Through the Century Career Center, a program was started now known as Berry Broadcast. It is an advanced media class period from first through second and fifth through sixth instructed by Dave Packard. It follows the beginner class of Radio and TV that allows students to explore their passions in video and put them into full effect.
Students at Logansport High School have been exposed to the Berry Broadcast throughout their high school careers, yet many students do not know the work or effort put into each episode.
There are several stages in putting together an episode of Berry Broadcast. Every episode and every segment starts with an idea. Students in the class know the dates that episodes will air, and begin to brainstorm what they want to do shortly. With a close look at current events, students mandate what they want to cover.
Not only does the Berry Broadcast report important local events, but students also get to explore their passions in the film industry. Students involved with the Berry Broadcast have a wide variety of segments they can pursue that still involve the joy of radio and television.
Senior Trajan Skinner is currently an intern for Packard’s class and has been involved with Packard’s Radio and Television class since his freshman year. Skinner currently hosts one of the segments on the Berry Broadcast, titled “Beat Around the Block,” covering all sorts of video game news.
“One of the biggest passions my whole life has to someday become a content creator,” Skinner said. “Even though I wish to someday become a teacher, I still aspire to become a content creator someday. Berry Broadcast, as well as the exploration of my own YouTube channel, allowed me to learn a lot over the years. My internship with Mr. Packard has added a mountain of value to my skill set.”
Packard continued the class and broadcast when he took over for the previous year’s teacher, Greg Allen, who continued the program from his predecessor, Greg Reed. The Berry Broadcast was not what it is today, even going under a different name, Felix News. The process to get to the point they’re at today took years.
Reed was originally a middle school music teacher until he left in 2002 to teach Radio and TV at the Century Career Center until 2009.
“We never really broadcasted any radio, but we did produce a whole variety of content,” Reed said. “We produced daily announcements, a cooking show with a chef from the hospital, a DIY show featuring teachers from the Century Career Center and a show with the superintendent.”
Reed started Felix News, and the program was directly sent to the TVs in the classrooms within the high school and Career Center. It took up the last ten minutes of the day, and students involved with the broadcast would read off the daily announcements.
When Allen took over in 2009, he tried to continue the path of Reed, but as time passed, students’ interests changed.
“I continued Felix News for the next couple of years,” Allen said. “Later on, I noticed it was becoming pretty stretched off. Not a lot of people paid attention anymore, so I thought of trying something new. In my second year, I asked my students if they’d like a magazine-type show, something that offered more variety. Still having those announcements in a more unique, fun and compelling way.”
The last season of the Berry Broadcast that Allen worked on was season six. Packard would come in the fall of 2018 to take over for Allen and try to add his charm to the class and the production. When he first started, the broadcast was due each Wednesday for teachers to share during Impact. Eventually, the COVID-19 pandemic hit and required a hard look at the broadcast.
“With the pandemic, I wanted to take a step back on restrictive deadlines,” Packard said. “Not only were quarantines and sickness an issue, but I wanted to allow students to fully make content that was fleshed out and a product they were proud of.”
Packard not only hopes his students will find a passion for the art of radio and television but will find a part of them they didn’t know they once had. No matter if they go into some sort of production, he hopes to see his students grow.
“I would just love to see more and more people take the intro class,” Packard said. “I hope students get some sort of ‘trade’ out of my class. I believe it’s a benefit for all careers. Having someone who can edit video in a job is more valuable and employable. As I start offering dual credit this year, I hope to either find a student and inspire their future, or give them wisdom for the rest of their career.”
