(Marietta, Ga. – Sept. 29, 2014) Football in the South is a weekend tradition that turns people into virtual coaches from their couches and creates Monday morning quarterback discussions at the water cooler. Chattahoochee Technical College Television Production students are becoming a part of that conversation with a new partnership that has students taking the helm of the production of a new television show – Play to Win.
Airing Saturday’s at noon on WAGA Fox5 Atlanta, the half hour show previews the college and NFL games that are coming up and focuses on local teams including the SEC and ACC conferences. It also covers fantasy football projections and predictions of winners based on point spreads. The show includes commentary and reports by Bob Neal, an Atlanta sports veteran; Chuck Smith, a former Atlanta Falcons player; Nikky Williams, a local television personality; Adam Brown, who is new to the TV game; Jeffrey Schechter, analyst; and Dr. Anand Lalaji, who gives medical reports on injured players.
Chattahoochee Technical College Program Director and Instructor Ian Feinberg said he became involved when a colleague he had worked with at WXIA retired and wanted to start a sports talk show.
“He (Phil Isaacs) sold the air time to advertisers and bought the Saturday time slot at WAGA,” explained Feinberg. “He and the producer of the show, Steve Graham worked with me at WXIA. Steve is a very well-known sport producer in town.”
Along with a crew that includes about 15 students from Chattahoochee Technical College’s Television Production program, the group films at the college’s Mountain View Campus once a week. Students are performing many of the essential tasks of the production, including operating cameras, the video switcher, audio, video playback, and graphics. Additionally, students shoot some of the elements in the show such as a segment done at 680 The Fan radio.
The show, which is scheduled to run until the Super Bowl, has been a learning experience for the students. With a set donated by Comcast Sports South, the students helped Feinberg cut it down to size to fit the smaller studio at the campus in East Cobb County. There have also been late nights loading graphics and commercials before recording could take place. While plans have been to record the show early on Thursday mornings, the first few weeks have run over time. But so far the feedback from viewers has been great with the show in second place for the ratings during the first week. The professionals working on the show have also commented that the students have been doing a great job.
“This is more than just a project for the students,” said Feinberg. “It is on broadcast television. This provides two crucial benefits. It adds credibility to their resume and provides real world experience.”
Offered at Chattahoochee Technical College’s Mountain View campus in Cobb County, the television production technology program allows students to learn the behind-the-scene skills necessary to produce TV news, documentaries and entertainment shows. They learn to operate cameras in the studio and in the field, as well as production, directing, writing, lighting, editing, audio, graphics and digital-animation skills. The program strives to stay current with the industry’s state-of-the-art equipment, including a modern, on campus studio that offers students the opportunity to use the tools they need for the job. Graduates of the program have a wide variety of job opportunities in the television production field in the areas of video, audio, lighting, animation, and non-linear editing.