Every morning at 8:20, students and staff turn their attention to their classroom televisions for the daily reporting from PHS News Today. Much more work and effort occurs behind the scenes than what viewers may realize. Senior Dorothy Gofourth has been working diligently for the last six years to better the school’s news program. She is the “go-to girl” for PHS News Today, and the show would not go on without her.

“I come in around 7:40 and make sure everything is working. Whether it stays that way for long enough to do the show or not is seemingly random. I’ve fixed problems while we were on-air, found ways around expensive equipment and reorganized the cords. It’s very fun,” said Gofourth.

Gofourth’s interest with computers and technology developed early in her life. She found herself intrigued ever since she stepped foot in Martha Nice’s classroom for the Elm Street Production Company (ESPC) in the second grade.

“​I’ve been interested in the technology for a long time. In elementary, I was in ESPC, and we did some things with technology, like Media Fair. When I first stepped into the studio, I was like a kid in a candy store. There were so many cool looking gadgets, and I wanted to figure out how they all worked. I was very timid at first and terrified to do anything that’d be live, but then I got more comfortable. I think the only job in the studio I haven’t done is anchor, and that’ll never happen,” said Gofourth.

How one comes to their level of ability or skill with technology is not always the same. Some have a natural born talent, while others have to work toward success. For Gofourth and her audio and visual gifts, it was a mixture of both.

“I think being in Advanced Speech and Communications has given me an inside look into what goes on behind the scenes. I’ve learned a lot about the technology by tinkering with things. I wasn’t exactly taught; it was pretty much immersion learning. In the future, I want to be either a producer or editor of some sort of broadcast. My time in the studio has definitely given me a good stepping stone for that,” said Gofourth.

After graduation from PHS in the spring of 2018, Gofourth looks forward to furthering her education in the digital communications field.

“I will be attending Indiana State University. I plan to major in Communications with a focus in media studies and minor in creative writing. On campus, I hope to participate in several groups. There are a handful of political groups I want to look into as well as their broadcasting group. One semester they do radio and one semester they do TV. I hope to join that group,” said Gofourth.

Using what she has learned through others’ teachings and her own experiments, Gofourth is set down a path for success in the audio and visual world.

Story by Hunter Hamilton