THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, November 3, 1996 TAG: 9611010225
SECTION: CHESAPEAKE CLIPPER PAGE: 03 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY ERIC FEBER, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 77 lines
WFOS-FM 88.7, the radio station of the Chesapeake Public Schools, will broadcast election returns from the city, the region, the state and the nation after the polls close Tuesday.
The station will begin offering remote broadcasts and man-in-the-street interviews from various precincts in the city during the day and will begin giving election results beginning at 7 p.m. when the polls close. The station will continue to offer breaking election results until midnight.
``We've been covering elections since 1980,'' said station news director and broadcast instructor Dennis McCurdy. ``So we've had some experience. We now plan for these elections like a military exercise. Our students know this is for real. Everything will be live. They will learn fast.''
McCurdy said the station covers elections not only as a public service but as an invaluable learning tool for its host of broadcast students, who come from Chesapeake and area public and private schools.
McCurdy and broadcast instructor and station engineer David Desler will head up a large contingent of student correspondents and vote counters.
The students will be out in the field feeding up-to-date election results to this year's election night anchors, Richie Babb, telecommunications coordinator for Chesapeake Public Schools and its new School Board TV channel, and Alice Whitener, Indian River High School sophomore.
Babb has been covering elections since he was a broadcast student with WFOS in 1982. Whitener, a high school honor student, has been with WFOS since she was 13. She's had experience covering the Chesapeake City Council.
``We chose Alice as co-anchor because of her political expertise,'' McCurdy said. ``She is the daughter of Jim and Adele Whitener. Jim was a candidate for the City Council in 1996 so Alice was able to observe the political rough-and-tumble ways of Chesapeake. Alice also has the ability to adapt to stressful situations.''
Daytime precinct coverage will be handled by McCurdy, Desler and students Ryan Cullison (Great Bridge High School, class of 1998), Steve Martin (Great Bridge High School, class of 1997) and Melanie Johnson (Hickory High School, class of 1998). Jayne Smith will handle the daytime anchor chores. At 7 p.m., Babb and Whitener will take over and will begin offering live, up-to-the-minute voting results from all of Hampton Roads' cities. National and state election results will come in from the Mutual Broadcasting Network.
Babb and Whitener will be assisted in the studio by Rachel Moody (Deep Creek High School, class of 2000), Jolie McGehee (Great Bridge High School, class of 2000) and Jason Quash (Great Bridge High School, class of 2000).
Chesapeake City Hall remotes will be handled by McCurdy, Desler, Tina George (Old Dominion University), Edward Johnson (Indian River High School, class of 1997), Melody Siff (Deep Creek High School, class of 1998) and Tiffany Quash (Great Bridge High School, class of 1997).
Portsmouth results will covered by Booker T. Washington High School faculty member Vince Brown along with Sheri Alford (Western Branch High School, class of 1998), Danielle Boone (Western Branch High School, class of 1997), Courtney Watson (Western Branch High School, class of 1999), Charlotte Davis (Court Street Academy, class of 2001) and Erinn Rahimpour (Court Street Academy, class of 2001).
Norfolk votes will be tallied by adult supervisor Carolyn Harris Elstradt along with Shan-Estelle Brown (Norfolk Academy, class of 1997), Catherine Isajewitz (Maury High School, class of 1998), Michael Wiley (Northside High School, class of 2000), Amber Wiley (Granby High School, class of 1998) and Mark Gamsey (Norfolk Collegiate Academy, class of 1997).
Virginia Beach election results will be handled by adult supervisor Stephanie Craft along with Ladan Hamidi-Toosi (Norfolk Academy, class of 1997), Erin Hatcher (Norfolk Christian Academy, class of 1999), Holly Klaus (Salem High School, class of 1999), John David Cosby (Old Dominion University) and Melissa Cosby (Rock Christian School, class of 1999).
Suffolk votes will be covered by Chris Bassett (College of the Albemarle) and Chris Foisey (Great Bridge High School, class of 1999). MEMO: More information about election coverage on WFOS is available by
calling 547-1036. ILLUSTRATION: Photo
Richie Babb, telecommunications coordinator, and Alice Whitener,
Indian River High School sophomore, will be the broadcast anchors. by CNB