The City of Keene's only local television news program, KSC-TV News, is run by journalism students at Keene State. Each week, armed with news reports and a script, the student broadcasters take their places in the control room and on the set to produce the show.

Since it first aired in 1989, KSC-TV News has interviewed numerous presidential candidates (Bill Clinton, Robert Dole, Joe Lieberman, and John Kerry) and celebrities (Sharon Stone), and has produced features on news story that concern students, such as the New Hampshire presidential primaries, housing in Keene, tuition fees, and student celebrations of the Red Sox World Series victory. The news show also runs human interest features, such as a recent item on the College's ghost stories.

Working on KSC-TV News, the show produced by news classes at Keene State, is a mix of exhilaration, stress, teamwork, planning, last-minute problems and solutions. It's also an experience, say some of the students who've worked on the show, that has convinced them to pursue broadcast journalism as careers.

Lights, camera, action!

"The first time I worked in the studio was probably the most stressed I've been in my life," says Katie Dominello. "I had a mentality that if I screwed up the entire show would be ruined. But as the year goes on I gained more confidence in my abilities. Now, doing the broadcasts, I just sit and enjoy it and I learn something every week.

The key to a good program, says Cara O'Brien, is teamwork. "If people weren't willing to pull their own weight and work together, it would never work. It is a total team effort."

"I loved being the director," says Lindsay Blakey. "I had control of what aired when and had to make sure I had all the cues right. When we visited N.H. Public Television, I was in awe of the director, and decided that it was something I wanted to do after I graduated."

"I would like to be a reporter or producer someday, so any type of experience that I can get in front of the camera is beneficial," says Alison Thompson. "During the baseball playoffs, I decided to do a report on the KSC celebrations and campus reaction. Lindsay Blakey and I went out during a 'celebration' and taped the reaction. It was a little scary at times because students would rush at the camera, but I thought it was a really important story to tell and worth the effort." Alison, who taped a story about KSC's ghost stories, was also interviewed by a Discovery Channel film crew for their "Haunted Campuses" show.