Lincoln Live

The Trophy Count is Growing for Gahanna’s Future Journalists

By Dan Pearlman

Not many people can say they have won an Emmy Award. Even fewer people can say they have won multiple awards, but late last year, a group of students at Gahanna Lincoln High School won three National Student Production Awards, also referred to as Student Emmys.

“Professionally, it was the best day of my 23-year teaching career,” said Mark Lowrie, the teacher who advises GLHS’s Lincoln Live.

The Lincoln Live team was nominated by the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences for five Student Emmys, ultimately winning the coveted awards for Best Newscast, Best Sports Program for Lincoln Sports Zone, and Best Video Essay for a story by a student on a candlelight vigil that was held for former Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins. The students also brought home seven regional Student Production Awards - more than any other school in Ohio. In addition to those honors, Lincoln Live was one of only four broadcasts nationwide to win the National Scholastic Press Association’s Broadcast Pacemaker Award.

Behind the scenes of Lincoln Live

“I was so overjoyed and beyond proud of everyone who was a part of the shows,” said Jillian Sanders, Executive Producer of Lincoln Live. “To know that our hard work and dedication paid off was just incredible.”

WGLH-TV was created by Tom Gregory in 1987. The broadcast was called WGLH-TV until 2019 when Gregory renamed it Lincoln Live. He added live, multi-camera, highly technical elements to the show and wanted “Live” to be included in the title to encompass those additions. The show is broadcast live almost every day.

Lincoln Sports Zone

Planning for each show begins weeks in advance. Students submit new ideas and topics on a shared content calendar. They discuss the content for each show during daily meetings, and they outline the following day’s show and write scripts so they are ready to shoot every morning. Students also rotate their responsibilities so they can learn every aspect of putting a show together. This allows them to learn the importance of both the on-camera and behind-the-scenes jobs.

“We are able to give a voice to people who may not believe they have one,” said Sanders, who is thankful for the freedom that students have to cover the topics and stories that interest them.

“Lincoln Live has brought me into a field I never thought I would be in and sparked a passion I will have for the rest of my life.”

One of the many positive impacts of Lincoln Live is that it sparks an interest in students to pursue a career in journalism. Several GLHS graduates are currently working in the field, including NBC4’s Cierra Johnson, 10TV’s Yolanda Harris and Adam King, and Fox News Channel’s David Spunt. It is likely that Gahanna residents will see more familiar faces in the future.

“Lincoln Live has brought me into a field I never thought I would be in and sparked a passion I will have for the rest of my life,” said Social Media Producer Mia Sammons.

Both Sammons and Sanders will pursue careers in journalism after they graduate this year.

Behind the scenes of Lincoln Live