The studio is only slightly larger than a big family room. The floor is white and the high ceiling is black. Reflected light from below is flattering to the human face. There are a dozen or more stage lights hanging from a grid below the ceiling, but only four are lit, illuminating a man in a blue blazer sitting at a desk reading from notes. He could be a newscaster and, in fact, he is.
You can't help but recognize George Sampson by his voice. He broadcasts the news across Silicon Valley on KLIV (1590 AM), where he is the News and Program Director, and he sounds the same in person. It’s a natural voice, deep but not basso profundo. He speaks quickly but clearly. No ums or ahs, only complete, well-rounded sentences. He exudes confidence.
Jim Dethlefson puts a gray test pattern on a music stand and positions it in front of one of the three cameras. Camera 1 has a teleprompter, but they won’t be using that today. The cameras appear to be state of the art with professional tripods and mountings.
The studio is a working facility. One corner is inaccessible due to coils of heavy cables and piles of myriad stuff. Two twelve-foot ladders stand off to one side.
George Sampson is sitting at a wood dining table on an oriental rug. The stylish table has two matching chairs--two more have been relegated to a corner. The hard chairs have green cushions tied to them, and a blue tablecloth covers the table. A black backdrop is hung behind the scene by ropes from the light grid. A blue light washes the backdrop obliquely.
Carol Baker, the Floor Director, shows Peggy Conaway into the studio. Carol is dressed in black, and her t-shirt says "KTEH Cast & Crew" on the back. Peggy, the Library Director, will be interviewed today for a new show to be called Talk of the Town. Carol attaches Peggy’s lapel microphone as George chats about the questions he’ll be asking, putting his guest at ease. Peggy doesn’t seem nervous, but KCAT is broadcast to thousands of viewers--most of them library customers.
Talk of the Town will be a new feature on KCAT, airing as early as six weeks from now. The show, according to George, will focus on the people that make Los Gatos and its environs unique.
"Not the usual suspects," George explains. "Not that there's anything wrong with interviewing the mayor or the police chief, but we want to hear from other people, too. Perhaps someone not ordinarily in the limelight." In addition to Peggy, George hopes to interview Steve Rauwolf, the director of Los Gatos-Saratoga Community Education and Recreation.
Andy Zorio and Carl Zwanzig don their headsets and man their cameras. Jim is off in the control booth. Carol stands between the cameras with a small whiteboard in her hand with which to give time cues. During the taping, she will hold the whiteboard directly under the camera lens so that George doesn’t appear to be staring off-camera when he reads it.
In the quiet of the studio, Jim's voice can be heard leaking from the headsets of the camera operators. Carol gives George a sign and without warning he lights up his magic voice:
"We're talking to Peggy Conaway, the director of the Los Gatos Public Library..."
It sounds just like the radio.
Related Links
- KCAT Cable channel 15
- Los Gatos Public Library
Post to del.icio.us
Post to Reddit
