The Reality of OLLATV 

As  a member of the Lourdes community, everyone is familiar with OLLATV; but no one thinks about the amount of dedication and effort required to air these segments every other day.

“OLLA TV entails a lot of different aspects of putting together a news show,” junior Katie Bilbao said. “You have to write, record, and edit all the packages that will air, write the script for the shows, and find current news to report on. Usually we have our scripts done a day or two before going on air so the anchors have enough time to adjust and prepare as much as possible beforehand.” 

However, before actually producing the videos that air, all members must take Broadcast 1, where they learn the theory of journalism and the foundation of how to produce a video package. In this class, they are able to try out different positions and rotate on who takes responsibility for certain roles. 

Once crew members take on Broadcast 2, they are “driven to a certain role…pretty much everyone has a certain position that they stick to; my personal favorite is anchoring,” senior Mariana Brime said. 

With the intense workload from OLLATV, crew members try their best to find a balance between their schoolwork and producing the videos. It can be very inundating due to the class’ fast pace and constant deadlines. The staff works on packages constantly and puts on a live show every B day during FOCUS.

“Sometimes it can be overwhelming due to lots of deadlines, but personally I find it so fun! Not every day is the same and you really never get bored,” junior Nina Diaz said. 

Therefore, it is important for the students to manage their time wisely during school hours in order to turn in their projects on time.

“I just try to designate certain times to their respective activities so most of my OLLA TV work is done in class or FOCUS and all my other activities I try to get done either before or after school,” Brime said. 

Not only do OLLATV members have to manage their time wisely, but also have to face the fact that the whole school is watching them. Many students may deter from this course just because it is nerve racking to be on air every other day. 

“Going into Lourdes, I definitely hoped to be a part of OLLA TV but I was still very nervous to join especially because I knew it would be broadcasted through the entire school so I actually didn’t join OLLA TV right away as a sophomore because of my fears. Now, I can’t imagine my Lourdes experience without it,” Brime said. 

The course load that comes with OLLATV is clearly substantial, but the OLLATV community handles it in an exceptional manner. Past OLLATV video packages can be viewed on Grotto News website.

“I’m so glad that I pushed myself to find something I love,” Bilbao said.