Set changes and technical challenges only added to FTC’s Election Night learning experience

By Grace Bonamico

This year’s live Election Night broadcast looked a little different from the one the Mass Communications Department produced two years ago in 2024. While the previous broadcast covered the presidential election, this year’s focus was on the midterms, as Americans headed to the polls to elect all 435 members of the House of Representatives, one-third of the Senate, and governors in 36 states.

Students Brandon McAteer and Brian Klukosky served as co-producers and co-directors of the broadcast as part of their Advanced Lab class, taught by Mass Communication Chair Holli Haerr. “This is the first time I’ve produced something like this, so it feels pretty cool to say I helped write an election show,” said McAteer.

Another major difference was the broadcast location. Instead of working out of the familiar Studio 400, Mass Communication students worked out of the college’s Gene Free Studios, where they went live on YouTube and the FTC Sound Stream radio platform. The smaller space created new challenges, especially when it came to fitting cameras, crew members, and all the equipment needed to pull off a broadcast of this size. However, the students and staff involved did what they do best and found a way to make it work.

The location change was just one of several challenges going into the night. “I was very nervous going into the election show since I do not have a background in politics and this was a huge event, so there was a lot of pressure on me to deliver my part of the show,” Klukosky said.

With the broadcast taking place outside of Studio 400, the production team also had to adjust to a different technical setup. Without a TriCaster in the radio station, crew members had to use OBS to manage video sources while another person operated the video switcher to put them on air.

“Directing so many moving parts were hard at times, especially since I don’t direct too often, but I really liked it as the night went on,” continued Klukosky. “It felt great to be a part of such a great team. Everyone did a really great job.”

The broadcast ran every half hour from 8 to 10 p.m., meaning scripts and election results had to be updated quickly as polls closed across the East Coast. Some results came in faster than others, including the race for New York governor, which was called not long after polls closed in the state. Students had to keep up with the incoming results while making sure each broadcast was ready to go live on time.  During broadcast breaks, the social media and blogging team, made up of Tyler and Tristan McCready, provided content and updates for a full multimedia experience.

Senior Tyler McCready noticed differences between this year’s production and 2024’s.

“I think that working election night this year was a lot more hectic than two years ago,” McCreedy said. “While 2024 was a presidential election, we did it in Studio 400, the environment I’ve become very familiar with as a Mass Comm student.”

Despite the smaller workspace and the challenges that came with it, the broadcast let students test their skills in a different environment. From directing and operating cameras to updating scripts and following election results, everyone had a role in keeping the production running throughout the evening.

“Working in the radio station made everything a bit more cramped, but I’m proud of everyone in the Mass Communication Department as we showed we can put on a great election show regardless of the environment,” said McCready.

For McAteer, the night proved rewarding, especially given the uncertainty around the new setup before the broadcast began.

“Despite the uncertainty that moving the broadcast brought, I think the whole election crew did a great job pulling it together.  I’m really proud of what we accomplished with this show.”