How to Run a Live TV Broadcast

First of all, lemme just say that while I expected about two people to tune in... WE HIT 46 VIEWERS!!

Anyway...

Equipment

Video
- Two video cameras
- One tripod
- One very very large economics textbook (used as a makeshift tripod)

Computers
- One broadcast desktop computer
- Two monitors
- One remote broadcast laptop
- One feed monitor laptop

Audio
- Two firewire cords
- One lapel mic
- One handheld mic
- One backup mic

Software
- uStream
- CamTwist
- WebcamMax

Crew
Producer (That's me!): Writes script, controls tech, deals with logistics, sets stuff up, remote-controls feeds via tech director.
Tech Director (Clerel): Controls cameras, switches feeds, switches audio, does mic checks.
Camera Operator (Jake Vizzini): Moves camera. Zooms in.
Reporter (Dillon Williams): Talks. Fills time. General all-around super-man.

What Happened
In case you hadn't heard, I decided to take a day off my spring break and run a TV show.

About a week before Monday's broadcast I recruited about eight people for crew three slots. I divided them into three categories; I'd-love-to-come-but-will-flake-out-at-the-last-minute category, the reliable category, and the backup-crew category.

Once that was done I applied for press passes with State Police. Called 'em up, told them I was a producer with First Hand News, begged for the right to broadcast. Called the Senator's office, had them vouch for me, then got a permit from State Police faxed over.

Two nights before, I'm writing the live script, that gets done pretty quick. I love writing. Makes me feel good. Next day, we meet over at Panera, go over the script, go over pickup times. Here's my typed notes from that meeting (including the first line of the broadcast!):

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March 9 Coverage – NJ Senate

-60.00 Twitter pre-message: “Reporting on NJ Senate Confirmation Hearings LIVE at 10:00 AM. Please RT.”

-15.00 Start broadcast @ studio, preview VTR on screen one.

-10.00 Roll VTR countdown

-5.00 Send Twitter message: “Beginning 5-min countdown to LIVE coverage of NJ Healthcare Hearing”

-3.00 Studio team standby. Connect phones (DIRECTOR->PRODUCER, REPORTER->ANCHOR)

-2.00 Final phone check

-1.00 VERBAL WARNING: "Sixty seconds live!"

-0.30 VERBAL WARNING: "Thirty seconds live!"

-0.10 VERBAL WARNING: "Ten seconds live!" - finger countdown

0.00

Good morning, thanks very much for being with us. It is Monday, the 9th of March, I’m Dillon Williams, and you’re watching First Hand News. It is a bright and early 10:00 AM here in Princeton, New Jersey and we’re preparing to cover two bills in the New Jersey Assembly that could not only push an unfair burden on taxpayers, but also destroy the New Jersey medical system for good.

------------------

Anyway, late Sunday night, I was setting up the studio until around midnight. Got the camera in place, set up chairs, got a preview screen and a live screen set up.

Next morning I was supposed to pick up Clerel from his house at 8:10 AM and be back at the studio by 8:30, which was when Dillon was gonna meet us. I left the house on time, but about halfway through the ride I got a flat tire. Yes, of all days to get a flat tire, I get one on the day where we're doing a live broadcast.

I hop out of the car, change the tire myself in about 45 minutes (yes, I have big muscles). Drive over to Trenton, park, pull the equipment out of the car, get inside the Statehouse, show ID at security, pop on my press badge. Sprint to the elevators, ride up to the 4th floor, and get all the equipment set up.

Jake starts pointing the camera at people while they're talking, I get the laptop set up for live broadcasting. I get on the phone to Clerel:

"OK, we're ten minutes out from broadcast. Roll 10-min VTR, cue Dillon. I'll send the Twitter message."

At about the T-minus 2 mark I get a phone call from Clerel making sure the feed and phones work. LITERALLY the second I OPEN MY MOUTH, Jake pulls me inside and shows me that the feed isn't working properly. We're not on the air. Whip out the cell, tell Clerel to roll another 5 min on VTR. Jake works on the computer, trying to figure out what the hell is wrong.

After about 20 minutes of troubleshooting, it turns out our cell-modem was too far away from the computer. I glance at the feed, and Dillon is still somehow filling time. Amazing. Anyway, Clerel's back on the phone. I'm ready to go on air:

"Feed two standby, preview now."
*5-sec pause*
"OK, we're good. Push feed two on air."

... and of course, it works on his screen, but doesn't show up on ours. Dillon, being a superhero, fills for another five minutes (he's already filled for thirty) and puts in a plug of "We're experiencing technical difficulties, when we're back, we'll switch to the statehouse feed."

Clerel yanks him off air, Jake and I take their place, and immediately pick up seven viewers on top of the 22 that we already have. Yay. We broadcast for 15 minutes, then the studio team steals our feed. Then decide to pack it up and head in. That was a wrap for the day.

Two words that describe today's crew: extreme professionalism. Dillon somehow managed to fill for 35 minutes straight while we were sorting out technical difficulties at the statehouse. Clerel managed to get the feeds sync'd up for a good fifteen minutes, and then got us on the air once Dillon was done talking. Jake somehow nailed every single pan and zoom he did, which I didn't think was possible.