PRESS RELEASE -- Spring 2025:
BEC-TV WINS NATIONAL PRODUCTION AWARD
BEC-TV student volunteers will be recognized with a national award for one of their sports productions this summer.
The Alliance for Community Media has announced that BEC-TV will receive its Hometown Media Award for student-led sports coverage.
The winning entry was the “Battle of Bloomington” Jefferson vs. Kennedy Boys Hockey game. Awards will be presented later this month in Boston, MA. The Student Producer for that game—and for the entire hockey season—was Jefferson 9th grader Thomas Fyler.
Guided by BEC-TV staff Paul Fourniea and Tom Ringdal, Fyler led a production team made up of students from all Bloomington high schools and middle schools. Together, they covered both Kennedy and Jefferson boys’ and girls’ hockey games throughout the season.
The live productions featured six cameras, replays, interviews, and more. Lead BEC-TV announcer Josh Powers has been calling hockey games for the Jaguars and Eagles for 25 years.
While BEC-TV productions have earned several regional honors, this marks the organization’s first national award.
BEC-TV (Bloomington Educational Community Television) is part of Bloomington Public Schools, but operates entirely through outside funding and donations. Participation is free for students in grades 7–12.
For 50 years, BEC-TV has partnered with Bloomington schools and students to produce and air more than 30,000 programs. Viewers can watch via stream, cable, Apple TV, Roku, and on-demand at www.bectv.org.
PRESS RELEASE -- Spring 2025:
Jefferson Senior Lucas Krieg named Midwest "AV All-Star" by Emmy Foundation
Each spring, the Midwest Emmy Foundation selects one “AV All-Star” — a student from across the Midwest who exemplifies leadership and excellence behind the scenes in live video production.
This year, BEC-TV volunteer Lucas Krieg, a senior at Jefferson, has been honored with the award.
Krieg was nominated by longtime BEC-TV director Tom Ringdal.
Over his seven years with BEC-TV, Krieg has worked on more than 200 productions. He also served as Student Producer for Kennedy and Jefferson’s live football coverage, as well as the Inside Football weekly coaches program. Both productions have previously received Crystal Pillar awards from the Emmy Foundation.
“Lucas is the last student we have who started with us before the pandemic,” said Ringdal. “Those years were tough, as we needed to drastically increase our live event coverage when fans weren’t always allowed in venues. As a middle schooler, Lucas was front and center as we learned how to produce remotely using robotic cameras to keep everyone safe.
“He continued on to become one of our most reliable student leaders. While there are many fantastic students doing live programming across the five-state area, I’m convinced Bloomington is blessed with the best of the best. I’m thrilled that the Emmy Foundation has chosen Lucas for this award.”
This marks a striking fifth year in a row that a BEC-TV student has been recognized with this honor.
BEC-TV (Bloomington Educational Community Television) is celebrating its 50th year as part of Bloomington Public Schools. The program is open to students in grades 7–12. Learn more at www.bectv.org.
At this summer's BEC-TV Family Picnic we brought back the BEC-TV Tech Awards.
We hadn't done our own awards since before the pandemic!
Congrats to this year's recipients:
Hailey Schwain: Rookie of the Year
Ian Ries: Rising Star
Brayden Kinney: Spirit of BEC
Thomas Fyler: Tech Choice Award (This one is selected by peers)
Many thanks to Em for these beautifully crafted, handmade trophies!
Last, but not least-- we missed sharing a great story the Bloomington Sun-Current did on BEC-TV in June of 2024. We're happy to share that with you now! Check it out here: Link to article