RaiderTV Premieres New Professional-Style Set at Riverdale Middle School

RaiderTV at Riverdale Middle School is officially on the air in a brand new space.

After months of planning and installation, the new RaiderTV set made its debut last week with the program’s first broadcast taped in the upgraded studio. What began as a small after-school club has grown into a full class and now features a professional-style set designed to mirror what students would experience in a real broadcast studio.

“This instantly levels up their entire middle school production experience,” said Terry Schmitt, RaiderTV teacher and program lead at Riverdale. “It makes the broadcast space feel like a real studio, not just a classroom.”

Schmitt launched RaiderTV as a club using donated equipment, simply responding to student interest in creating a school news program. The response quickly exceeded expectations.

“There is now a waiting list for students wanting to participate,” said Rob Manuel, GMSD Chief Engineer. “The quality of the broadcasts they are producing rivals some of the high schools in our area.”

As the program continued to grow, Schmitt and Manuel made the decision to transition RaiderTV from an after-school club into a credit-bearing class and invest in a permanent set.

“We decided to move away from a green screen and build an actual news set,” Manuel said. “We partnered with a company in North Carolina that builds custom news sets for organizations across the country. What was installed is a three-wall, aluminum-framed set with custom lighting shelves. When you see it in person or on camera, it rivals what you see on local news affiliates.”

The design and build process took nearly a year from concept to installation. The finished space includes a modern anchor desk, studio walls, and a professional lighting grid installed above the set.

For Schmitt, the impact is immediate.

“That sense of authenticity boosts student engagement, program ownership, and school pride,” he said. “When students feel like they are working with industry-style equipment, they take their roles more seriously and bring more energy, creativity, and innovation to each show.”

Manuel agreed that the upgrade opens new doors for students.

“They are now able to submit their work to higher education contests and win awards,” he said. “They are developing incredible storytelling skills, and when they come to high school, they will already know how to pull off a professional newscast, work the cameras, and operate the equipment. It opens up opportunities in communication, film, and broadcasting that they did not have before.”

Funding for the project was made possible through a combination of federal grant funding, PEG funds, and school fundraising.

“With tight budgets, we had to get creative,” Manuel said. “There was a small amount of PEG funding used for the news desk because what students are producing can benefit our cable channel. The majority of the set itself was funded through federal grant money secured by our CTE [Career Technology Education] Department. The school also did fundraising that covered the furniture, decorations, and lighting. It was truly a team effort.”

Manuel also completed the installation labor for the lighting grid, bringing the space together with support from the school community.

Schmitt emphasized that the transformation goes beyond appearance.

“Bottom line, a new TV set transforms weekly broadcasts into a high-impact, student-powered media experience,” he said. “It is more exciting, more polished, and way more fun.”

With the first broadcast now complete, RaiderTV is officially operating in its new home, and the results are already turning heads.

“It is shocking to see in person,” Manuel said. “You usually only see something like this when you walk into a real news station. The students are very proud of it, and they should be.”
 

Check out this time lapse of the set being installed!