Local TV programming returns to LSCC

The Daily Commercial - September 1, 2001
By JOE RADA
Daily Commercial Staff Writer

LEESBURG Lake Sumter Community College is once again producing local television programs that can be seen on ComCast Cable channel 13.

“About two months ago we decided we needed to get back into the community as a local community college we needed to bring more local issues to the forefront as well as highlight the college and what’s happening around here,” said LSCC TV 13 manager Terry Longordo. “(Show host) Paul Anderson contacted me with the idea. He is doing work for a public access station in Tampa and he brought some ideas to me at the time I was trying to get things started.”

Anderson said he would line people up for the shows and take doing the interviews. Longordo would stay in the director’s booth and get the programs on tape.

“I felt we needed to be there for the community,” Longordo said. “No one else seems to be doing it so I felt we should take the ball and run with it.”

Anderson, who lives in Leesburg, tapes the programs on Wednesday and Friday at LSCC.

“We want to involve many people in the community as well as city and county government,” Anderson said. “We started with ‘Business Today’ and our first guest was a representative of SCORE which had just opened an office on campus.”

SCORE is operated by retirees who volunteer to help people starting business, getting a loan, staffing, payroll and other aspects of a startup.

Other programs produced by LSCC-TV include “Computer Works” which tells people everything from buying a computer to what kind of software to get for their needs. Another is a “Social Security Today” show explaining the constant changing rules and regulations.

“We also have ‘OMNI Lake Sumter’ which deals with issues of Lake and Sumter counties that are in the news,” Longordo said. “We don’t want to get political, but we do want to bring both sides of a question out.

“As part of the OMNI show we’re highlighting 15 minute segments of local community service groups and what they do. This will give our viewers a chance to see what’s there in case they need a service.”

Longordo said a special program on the one cent tax proposal will be aired Wednesday and Thursday at 5 p.m.

“We have Lake County Appraiser Ed Havill and Leesburg City Manager Ron Stock on the show but no one of the Lake County Commissioners or School Board would agree to come on the show,” Anderson said. “We want to present the pros and cons of the issue, but it’s difficult when one side doesn’t participate.”

Producing local programs at LSCC also works as a training course for students going through the TV program.

“They can learn how cameras operate, how to be a floor director, how to switch, run audio or do lighting, what do you do in a studio situation,” Longordo said. “It gives them good hands-on experience. If they go into a state or college system they’ll know what it’s all about.”

Longordo said future plans include a heath program that will deal with health issues and wellness. Later on when the Florida Legislature gets going again they hope to bring in local representatives to discuss what’s going on in Tallahassee.

Longordo graduated from the University of Central Florida in 1986 with a bachelors degree in radio and television. He continued working with UCF for five years in their production department before coming to LSCC as a media technician in 1991.

Since then he has risen to the top of the ranks and is looking forward to his new venture of bringing informative programs to the community.