The recent game between Reitz and Jasper was not the typical high school football game. Two fierce schools with unprecedented tradition coming together wasn’t the only thing special about it.

The game was broadcast live for the first time in the history of Reitz High School. Lance Wilkerson, sports director for News Channel 25, was the mastermind of the production and helped to make it all possible.

“The tradition of the schools made it perfect! Its the West Side rivalry vs. Jasper, and their attitudes are very similar,” said Wilkerson.

To make a game with a caliber such as this live on television is no easy task. Many different challenges were faced not only by Wilkerson himself, but by News 25 as a whole.

“The biggest challenge was the technical side. The production crew and engineering staff helped to make all of that possible,” explained Wilkerson.

The Reitz loading dock in the back of the stage ,usually used for theater and play productions, was transformed into a mobile TV station/control room. A number of different cameras were placed around the bowl. Also, sound equipment and mobile cameras were strategically placed for men on the field.

The game was not only a success for the community as a whole, but for Lance himself as well. It was a major change from the typical 45 minute sports cast that is usually broadcast on Friday nights.

Doing a live broadcast such as this potentially opened up many doors for sports broadcasting in Evansville for the future.

“This is something I’ve wanted to do for so long!” said Wilkerson.

Other preparations had to be made for the game as well. Not only technical issues but personal research and preparation had to be done by Wilkerson. Jasper, being a town with lots of German influence, had many last names which could have been challenging for the common person to pronounce.

“I practiced the players’ names over and over, hoping I wouldn’t mess up live on air!” said Wilkerson.

He also reviewed all player statistics and the history of each team to gather a better understanding of the game and each team as a whole. The digital channel, RTV 25, also showed the semi state game between Reitz and Cathedral. News 25 plans to have every sports cast on the digital channel up and running by 2010.