Behind the Scenes at News Channel 13

When I was a kid I thought it was so cool that I got to go to the news station and see how it really works. I still remember being amazed by it all- I mean you are this close to being on TV! How funny that it makes us all excited when you could be on TV. On our recent tour to KRDO News Channel 13 I was amazed at how much has changed through the years. I know I shouldn't be- we have come a long way; I just never thought about it in those terms. There are no camera men, no directors/producers on the floor. In fact you really only need 1 person on the floor for the weather update. How crazy is that? All in all for a 2 1/2 hour morning show it only takes 10 people.

We started the tour examining the set then watching a brief live segment. Meteorologist, Marty Venticinque, was our tour guide.
He did a great job of showing us around, answering all our questions (from the kids and adults), and explaining things to us. Its fun to see what the set really looks like. The teleprompters, for some reason, always fascinate me. Then we went upstairs to see the control room where you can control the volume, screen shots, cameras, etc. This room is much smaller than it used to be because you don't need tubs and tubs of VHS tapes to pop in. Everything is digital. And guess what time the producer arrives at work? 3-3:30 am. The good news? No traffic. At the end of our tour we all tried out the green screen. Marty even gave us green cloth so we could disappear. Lots and lots of fun!

My Favorite Part: Realizing all the differences and now knowing what the other side of the desk looks like.

My Kids Favorite Part: The GREEN SCREEN! Having a floating head was definitely the most popular. It was great to see their faces as they disappeared. The kids also tried pointing to the right areas on the weather map. It was great.

My Husband's Favorite Part: Learning everything. He likes to know how everything works.

To set up your own tour, all you have to do is call the station. They will most likely connect you to a meteorologist since they generally do the tours. If you want the freedom to walk around the set as well as see some live feed you will want to aim for the 8-9 am time slot since they will do little cut-ins with Good Morning America.
As I was noticing how much things have changed, it made me wonder what things will look like in the years to come. How do you think the way the news is reported will change over the next 10 years?

Location: 399 S. 8th St. 80905
Hours: Depends on who you talk with but I recommend 8 am
Total Tour Time: About 40 minutes
Cost: FREE!
Rating: 4/5

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