCaster, a product that, according to Wikipedia, merges live video switching, broadcast graphics, virtual sets, special effects, audio mixing, recording, social media publishing and web streaming into an integrated portable and compact appliance.

A Tricaster was vital - and expensive. According to Knox, even a used Tricaster can cost as much as $10,000.

Knox was able to find what he needed, a reliable Tricaster that was originally used at USC, at an affordable price through a third-party clearing house for video equipment.

The studio itself was set up in the summer in a school classroom by Knox with the help of friend Dan Hess, a filmmaker and engineer.

Knox says one of the keys to the project was enthusiastic student Matt Kalema. “He is awesome,” the teacher says of the student. “He really motivated me.” Kalema also is a “Tricaster expert,” according to Knox.

Kalema is one of 27 students in the class, and Knox says all are not only enjoying the class, but are dedicated to making it a success. “They are great students,” he says. “They have great attitudes and so much energy.”

The students aren’t the only ones enthused over the project. “I’m the luckiest teacher around. I’m having so much fun,” Knox says.