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Light Rain Grooming the next generation of journalists
Lawrence Woodmere Academy campers get television broadcast experience
The Lawrence Woodmere Academy Day Camp has sought to provide campers with fun and diverse ways to spend their summer, since 1978. As summers passed the camp has added sports and creative arts programs to fit the children’s varied interests.
This year, Sue Aller and Gary Licker, two experienced broadcast journalists, who work together to make up Sue Solution TV News Camp, were brought in to teach the kids what it takes to be a reporter on television.
Aller’s background is in television reporting and she is the traffic reporter for WCBS FM’s morning show with Scott Shannon and News Radio 880. Licker actually taught Aller when she attended New York Institute of Technology.
To defray the cost of sending her four children to sleepaway camp, Aller devised a novel solution. She contacted the camp director and worked out a deal where she taught the children what she knew and edited together a video of the interviews they recorded.
Aller approached LWA’s camp director Barbra Feldman this year with the idea of giving the kids something new to try. “Every year I try to come up with something new, different and that broadens the opportunities for the children here,” Feldman said, “[Sue] was able to offer our kids an artistic, creative approach to current media.”
In previous years Aller worked as the theater director at LWA. “I did a week [this year] with the CCA (Center for the Creative Arts) kids, and then Barbra said why don’t you come back and work with an individual group… and then at the end well put it together and put a little news program together,” Aller said.
A group of more than a dozen young boys sat in a circle as Aller explained the rules of TV news reporting. She then helped them write questions and gave them pointers, as Licker recorded them interviewing counselors.
After interviewing Brian Klein, one of the camp’s counselors and bus drivers, Michael Portella, 10, of Howard Beach said he wanted to do it because, “I thought it would be a fun exercise and I always wanted to be on TV.” He said he was surprised how much work it was for even a 10-second clip.
Another camper/TV interviewer, Kyle Schultz, 10, of Merrick said, “We learned that it takes a lot of work to be a reporter, and probably a lot of practice too.”
A few boys expressed interest in being a reporter when they grow up, but most stayed noncommittal. They’ll have plenty of time to find out if they do want to pursue that path as Aller and Licker will be coming in to work with them for the next three Fridays.
For more information on Sue Solution TV News Camp go to https://gjlicker.wixsite.com/website.
