North Texas Daily

Nikki Lyssy | Staff Writer

@Blindnikkii

The control room buzzes with activity as the clock ticks down: 10, nine, eight…

When the clock hits 10 a.m. on the nose, cameras click on, and “Good Morning, North Texas” goes live.

Media arts senior and executive producer Priscilla Presley formatted the show after coming up with the idea in November. It has been on the air twice so far, and this is its fifth week of production. So far, Presley said, the show has exceeded her expectations.

“I think that whenever you’re creating anything, your ideas grow and evolve as everything is happening,” Presley said. “I’ve been able to work with so many people where my vision has really evolved with everybody else. Whenever you create something from scratch like this, you have to be able to change your vision, and the way things are looking right now, it’s amazing.”

Presley said she has been able to glean experience from running a live show as opposed to a pre-produced one.

“I’ve never been part of a live program before, which is really different than what I was doing before,” Presley said. “Being able to work with a whole crew that’s putting together something live [is amazing]. It’s going on air whether you’re ready or not.”

But producing a live show comes with its own share of challenges.

“With a live show, it’s figuring out all those little details, figuring out the graphics and what looks good together, and just being able to work with everybody’s strengths,” Presley said.

Media arts senior Maria Delgado’s job as director consists of the behind-the-scenes action that people watching the show never see. She said she isn’t involved in the show’s preproduction but rather the live portion.

“I’m in charge of the cameras, the shots that we take,” Delgado said. “I tell everyone when and how we’re taking a shot and pretty much help guide the show, making sure that it runs smoothly and that we’re on time.”

Delgado said she loves being behind the camera and teaching new crewmembers the ropes. Though she had never directed a live show before, she said she gets excited to answer questions and see other students get involved.

“You really have to think on your toes,” she said. “The first shoot that we had [was] pretty rough [because] I had a hard time managing everything, but now that we’re into week five, I’ve gotten it down now and I know what to look for when it comes to directing a show.”

The prep time that goes into the show has been integral for its success. Call time is at 8:30 a.m., and Delgado said those extra 30 minutes have been an immense help to her.

Media arts sophomore Taylor Jackson is the floor director, serving as an intermediary between the control room and the studio.

“Whenever the director has a question or needs a camera moved, or needs the anchors to say this or change that, I’m the one who directs the question to them,” Jackson said. “I’m in charge of the people on the floor.”

He said one of the hardest parts of his job is communicating with a lot of people at the same time, and he often has to prioritize his to-do list.

“It’s hard to command a bunch of people at the same thing,” he said. “But I love it because they’re all really respectful and listen to what I have to say.”

Media arts senior and “Good Morning, North Texas” co-host Erin Zeller said she enjoys hosting a show that focuses on light entertainment as opposed to hard news, which she is accustomed to.

“No one wants to wake up and hear, ‘This many people died in a fire,’” Zeller said. “Getting to be a little more silly and have fun with it [has been my favorite part] of the show. In the morning I can tell puns and little jokes [as opposed to the nightly news]. It’s a lot of fun.”

As hosts, Zeller and co-host Samuel Van Veet bring the show to the people, but Zeller said they’re “just the face of the show.”

“We’ll read through the scripts that the producers write… we talk about the news and what’s happening that weekend in entertainment and politics,” Zeller said. “We do a pet of the week segment and toss it to our weather anchor. It’s a lot of fun.”

Featured Image: Production manager and convergence broadcast media senior Priscilla Presley, standing, talks to her team about the upcoming taping of “Good Morning North Texas” on Monday night. Sarah Bradbury | Staff Photographer