My broadcasting career didn’t actually start in radio. When I was a junior in 1995, I created a weekly video news program at Lake Fenton High School. It ran for two years, including for a semester after I graduated.

I put my heart and soul into the production of “Blue Devil Talk”, and it certainly helped me establish some of the foundations to my future skillset, and work ethic. We got the objective done, but we had fun doing it, and it really came through. By the end of BDT’s run, it aired once in the school and twice on local access Channel 19 each week!

I hope you enjoy reliving all of these memories as much as I do! This is the final broadcast (a two-part episode) of Lake Fenton High School’s “Blue Devil Talk”, the only broadcast that aired in 1997.

BDTS419970110A Blue Devil Talk Finale: Part One
Anchors: Kathy Kearns, Jeremy Fenech

Part One features the results of the final BDT Survey. We ran down the Top 3 BDT Commercials/Promos of All-Time, but we had ties for all three positions. Instead of the Top 3, you get the Top 6!

#3T​ Anchor’s Chain (Military Recruitment Spoof)
#3T​ Anchor’s Chain (You Ain’t Gettin’ My Bud Light Spoof)
#2T​ BDT Birthdays Promo (Gold Bond Powder Spoof)
#2T​ Anchor’s Chain (Grey Poupon Spoof)
#1T​ Anchor’s Chain (Budweiser Frogs Spoof)
#1T​ Anchor’s Chain (Mentos Spoof)

We also go over Best Weekly Feature, Favorite Special Feature, Best Episodes, Best BDT On The Road, Cast Members of All-Time, Best Special Guest, Best Anchors, Best Sportscasters, Best Reporters, Best Feature Reporter, and more.

From our ‘sister station’ R-TV in Durand, Josh Strickland takes a look at some highlights from the first year of Blue Devil Talk. Then get ready for the biggest and best compilation of Blue Devil Talk Bloopers EVER!

BDTS419970110B Blue Devil Talk Finale: Part Two
Anchors: Bill Shreck, Rachel Sharpe
Reporters: Nikki Hill, Michelle Medor, Bill Blackney, Kristina Brugger, Kelly Jones, Deidra Gillespie, Jessica Payne, Chad Stamos, Mary Cripps, Derek LeMay, Don Hensley, Brianna Barnett, and Joe Runci.

The final episode of BDT features a wonderful barrage of goodbyes and farewell wishes from the students of Lake Fenton High School. It also features the very best BDT Sportscast EVER! Not only do we meet Bill-T Blackney, but we get so see that classic lip-syncing that the 90s were known for!

We also look at some stellar special effects, from a week when Becky Tiffin was the only anchor to show up for filming. So we emprovised, and she anchored with herself! For a high school news program in the 1990s, it was pretty impressive! We also look at our favorite Faces in the Crowd of all-time.

Then, grab some tissue for the final BDT montage set to the song “Friends” by Michael W. Smith. This captures the essence of what Blue Devil Talk was and represented. Friendship and fun as we get ready for the challenges of adulthood. So many great memories made, such great relationships built. We actually ran the credits a little early, so that the last shot is of Bill and Rachel hugging with the text “The End.” at the bottom of the screen.

Scroll down for a Behind-The-Scenes perspective on when this aired originally in 1997. Watch more episodes and interact with more Blue Devil Talk fans and former classmates on the Blue Devil Talk Facebook Page. And take a look at this cool video from BDT’s modern ancestor, Lake View TV!

BEHIND THE SCENES NOTES

The first part was an optional episode that ran before the very last episode. For those who don’t know, the Channel One system automatically turned on the TVs in each classroom just before each episode, and turned them all off at the end. But we also had a special switch installed at Lake Fenton High School for “Blue Devil Talk” (and at the middle school for the short-lived “Torrey Hill Talk”), which allowed us to turn the TVs on-and-off at will while our own programming played on a VCR built into the system.

This episode was the only time we turned on all the TVs during the first “BDT Standby” with a visual announcement, as I was on the PA system enforcing the same message. We informed everyone that for the first episode, teachers would have to immediately turn their TVs back on after the automated message to see part one, and that the TVs schoolwide would automatically come back on for the actual finale.

The reason was because this episode was so long, the school board didn’t want the whole thing to be mandatory for the teachers to show. By making half of it optional, we were allowed to air both episodes together. The best part of this story? All but two classes aired the first part initially. One was having issues getting the TV back on, and was watching the first part with the rest of the school before it was over.

This episode means a lot to me, because I was not a student when I produced it. I had been hired by Jerry Laskey, the Superintendent, to keep BDT going and train the next generation of students to take over. At the end of my semester, no one wanted to edit the show together, and ‘Blue Devil Talk’ aired for one last time.