Behind Lakeland News

My Opportunity to Look Behind the Scenes at a News Station Serving the Northern Lakes Area.

 I was in search for experience. Something to help me find what I am passionate for. Maybe an idea of what I want to do when I grow up. I sit in the control room at KBSU, Bemidji State's new program, and look over across the hall at Lakeland News. I see the production crew working and anchors read over their scripts. I'm envious.  I feel like I'm sitting on a tricycle on my driveway watching motorcycles pass me by. I want the real deal. I overheard students talking about volunteering at Lakeland. I knew this was my chance to see what really goes on behind a live broadcast. As people turn their televisions on to catch the news and watch what's in front of the camera, I sit in the Lakeland News control room getting ready to watch what happens behind the camera. 


"Five minutes till news, five minutes.” Anchors scurry to make sure they have their scripts, the crew takes their positions in the control room, and the “on-air” signs outside the studio start to blink. The temperature in the control room rises. The floor director focuses the cameras and makes sure they’re in place. The excitement climbs. Matt Matalamaki, the producer of Lakeland News, scoots around from one place to the next on a computer chair, making sure everything is in place. His Hawaiian shirt and his long braid running down it fit his relaxed personality. I quietly sit and watch everyone do their job. Dave Seivert, the master control lead operator, also wears a Hawaiin shirt and takes his spot in the master control room. His voice fills the room over the intercom, announcing the countdown till Lakeland News is on air. It comes down to the last couple minutes. Dennis Weimann, anchor and news director, takes his time into the studio and takes his seat. His calmness confuses me. The noise in the control room builds. 

Lakeland News Public Television, or LPTV, serves northern Minnesota with news around the area. The digital television broadcast station started operations in 1980. LPTV is a non-profit corporation called Northern Minnesota Public Television. The corporation is owned by the public and has two stations: one on Bemidji State’s campus and one in Brainerd. The headquarters is located right in Deputy Hall of BSU.

The opening for Lakeland News plays as everyone gets ready. “Your Public television station presents Lakeland News at ten. News for Bemidji, Brainerd, and all of the lakes country. Dennis Weimann with the news, Stacy Christenson with weather, and Josh Christensen with sports." The news anchors wait patiently as the countdown from ten begins. Weimann organizes the papers in front of him and straightens his tie. The floor director stands behind the cameras and signals the countdown. My heart races. Five, four, three, two… “Good evening everyone, thanks for joining us…”Back in the control room, the control board’s buttons light up the room and the five television screens displayed in front of Matalamaki show fifteen different views of the station and what’s being shown live. Jillian Gandsey runs the teleprompter and Rhea Wawrzyniak keeps a pen and paper close by for mistakes seen on the closed captioning. The two mass communication students volunteer here, as well as other students who come as well. The pressure of a live broadcast is not felt in the room, but that doesn't keep my eyes from being wide open. Everything is running smoothly.

As the program runs, Matalamaki speaks into a microphone to cue the anchors when to talk. Voices fill the room from Matalamaki, the anchors, the video recordings from off-ground anchors, and the master control operator. I don't want to blink. I think I'll miss something. With the hustle and bustle in the control room, the anchors calmly read the script and are very comfortable in front of the camera. As a video plays, the anchors sit and wait until they’re on air again. Weimann even is relaxed enough to sneak in a yawn before he has to speak again.

The control room is full of little surprises. A stuffed Barney sits on the window sill with a cowboy hat rested on top. A painted wooden statue of a bald eagle sits in the corner, looking over the room. A figurine of Gomez, the dad from the Adamm’s Family, is posted  next to the lighting board. Matalamaki says that his wife has Morticia, Gomez’s wife, displayed at her work as well. Next to one of his computers, pictures of Matalamaki’s son and daughter are displayed, which would explain the pink Barbie car that sits near the wall of the control room. The random trinkets placed throughout the room make it a unique and more comfortable setting for the crew.

Dennis Weimann walks into the control room as the program shows commercials. His jeans and tennis shoes don’t match his suit and tie. It’s a clever trick for a news anchor. He comments on my Wayzata Trojan sweatshirt. He seems personable. Weimann has received statewide and regional awards for his work as a news and sports reporter, and news and sports videographer. He has been an anchor and the news director for Lakeland News since 1998. He graduated from BSU with a Bachelors degree in mass communication.  Josh Christensen, the sports director for Lakeland, walks back and forth outside the control room overlooking his script and reading it through making sure he’s pronouncing every word correctly. He graduated from BSU as well in 2009. He started out as a volunteer at Lakeland news while he attended Bemidji State.

The commercial break is coming to an end and once again, everyone gets into their spots. The noise in the room continues to build, but the studio is silent as the anchors wait for their cue. Stacy Christenson sits next to Weimann as she gets ready to report the weather. As well as her co-anchors, she graduated from BSU. She started volunteering at Lakeland and also worked for BSU’s new station KBSU. She received her Bachelor’s degree in mass communication in 1998. As she starts reporting the weather, she gets up and moves to the green screen. Looking at the television displayed on the side for her, she can see exactly where she is pointing. Everything she says is from off the top of her head and she knows exactly what she wants to say without a script or a teleprompter to read from.

Matalamaki flips through the pages of a script resting on the control board to make sure he knows what’s going to be coming up. There still hasn’t been a silent moment in the room. The anchors wrap up their stories and the thirty minute news segment is coming to an end. Dennis Weimann, Stacy Christenson, and Josh Christensen sit together at the desk to say farewell to their viewers. “We’re out of time for the night, have a great night everybody. See you tomorrow.” The lights in the studio dim and the credits roll up the screen. In the control room, the crew is pleased with tonight’s show. Everything seems a little calmer and a little quieter. I feel like I can breathe again. With all the commotion, I thought it was only a matter of time before something would go wrong. But it was flawless. It felt incredible, and it was just another night for everyone. I felt a little silly for being so impressed. The chaos of it all drew me in. I want to go back. I think about how I grew up watching WCCO and Kare11 News. My desire for an internship there has never been so strong. The excitement and rush of it all. I'm addicted.