What Goes on Behind the Morning Broadcast?

By Shayla Fukunaga

Staff Writer

Equipped with pre-production equipment, Mrs. Obregon’s video production class uses Konawaena’s broadcast room to keep students on campus up-to-date. Planning, coordination, execution, and editing all go into the production of the broadcast. They film from 11:35-12:50, starting with a rehearsal that’s closely monitored by Mrs. Obregon to ensure everything runs smoothly and ending with the final recording which is meticulously edited before being available to the campus.

 So it begs the question, who is behind the broadcast? Mrs. Obregon has been managing the broadcast for 20 years and she collaborates with the hosts and editors (students from her video production class) in room G210 to plan and create the broadcast, ensuring Konawaena’s students stay informed. When something goes wrong, Mrs. Obregon mentions how it’s, "(...)more often than not are issues with the audio". She recommends future broadcast staff to watch podcasts, “So when you get in front of the camera, you create a personality because that’s what people remember; is your personality and what you bring to the story”

Skye Oyama is a member of the broadcast who not only hosts but also works the slides and edits the broadcast. He recommends future members to, “...Put a little bit of yourself into the broadcast”. He prefers working behind the scenes to create and edit the slides, specifically being able to ‘choose songs that he likes’. Apart from this, the sound effects and short piano pieces such as the happy birthday song during the ‘you share a birthday with’ slide are all done live while the hosts read out the slides; they're not added in after recording. 

  Although hosts follow the slides to know what to say, Mrs. Obregon comments on how she enjoys when students improvise, “I always like it when the unexpected happens and when something that was not in the script happens and it actually works”. However, Isabella Bowen, an active host on the broadcast who occasionally works behind the scenes to create the sound effects for broadcast (piano and drums) talks about how “the hardest part of broadcast is improvising”. She mentions video production/broadcasting being a fun and welcoming class and that she's made friends with multiple students despite usually shying away from doing so.

Mrs. Obregon, Skye Oyama, and Isabella Bowen are only 3 of many people who work behind the scenes to put together the broadcast. Behind the scenes, the broadcast is a community of students who are not only determined to keep the student body updated but also work together to ensure a welcoming and enjoyable environment.