Student-Run Broadcasts Are A Learning Experience

The video control room at Statesmen Stadium where OVP students make video magic happen.

Oskaloosa, Iowa – You might be sitting in front of your television watching the local high school sporting event on MCG Channel 7, or on your phone while on the go. Many folks may not think about how they got that content, but one group of students thinks about that often.

The Oskaloosa Video Production class at Oskaloosa High School offers students four years of video production class. Their senior year gets them college credit.

The program is over ten years old and has grown during that time from approximately 20 students to upwards of 65 students this year. “Over 30 of those students are first-year students. ”

“So I really rely on my kids in the second, third and fourth year to help mentor and teach the younger kids.” said Kim Gile, instructor for Oskaloosa Video Production (OVP).

Beyond those live sporting events, students create their own newscasts, and production of creative pieces sometimes used on social media to announce snow days and more.

Kim Gile has been leading OVP for over ten years now. She’s in the control room at the first student-run production of the year, just days after the school year started.

Gile said she had so many students excited to participate, she had to turn some away because there just wasn’t enough positions to put them all.

“They were so excited to get back at this and get back to putting their hands on the buttons, and our hands on the cameras.”, says Gile. “They feel so important when they do this. It’s just the neatest thing.”

Gile started learning the technology with the students twelve years ago, “and it’s just kind of grown exponentially since then.”

The experience gained in the OVP program has helped some students land jobs in the industry.

OVP students run the broadcast from control room just off the gym at Oskaloosa High School.

Gile talks about a former student that called her from the Super Bowl, an event they were working at. They now film PGA tournaments and Mecum car auctions. Another student travels the world and freelances for networks like ESPN.

Inside the control room, students are picking the shots from the various camera angles, and transitioning the various graphics you see on the screen, as well as taking the broadcast in and out of the commercials.

“It’s funny. The kids all think that it’s easy peasy, and then they get there, and they’re all nervous wrecks,” said Gile. “So it’s nice to get their feet wet.”

“It’s really nice to have those older students that can stand right next to them and help them, tell them it will be fine,” Gile added.

Gile loves the excitement the students have. “They’re not afraid of the technology, which is awesome, because some people are. They get right after it. They want to learn. They’re not afraid to try something or ask questions, or say can we do this better. The best thing is when they learn something, and they can teach me. They think that’s pretty cool, and so do I.”

The Indians Network is a partnership of the Oskaloosa Video Production class, the Oskaloosa School District, Mahaska Communication Group, Thunder County KIIC, and Oskaloosa News.

Broadcaster Jamie Brockman is one of those professionals brought on by the partnership to help provide play-by-play and work with students, helping to develop their skills in broadcasting.

Brockman has been in radio broadcasting since 1993, but video is fairly new to him. “I’m amazed at the high tech equipment these kids are running. It’s not easy, and these kids are doing an amazing job — what an amazing opportunity for them. I wish I had the chance to learn this type of production when I was in school.”

Early in the season, Brockman credits the students for maintaining a good line of communication with him during the broadcasts, relaying messages, and counting down to the end of commercial breaks.

“The camera operators do a great job capturing the action as well. I’m honored to be back on the mic as the voice of the Indians, but I’m just the voice, the students organize, run, film, direct and produce everything you see on your screen. I can’t provide much knowledge to the kids as far as the production goes, so I learn from them on that end, but I hope I can pass some knowledge on to them as far as broadcasting goes from my experiences.”

Drew Ruggles, one of Giles students who now works as a freelance video engineer for various networks, primarily for ESPN and Fox, spoke with Oskaloosa News about his experience with the OVP project.

“My path towards TV began back in 2005 with the formation of OVP, said Ruggles to Oskaloosa News. “After being a part of the first class to complete all four years of the OVP program, a few of us went to Penn to help with their newly formed program.”

“For me, being a part of both programs during their infancy allowed for a lot of autonomy. Being given that freedom to play, create and learn, I feel, has been instrumental in my career. Every week I’m working a different show with different equipment that I may have never seen before and am expected to implement. Approaching those challenges with that same playfulness and hunger to learn is something that looking back I can directly attribute to my time in OVP.”

“The success of the program and indirectly my success is due to Kim Gile. It’s difficult to express my gratitude, but Kim has been one of the most influential people in my life, and it’s hard to think where I’d be without her and OVP,” said Ruggles in closing.