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| New Games Attract a Crowd | ||
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| At "Game Stop" on South Glenstone, things were hopping as midnight approached. It was all for the sake of a video game, as a couple of hundred people lined up to be among the first to purchase "Halo 4," on of the season's hottest releases. On the latest edition of "HTV Magazine," reporter John Harmon and photographer Zayne Williams worked the late shift to catch up with the gamers who waited in cold weather, some for as long as six hours, to make sure they got the new Halo game as soon as the store opened up for sales. The holiday shopping season is crucial to retailers, whose years can be made or broken by the sales during November and December. They find a lot of new traffic |
at the door when things are going well. "We see a shift in our demographic of customers," said Game Stop District Manager Dash Singleton. "A lot more are casual customers who are gift givers that show up, people who we normally don't see in our stores." The popular Halo game was the main attraction the night Harmon talked to people standing in line. "The previous games have all been great, so we couldn't wait for the new one to come out," said one college age fan. "It's a game I began playing with my cousin, so we just keep getting it, playing |
together," said another. There were customers who had been playing video games since they were as young as nine years old. Others were happy to share their belief in the superiority of Halo over "Call of Duty," among others. The story was aided by some clips from the game trailers, which show off many of the state-of-the-art graphics in the fast-paced games. The video game industry, as Harmon notes, is well over 75 billion dollars worldwide, and shows no signs of slowing. Top  |Home |
| KY3 Provides Great Field Trip | ||
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| The staff of HTV Magazine got to see how the professionals do it as they toured KY3 and watched the noon news live. Hillcrest graduate Steve Grant is the anchor of newscast, and he talked to some of the students about starting at KY3 back in the mid-70s when he was just two years out of high school. Then Grant surprised the HTV group by asking them to come be on the set at the end of the show. "It was a great field trip. The icing on the cake was when Steve asked the staff to get on-camera with him for the end of the show," said HTV adviser Dave Davis, who was also on the set during the close. |
The tour included a visit to the newsroom, the control room, and a look at the behind-the-scenes staff that keep everything on the air, 24/7. Several students sat in the control room for part of the show to see what it was like for those directing, running audio, and punching up live graphics. Others sat near the green screen where Brandon Beck did the weather. There were several opportunities to sit on the set or get behind a studio camera for a photo op, and just about every HTVer took advantage of it, with cell phones taking plenty of pictures. |
HTV Magazine is not a live newscast, so seeing how the news is done live provides great insight, according to Davis. His only negative about the trip? "Ashley Reynolds, our former HTVer, does not work on Mondays," said Davis. Reynolds is a reporter at KY3, but she works Wednesday through Sunday. "It's always great when she reminds the kids she started where they are, working on HTV at Hillcrest." Top |Home |
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| The profile of the new staff of HTV Magazine is much different from last year's group. The 2011-12 staff included 14 seniors with a ton of experience in broadcasting. This year's crew has four returners and 14 first-time staff members. "I am excited because we will get to see this year's staff grow and learn so much," said veteran adviser Dave Davis. "Our first show will be HTV number 201, so it's a chance to kind of change some things, add some new touches." Led by News Director Breanna Feemster, and third year broadcasters Kaley Prier, |
Lexi Bryan and Ryan Lindsey, the team taking over the nation's oldest high school newsmagazine has already made some decisions about small tweaks viewers can expect. "We have a pretty good idea how we will open the show, and it won't be like most HTV openings," said Prier. Davis says the stories posted on the assignment board reflect a lot of variety, and potentially could yield a great first effort. "They are in the 'work phase' now. The brainstorming is pretty much over, and if they bring in all the elements they are |
talking about, it will be a nice opener for us," Davis said. The show will debut at Hillcrest on September 26. The program will be anchored by Savanna Steffen and Caleb Boston, both hosting for the first time. "It's going to be a great year. I feel like we are focusing on more serious topics than we have been lately, and that is where we have always been our best," Davis said.. Top |Home |
| Banquet Provides Laughter and Tears | ||
