A team of 24 students from the Bellmore-Merrick Broadcasting program traveled to Tampa, FL for the Student Television Network (STN) annual convention in early March. 

The Student Television Network convention is an annual event that where 3,500 students studying broadcasting and film from nearly 200 schools across the country compete in a series of competitions that simulate professional conditions. 

BMB News Director Ryan Marr explained that during each competition, the students needed to watch each project through throughout before submitting.  

“Inthe Crazy Eights competition, teams of media students are tasked to create an 8-minute morning show broadcast in only eight hours and on this day, after sending teams of young video journalists across the Gulf Coast city in search of stories to tell, BMB’s eight hours were almost up,” explained BMB Director and lead teacher, Stu Stein.  

In addition to Crazy Eights, the BMB team competed in nine contests over the course of the conference.  

“Each contest followed the same format, where a prompt is announced on the STN website and the students competing in that contest sit and brainstorm ideas that fit the prompt,” explained Stein. “They then make cold call to a location that fits the prompt to get permission to record, quickly gather their gear and head off - on foot - to the location, often crossing paths with teams from other STN schools also racing to complete their stories.”  

After producing segments on location, other team members work four hours on polishing the video package. When they emerged from the editing room, thy were met with cheers from their teammates who jointly hit the red UPLOAD button, thus submitting the finished project.  

 “I couldn't help but be impressed by the structure of the STN conference; giving the broadcast teams an on-demand task and a finite amount of time in which to deliver a polished product, created a sustainable energy rarely replicated in a 40-minute period,” noted Melanie Sirof, an English teacher from Mepham who also attended the convention. 

The three days of contests created a trial that even industry professionals would find challenge, yet these young BMB students rose to the occasion. They started projects from scratch – and on foot in an unfamiliar city and state, at times averaging 10 miles per day. 

Junior Mya Passanisi went through three pairs of shoes as she reported from a Tampa pizza restaurant that imports New York water to make their dough on day one. She sought out student opinions on the campus of the University of Tampa the next and profiled a Tampa fraternity on the competition’s final day.  

“I knew we’d have to think on my feet to file everything in on deadline,” Passanisi noted. “I’m glad I was ready to walk – and work - fast as well.” 

Each of the 24 students ‘selected for a specific skill, the nature of the contests had them exchanging roles and experiencing different aspects of production every day,’ noted Stein. 

Junior Nikki Saraceni spent day one as a technician recording the anchors on location, was a movie actor one day two and spent day three as an editor. 

“At home in BMB we learn all the aspects of production, I just didn’t expect to do them all in three days,” she recanted. 

A highlight of the competition is the annual Broadcast Excellence Awards ceremony where programs from across the nation (including schools 400 STN member schools not in attendance) are recognized for the work their students do year-round.  

“For the third year in a row, BMB took home multiple Excellence Awards winning Silver Medals for Outstanding Achievement for BMB Sports Talk in the category of Best Sports Show and BMB’s newest show the Frontier in the category of Social Media,” added Stein. 

Frontier producer/senior Matthew Natof conceived the show at the 2024 STN Convention. 

 “Watching the winners last year in California, I knew that BMB could create something just as good,” Natof recalled.“I can’t wait to see where the show goes next year.”  

BMB also took home the bronze medal for Distinguished Merit in the categories of Best Podcast, Best News Magazine and Best News Show. 

BMB also earned an Honorable Mention nod for their Natural Sound Package capturing the sites and the sounds of Tampa’s TECO trolly line by seniors Matthew Natof, Jake Manno, Luke Yepez and Kyle McQuillan along with junior Lucas Paingankar and sophomore Brett McGovern. 

All the work created by the BMB - STN team can be seen on BMB’s award-winning news Midweek Update over the course of the next few weeks. The Midweek Update airs every Wednesday via The BMBC Broadcasting Videos Youtube Channel