By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — The ideas were flowing as children were busy writing out their own news stories as part of Independence Television Summer Media Camp, July 18.
“It can be about mostly anything,” Station Manager John Ehlke explained to the campers. “You want to talk about stuffed animals, talk about stuffed animals but make it a fun news story about what is going on.”
After the scripts were written, the campers went onto the television studio in pairs and read their story from the teleprompter while the camera was rolling. They also watched from the production control room as segments they recorded the day before were integrated into the news broadcast.
The kids worked on a variety of different segments including updates in weather, sports, news and general on the first day of the three-day camp, held July 17-19. They also learned the camera basics and functions of the camera.

They were also introduced to Clarkston High School Media Teacher and Independence Television Producer Matt Bleau who came in to introduce them to everything.
On the second day, Production Coordinator Mat Legato showed the campers the basics of the control room including the teleprompter. The day ended with a drone demonstration.
The final day, the kids tested out GoPros and had the opportunity throw a pie in Ehlke’s face.
It is the second year of the camp since Ehlke and the staff restarted the camp in 2023.
“This started with Independence Television back in 2018. For reasons unknown to me, I got here in 2022, it stopped,” Ehlke said. “We decided to pick it back up. Our staff thought it was a great idea to involve kids in the summer time.
“With us also being partially a school program, we thought it was a great idea to introduce the media program we have at the high school to younger students to peak their interest,” he added. “We really thought it was just a wonderful way to extend our resources to our community in a way that hadn’t been done in a while. I am a big believer in sharing the gifts you have been given and what a better way to do that than with a summer camp for kids.”
Ehlke shared what it was like for him and the staff to see kids interested in the media camp.
“Mat brought up the idea of ‘what if someone meets their best friend here?’ We agreed it would be just really neat if life-long friendships were built at this camp,” Ehlke said. “Also, the idea of kids coming back and taking the media program at the high school would be just a great reward. Seeing these kids that started at our camp and then in high school would be two things: an eye-opening on how old I am and how much time has passed; and knowing the goal of the summer media camp was fulfilled. We were able to, hopefully, open a door for a kid to an interest that could become their career down the road. There is no greater reward than seeing that come to life.”
He added when Independence Television started in 2013, the goal was to not only provide a great resource to the community but also to be a career-ready program at the high school.
“We are now seeing some of the students that started in this program get their first full-time job in the field,” he said. “That’s the best reward and has been our goal since day one with this program at the high school.”
For more information or for upcoming opportunities, please visit www.independencetelevision.com.

  Independence Television, Summer Media Camp