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| It was the biggest Hillcrest Media Banquet ever, with 200 current and former students and parents in attendance. After dinner in the HHS student center, the event moved across the street to the Recital Hall at CBC, where the program started with awards, and ended with a milestone. Hosts Lexi Bryan and Ryan Lindsey helped oversaw the first half of the evening as honors were handed out in 28 categories, including awards for Media I, Broadcast I, "The Weekly" and "HTV Magazine" student producers. Along the way, three new members of the HTV Hall of Fame were introduced. Andrew Edwards, Ali Randolph, and Ashley Reynolds all expressed thanks to adviser Dave Davis and the HTV program in general, often with emotion. Each received thunderous ovations from the capacity crowd. The night concluded with the much-anticipated, first-ever screening of the 200th edition of "HTV Magazine," a 47-minute program that traced the beginnings of the show in 1989 when 65 students started broadcasting at Hillcrest. Shout-outs of congratulations were interspersed throughout the program, which included hundreds of clips from the |
HHS Morning Announcements, The Friday Show, the Buzz-A-Thon, and HTV Magazine. The most-honored staffer for the night was senior Brad Thomas, who took home six awards, including the staff-voted Best Anchor. Paulina Doran was named Photographer of the Year, and Jessica Larson was chosen Reporter of the Year by her peers. Larson and Sarah Thomas received scholarships from the HTV Alumni Association. Alumni Coordinator Lori Collier said the group decided to give the main prize to Larson, and a second scholarship to Thomas due to the closeness of the judges' results. "We had to add extra judges to help us determine a winner, it was so close," said Collier. Larson walked away with a check for $1,000 dollars, and Thomas received $500 dollars, all from donations by past HTVers. Dave Davis, long-time HTV adviser who will retire at the end of this school year, was surprised by Jared Moore, a member of the 1995-96 HTV staff, who flew in from Salt Lake City to present a special award to the only person to ever teach broadcasting |
at HHS. An engraved plaque declared Davis, "The Greatest Teacher Ever." In addition to the plaque, the HTV Alumni Association presented Davis and wife Martha with special gifts. HTV News Director came on stage to give the couple gift coupons from the current staff. While he will officially retire, Davis has agreed to stay on for two more years on a part-time basis to oversee HTV Magazine. Sheridan Turner, currently an HHS English teacher, will begin teaching the other broadcast classes next fall. "I cried twice," said Sarah Thomas. Alumnus Rae Snobl also said she shed a few tears as HTV 200 rolled by. "We just had a great night, one I will always look back on with a smile," said Coach Davis. HTV #200 started with a skit produced by Chandler Reed and the current HTV staff as they flashed back to what the first HTV pitch meeting looked like in the fall of 1989, when stories about the North Town Mall and cruising on Kearney Street were suggested. Top |Home |
| Three to Receive Highest Honor | ||
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| For members of the HTV Magazine staff, the highest honor they can receive can only happen after they graduate from Hillcrest. That is when they become eligible for the HTV Hall of Fame, and three new inductees have been announced. Ashley Reynolds, a 2003 graduate, will be joined by Andrew Edwards and Ali Randolph, both members of the class of 2011, for induction at the annual Hillcrest Media Banquet on May 11. HTV News Director Morgan Wilson had the privilege of signing letters to the three honorees, who will be featured in video retrospectives of their careers at the banquet. "We are excited for all three, and it will be so fun to see them have a big moment they've earned," said Wilson. Randolph and Edwards were highly-honored seniors last spring, and both had huge impacts on the show. "Ali was just a strong reporter, could shoot well, anchor, an definitely knew how to |
find a great story," said adviser Dave Davis. Randolph also served as a field producer on the 2011 HTV Southern Swing Bus Tour. Edwards was already a great still photographer when he picked up a camcorder his junior year. "He made the transition to video so well, and he became a really strong editor and storyteller. He pretty much dominated the banquet last spring, winning more awards than anyone," Davis said. For Ashley Reynolds, it's been a bit longer of a wait, but that is nothing new to the HTV Hall of Fame. Davis noted there have been others inducted much later after their graduation. "We pride ourselves on being able to reward former students whose careers need a little more time and perspective to come into focus. And with Ashley, she has always been on the short list," said Davis. Reynolds was an RFK Winner her junior year, and has remained close to HTV as she has moved on to become a professional |
journalist, now at KY3 in Springfield after reporting in Kentucky. "More than anything with Ashley, she has been a constant resource for our kids, and for me. HTV proved to be one small, but important part of her career, and she has made a great impact on the program both during high school and now as a professional," Davis said. The banquet begins at 6 p.m. May 11 at Hillcrest. The program will be extra special this year, according to Wilson. "We will end the night with the first showing of HTV number 200. It should be a great time for everyone," Wilson said. Top |Home |
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