As our fourth year broadcasting the Coronado 4th of July parade comes to a close, I would like to acknowledge the hard work and dedication that went into our production. Despite technical problems including two 12 year old cameras failing just before the parade started and losing our audio feed two hours into the broadcast, KYDS TV was able to broadcast the entire parade live on television. We even managed to provide a recording to Time Warner Cable to rebroadcast the parade this weekend and hope to produce a DVD to raise funds for next year. I remain elated and optimistic for our fifth year since I believe this to be an astounding accomplishment for a small group of elementary, middle and high school students with hand-me-down cameras and microphones.

To all my kyds, I'd like to say thank you for the work you put into this effort. Our anchors, Sierra, Lillie, Ryan, Chloe, Sara, Arielle, and Samantha, you all did a wonderful job keeping viewers informed of the passing floats, and interviewing our guests, no simple task. To Molly, Lili, Renee and Jazzy, true street smart reporters and camera operators, thank you for providing interviews with interesting people, bystanders, and parade participants during those idle stretches of the parade.

To Connor and Grace, the directors, and all the kyds who alternated in and out of the control booth, I am always surprised and impressed by the professionalism you display in switching, directing, and producing the event. This year's product, again, was an improvement over the previous years. From a production perspective KYDS TV is stepping out and becoming a fixture in our fine community's many traditions.

To our guests, CDR Shawn Johnston, USS Coronado and Susan Ring Keith the ship's sponsor, I thank you for taking the time and the risk of live television with KYDS TV. We make every effort to provide programming and guests with meaning and relevance to our community and your participation was a welcome, much needed part of continuing that effort.

To the technical staff, all three of them. Laurie, Lizzie and Tim, I thank you for helping keep 13 of our fine youth on task and ready. As floor director, wrangler and boom operator (who knew that boom would be so challenging), your help, stitched the event together and held it together until the end. And to Bill Putnam of Time Warner Cable, thank you for your advice, assistance and coordination with TWC.

And to all the parents that helped prepare their kyds, entertain, feed, and refresh them up to and during the production, thank you. Without our parents involvement, our show just wouldn't be possible. I welcome you all back next year.

Lastly, to this wonderful community, for being patient as KYDS TV got our feet wet, tripped, stumbled and moderately succeeded in providing a broadcast for four years. The challenge of live television is significant. The challenge of live television on a shoestring budget is extremely high, especially when the shoestring breaks.

We do our best and our community has been very gracious in rolling with those set backs, regardless of the impact on our broadcast. Thank you all, see you next July!

Mark Gilliland (a Coronado Optimist)
Founder and Executive Producer
Coronado Young Directors Society, KYDS
Coronado, CA
www.kydstv.org