Norwood High Opens Communications Through TV-December 1, 1991

Course provides on-air education from scNorwood High School Television Studio Offers Students Real-World Broadcast Experience

In-House TV Studio Produces Daily Morning News and Live Local Coverage

At 7:30 a.m. sharp, high school senior Katy Kale turns on her camera presence, folds her hands, and delivers the opening line: “Good morning and welcome to Norwood High School News.”

For the past four years, students at Norwood High School have stepped into the shoes of professional broadcasters through the school’s in-house television studio. Monday through Friday, student crews produce a live 30-minute morning news and talk show broadcast across every high school homeroom and aired locally on cable-TV education channel Channel 32 across Norwood and Westwood homes.

The studio’s programming extends far beyond morning announcements. Recent telecasts have covered girls’ soccer team meetings, visits from college representatives, live School Committee sessions, school rallies, concerts, and town events.

Norwood High School TV Studio — Program & Operation Profile

Broadcast Operations & Curriculum

Daily Broadcast: 30-minute morning news/talk show aired in homerooms and local cable Channel 32
Student Roles: Students handle 100% of production during live broadcasts—operating cameras, lighting, and switching
Class Growth: Communications course expanded from 1 to 4 sections, enrolling 70 students
Production Crew: A core team of about a dozen students manages daily morning broadcasts (3 on-camera, rest behind the scenes)

Funding & Advanced Technology

Origins: Founded 5 years ago with a $20,000 grant from the Norwood Community Television Corp.
Financial Backing: Sustained through federal grants, town funds, and contributions from Cablevision of Norwood
Satellite Receiver: Linked to the Massachusetts Corp. for Educational Telecommunications, bringing in international educational programming from 30 countries in 20 languages
Hardware: 16 new television monitors recently installed across the school using budget surplus funds

Student-Run Production and Teacher Supervision

Under the guidance of station supervisors and teachers Diana Flemer and Bob Smith, students learn the fundamentals of communication and production in the classroom, but take complete control during live broadcasts.

Co-anchored by students like senior Katy Kale and sophomore co-anchor Constantino Nicolau—who noted the fast-paced variety of juggling multiple jobs on and off camera—the program gives teenagers hands-on career exploration.

Teacher Bob Smith emphasized the personal growth fostered by the studio: “It gives the students tremendous self-confidence, something they wouldn’t get in math or history class.” Teacher Diana Flemer added that the daily broadcasts keep parents closely connected to school life: “I don’t think any parent in Norwood can legitimately say ‘I don’t know what’s going on in the high school.'”

Satellite Integration and Future Educational Technology

Looking toward the future, Principal George Usevich views the TV studio as a forward-thinking investment, particularly valuable during tight budget cycles.

Last January, the station installed a satellite dish connecting to the Massachusetts Corp. for Educational Telecommunications, joining approximately 150 school districts statewide in receiving educational programming across 20 languages and 30 countries. Usevich envisions leveraging this infrastructure for regional distance learning: “Technology will allow communities to have courses that might not fit the budget. If you’ve got three towns that want to teach Latin, but can’t afford to hire a Latin teacher, they can get a TV link-up to a Latin course. You can have 100 schools and one Latin teacher.”

Archival Note: This article has been dynamically reconstructed from the original public record print archives of the Boston Globe

More…

Norwood Public Access Dedicates Dick Kief TV Studio-January 3, 2013

In a heartfelt dedication ceremony on Thursday, January 3, members of Dick Kief’s family celebrated the unveiling of the TV studio named in his honor at Norwood High School. Scott Murphy, President of the NPA-TV Board of Directors, emphasized Kief’s preference for being called “Dick” rather than Richard or Richard W. The plaque now proudly…
Lights, Camera, Summer: Norwood Public Access’s Youth Media Program-July 19, 2012

The Lights, Camera, Summer program was a huge success for Norwood Public Access (NPA) and its participants. The program allowed 15 students to learn about video production and create their own content, which was then broadcast on NPA-TV.
Norwood Public Access Television Finds a State-of-the-Art Home Inside the New Norwood High School-October 10, 2011

NPA-TV completes a $520,000 relocation into the new Norwood High School, providing state-of-the-art broadcast equipment for both student media classes and community programming.
Board of Selectmen Approves Verizon FiOS Cable Franchise-August 23, 2007

Norwood selectmen approved a cable franchise for Verizon, making it the 55th Massachusetts town to get FiOS and giving residents a third TV provider alongside Comcast and Norwood Light.
Cablevision Announces Rate Increases for Norwood Subscribers-August 5, 1992

Cable television rates for Norwood residents increased in September 1992 across basic, family, and premium packages as Cablevision simultaneously prepared for a corporate takeover by A-R Cable Services.
Norwood to Re-Examine Cable Request-July 18, 1992

Norwood was on the cusp of a significant decision regarding its cable television infrastructure. On this fateful day, July 18, 1992, selectmen were poised to take action on a long-delayed and contentious request from the school system for $80,000 to upgrade the high school’s television studio into a community facility. The proposal had been in…
Norwood High Opens Communications Through TV-December 1, 1991

Producing a daily morning show and broadcasting live local events, Norwood High’s student-run TV studio combines hands-on media training with advanced satellite learning technology.
Norwood Schools Get Backing for Cable TV-July 24, 1991

The Norwood School Committee unanimously voted to pursue a $530,000 federal Even Start grant utilizing cable television to expand early childhood education for Norwood and Westwood.
$16,600 Grant Equips New Norwood High School Cable Television Studio-August 18, 1987

Norwood Community Television awarded a $16,600 grant to equip a new student-run television studio at Norwood High School, expanding local cable programming and production training.
Local Cable Television Program “For the Record” Wins National Defense Recognition-August 30, 1986

Norwood cable television program “For the Record,” hosted by Jeff and Debby Briggs, receives a U.S. Defense Department award for featuring the National Guard.