Give Us News We Can Use

by Jacob Bogage ‘12

“There was a time,” the movie “Anchorman” begins, “when the local anchorman reigned supreme.” The same adage rings true at Sherwood. Every morning from 9:04 to 9:09 the morning announcements are piped via public address system and Sherwood TV channel 37 to each and every classroom. Announcements are inescapable and sometimes irritating. They spread news that is rarely relevant to large numbers of the student body and often times become a bore and part of the daily second period routine.

So our friends in TV production thought to liven things up. Anchormen were given quirky aliases and read the news with funky accents. Broadcasts became a time for silliness rather than information distribution; and when important news was read, it was hard to distinguish from the rest of the morning prattle. Though Sherwood TV made a gallant effort to up prestige and viewership (a problem we at The Warrior encounter as well), the childish antics were a huge swing and miss. If the announcements want to be taken seriously by students and faculty alike, it would do well to cut trivial news and unprofessional gimmicks. Sherwood media between The Warrior and its yearbook counterpart Leaves has a long standing tradition of excellence. Without TV production’s tiresome tomfoolery, Sherwood TV would be a welcome addition to the fold.