When Micah Beasley saw that the U.S. Senate primaries may pass without a single televised debate between North Carolina's Democratic candidates, he took action. “I'm very passionate about politics,” he explains. The winning candidate would face incumbent Sen. Elizabeth Dole in November.
He talked with Chris Brown — they both work on Spartan TV's “UNCG Now.” They wrote proposals and sent them to the candidates. Would they be willing to debate live on Spartan TV?
They said “yes.”
Micah and Chris had checked with Alan Buck, the student station's general manager. He said, “Go with it. Let's show the school what we can do.”
All three are undergraduates. They needed another moderator to join Micah and Chris, so they pulled in Luke McIntyre, The Carolinian student newspaper editor-in-chief, another undergraduate.
And they were off.
Spartan TV students created the set in the Carmichael TV Center. They ran the cameras and sound. They had a live feed that April 29 evening not only to the rest of campus, but to television stations such as WFMY News 2 and WGHP FOX 8, which streamed it over their web sites.
Candidates Kay Hagan, Jim Neal, Marcus Williams and Howard Staley participated, as more than a dozen students worked behind the scenes. About 20 individuals were positioned in the press room, an adjoining classroom, to watch on a large screen.
On a chalkboard near the front of that room, in all caps: “WELCOME TO SPARTAN TV AT UNCG.”
This would be the only televised debate between the candidates.
Chris Brown, anchor for “UNCG Now,” introduced the candidates and panelists and explained the ground rules: There'd be no time limits, per se. “No bells or flashing lights.”
The three panelists asked questions the citizens wanted to know, sometimes finessing the question after two candidates had responded, to keep the debate more lively and relevant.
Questions ranged from “How to help the middle class?” to “Would you support drilling in the Alaskan reserves if it'd lower gas prices?” From “Would you cut off funding for the Iraq War?” to “How to improve the health care system?”
After nine rounds of questions (and two intermissions), it was over. The viewers had a better understanding of how the candidates stood on the issues. And the panelists felt good about how well it went.
Some of the candidates stuck around to speak with students and the press. Producer Andrew Breedlove, an undergraduate, began organizing the crew to strike the set. When asked, he mentioned that the biggest challenge had been making sure all the ducks were in a row — “preparing for the unpredictable.”
Twenty minutes after the broadcast, Alan Buck, the station's general manager and a sophomore who is seeking his degree after twelve years of television experience, seemed a bit more relaxed. He got up from his computer. He was elated how everyone at Spartan TV came together to pull it off. He shared that the AP told him they all did an outstanding job. He'd just gotten a very nice email from Provost Perrin, who'd been watching from home.
Wow, what a night for Spartan TV. “All student-produced,” Alan said.
By Mike Harris, University Relations
Photography by Becky Kates, University Relations
