Blair Network Communications (BNC) plans to expand its audience and express its creativity through two new shows added this year: "Tony Kaufman" and "Face the Music."

Production for "Face the Music" will be done on October 8th and for "Tony Kaufman" on October 16th. The shows will air on Channel 34, the MCPS Instructional Television Station. BNC will know the show dates by the end of October or early November.

"Tony Kaufman" is about a high school student and his life, both at school and outside of school. Tony will learn about communication and school issues, said Coordinating Producer Cory Choy.

"Tony Kaufman" is animated in Flash, a computer animation program usually used for movies and games online, according to Chief Internet Engineer Chris Mulligan. Flash works by using a computer to move a picture.

Interspersed in the Flash animation, will be live actors, said Choy. When the animated characters are watching television, the people on television will be live actors. This technique is both effective and challenging. "That's going to be exciting, if it works," Choy said.

The animated and live actors are combined with technology new to BNC. "A green screen allows us to put the two elements together," Mulligan said. "This is the first time we've done this. We're figuring it out as we go along."

Besides using technology never explored by BNC before, "Tony Kaufman" also brings a new genre to the network. BNC's other two monthly shows, "Rad Lab" and "Double Overtime" are a skit show and a talk show, respectively. The fact that "Tony Kaufman" is animated makes it challenging, said Production and Engineering Executive Director Marian Seat, because BNC has "never dealt with animation before, to my knowledge."

"Face the Music" will be about "local music that's oriented to the high school music community," said Coordinating Producer of "Face
the Music," Cindy Keyser. "We really want to be what Blair students want to see," Keyser said.

"Face the Music" will cover a variety of music genres with, she hopes, in studio performances, Keyser said. Keyser also plans on having many interviews, with both musicians and high school fans.

Another aspect of the show will be it's interactive website where the audience can respond, said Keyser.

Besides the contributions these shows will make to BNC, Seat hopes that they "will reach a wider audience than the shows currently aired on Montgomery County Basic Cable."

Television Executive Director Sarah Thibadeau expects good results with the personal achievements of the producers. "My ultimate hope is that the producers have fun creating the shows, that they learn something, and that they're able to express themselves in ways they wouldn't normally be able to," said Thibadeau. "There's a lot of work for everyone involved, but we're all really excited about producing the shows."