The LHS Sports Broadcasting team has been very busy, providing the community with live streams and bringing life to sports events.
The broadcasting team started by running music, the video board, and the scoreboard for Bengal games at home and away. The program went mobile two years ago and has streamed an impressive 67 events so far this school year.
Most recently, the team streamed a track meet in Lewiston against Moscow on April 16, and the Battle for the Bat rivalry baseball game against Clarkston on March 14 at Harris Field. Throughout the winter, the broadcasting team streams varsity basketball games, the Whitepine League (WPL) Tournaments, the annual Avista Holiday Basketball Tournament, and the annual Golden Throne rivalry event against Clarkston High School.
According to the LHS Bengal YouTube channel, the Golden Throne stream in January of 2024 was the team’s most viewed video so far. The stream had around 4,300 views on YouTube.
The mobile program was funded with two grants: $10,000 from the Nez Perce Tribe and $100,000 from the State of Idaho Career and Technical Division. The program used these one-time grants to buy the trailer and equipment. According to Golden Steele, the sports broadcasting teacher, the trailer is worth around $123,000, which implies that most of the grants went toward this high-end equipment. The team also gets funds from selling vinyl banners they design and print for the LHS gym and outdoor venues.
Nine students help stream each event: three camera operators, three trailer equipment operators, two announcers, and one director. The team comes from a whole class of students, who rotate participating in the live streaming process. The Sports Broadcasting 2 class is available to all students who have previously completed Sports Broadcasting 1 as a freshman or sophomore.
“These opportunities will help the students in future college-level broadcasting or freelance video and photography,” said Steele.
