Behind the Scenes

What does it take to produce an Outdoor Idaho episode? Good question. Each show needs a writer/producer, the one who comes up with the idea, contacts the people to be interviewed, and writes the script.

And each show needs a director/videographer, the one who actually brings back the pictures, who lugs the camera gear, who makes sure the batteries are working, and who has that necessary touch of artistry. Oh, and because we don't have a big budget, this person also needs to bring back great audio.

Usually, the director/videographer is also the editor, the one who combines voice overs, interviews, music, natural sound, and scenics to create the actual program on video tape.

Today's editors use a non-linear editing machine. But until 1998 our shows were edited with a linear editing machine. (It's really the difference between a typewriter and a word processor.) That meant the show had to be figured out in advance, because it was very difficult to go back and change something. Now that we have the option of making changes in the show at any time, without having to start over, we wonder how we ever managed in the typewriter/linear editing world!

We figure that one of our shows takes about seven to nine weeks to complete: a week or three to write and shoot the primary interviews, and about five weeks of editing in the edit bay. That makes it tough when we have a weekly air date. That's the reason we have to rely upon repeats, which is frustrating for many viewers. Hopefully, our shows are worth watching more than once!

John Crancer is the lead producer for Outdoor Idaho. The other producers work with John to make sure their story ideas will work into the overall schedule. After that, producers are on their own. Usually, we know our show schedule about fifteen months out. Some of John's recent shows include "Desert Hideaways," "Winter Wonderlands," and "Idaho's Centennial Trail."

Pat Metzler is the main director of the show. He put together our Open and has been responsible for more shows than anyone else. Some of Pat's recent shows are "A Middle Fork Journey," "A Trip to the Moon," and "A Palouse Paradise."

Bruce Reichert is the host of Outdoor Idaho. It's his voice you hear on each show. Some of Bruce's recent shows include "Silver Valley Rising," "Back to the Past," and "A Middle Fork Journey," which he co-produced with John.

Marcia Franklin, Joan Cartan-Hansen and Jim Peck are also writer/producers. While Outdoor Idaho isn't their primary assignment, they each contribute at least one or two strong shows a year for the cause.

Marcia's latest shows include "Cycling Idaho" and "Camp Rainbow Gold." Joan's latest shows include "A Trip to the Moon" and "Frank Church Wilderness." Jim's latest shows include "Extremely Idaho" and "Bird Hunting in Idaho."

Alberto Moreno, Chuck Cathcart, and Jay Krajic are also director/videographer/editors. Alberto is also a musician, which has come in handy on several of our productions, most notably "Oldtime Fiddlers." Some of Alberto's recent shows include "Extremely Idaho," "Bird Hunting in Idaho," and "Teton Inspiration." Chuck has most recently directed "Motorized Idaho," "Desert Hideaways," and "Winter Wonderlands." Jay has directed "Camp Rainbow Gold" and "Desert Therapy."

Ricardo Ochoa, the only original crew member of Outdoor Idaho, is also a director/videographer/editor. Some of his shows include "War of the Weeds," and "Fish & Game in the Crosshairs."

Rick Penticoff and Stephanie Dickey create the various websites for our shows. Sandy Streiff and Lisa Sommer assist with the graphics as needed. Cassandra Groll, Michelle Waddell, Sandy McBride and Morgan Dethman create our on-air and motion graphics. Anne Peterson and Karen Johnson work on publicity for our shows. And Jeff Tucker, our production manager, is the WD40 that keeps the train on the tracks.