The Buzz TV is the best of its kind in 8 states. Now they go national.

It starts with Principal Dee Christopher carpool karaoke-ing Vanilla Ice and ends in a sneezy blooper reel, but in between #BuzzedonFall is all business.

And student features. And town history. And sports.

What began as one weekly The Buzz TV episode ended up winning Fort Mill High School students the highest honor of its kind from an eight-state region. Student Television Network named the entry among seven regional winners for weekly broadcasts. An overall winner will be named March 29 at the group’s national convention in Anaheim, Calif.

Buzz TV staff claim several prior awards for individual segments, projects and student work. They even have regional Emmy awards and championships from competitions at the national event. The regional win is something different. It focuses not on one spot or student, but on an entire episode.

“Even their own parents can’t understand what a big deal this is,” said Karin McKemey, television production teacher.

Student Network Television began two decades ago. Students participate from all across the world, from aspiring professional on-air talent in the United States to beginners in countries getting an early taste of a free press system.

“They wanted to help all journalists across the board be able to incorporate that visual component,” McKemey said.

This year there will be about 3,000 students at the national convention. As traditional print and other media incorporate more and more video, McKemey believes it important her students learn the best and latest skills. Even if they never go into news production, the former news producer sees her students gaining a better perspective on the images that hit their screens. On accuracy, quality, storytelling.

“It’s important for kids to care,” McKemey said.

Even the school district itself highlights changes in media. Buzz TV brings 90 students a day through what once was an elementary school library. The district is building its third high school with a production studio and related elements in mind.

Part of the increased attention is technological. Part is success-based. Seniors Julian Masters and Zoe Cruz anchored the award-winning episode last fall. Already, Masters notices a difference as Buzz TV lays another accolade to the growing pile.

“Since we’ve won we’ve gotten a lot of attention,” she said. “It brings a lot of attention to your school.”

The pair also won a national sports feature contest on an eighth-grade football player with cerebral palsy. They had six days and the prompt “level playing field.”

“It was the best six days of my entire life,” Cruz said.

Buzz TV airs during fourth block every Friday. Shows run about 20 minutes. The winning entry featured spots on secret fast food menu items, a former student running his own apparel company, a behind-the-scenes with the school musical and a student musician profile. It also had a segment on graduating seniors whose parents graduated the inaugural class at the current high school building.

It just happened to be the “all girls” episode, anchored by and reported almost exclusively by female students.

“Even though it was an-all girls show, we had a good variety of topics,” Masters said.

While having every student in school watch may the be greater pressure, Buzz TV content airs on cable access channels in Fort Mill and Tega Cay. It goes online where viewers from a dozen or more countries see it. A recent viewership surge came from the Netherlands. Some watch from Russia.

“It’s not just from Fort Mill,” McKemey said. “Zoe has family in Guam, so we have a huge following in Guam.”

The broadcasting program — equipment, computers — at the school is federally funded through a Perkins Grant. The district pays McKemey.

Buzz TV aims to prepare students who may want to go into mass media, and educate others who may choose another field. Whether it’s locals on access channels, students from other countries interested in life as an American high school student or contest judges, Buzz TV students will show them Fort Mill High at its finest.

“They take an exam every single week,” McKemey said, “and everybody sees it.”

This story was originally published January 13, 2017 at 2:36 PM with the headline "The Buzz TV is the best of its kind in 8 states. Now they go national.."