After
16 years in a TV newsroom, Wayne Faligowski wanted a change of pace.
Setting off on his own in 1993, he undertook one of the most
daunting tasks anyone can face in broadcasting: to create a TV
series. Create it he did, starting from scratch and the result was
an academic competition called High Five Challenge.
He secured Smith's Home Furnishing as a sponsor, recruited high
school teams, convinced KPTV to air it and generally acted as a
one-man band -- producer, host, sales manager and talent
coordinator.
Four years later he's survived the bankruptcy of his title sponsor,
faced lean times, yet keeps moving ahead. He's turned it from a
Portland metro area show to a regional contest between high schools
from across Oregon and Washington. High Five, now sponsored by
Hollywood Video, also airs in Seattle and Eugene. He has 10
part-time helpers and disk jockey John Williams as a regular
announcer. College professors help write the questions and answers
used in the games.
Faligowski had two other goals besides launching a business. One was
to fulfill "my own self-satisfaction".
"Another was to do something good for
teenagers, because he is a father himself. He feels he's attained
what he set out to do. Through competing in the series, he says,
"Good kids have gained their 15 minutes of TV fame in a positive
way."
Each week two teams of six players test their memories in a
round-robin tournament, attempting to answer brainy questions on
topics such as American History, Geography, Anatomy and the
miscellaneous category Potpourri.
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Faligowski sees
nothing but growth for the series, noting it more than doubled from
31 teams in 1993 to 66 in 1995. He hopes to include teams from
Nevada, Arizona and California in the mix, perhaps as soon as next
year.
High Five's fourth season continues its current run of 44 games
every Saturday. The six highest-scoring teams from the games taped
last September earned a trip to the playoffs, which begin taping
March 15 for summer airing.
"Kids really do shoot to make the playoffs," he notes. "That's the
big thing, to be in front of their peers."
As he looks forward to the fifth season this fall, Faligowski can
say with pride of his game show, "It's the only one like it around."
Q:
What is your biggest adjustment moving from news to a game show?
A:
It was real tough the first year to smile on camera. I had to switch
from being authoritative to saying, "Hey, kids, let's have fun!" As
a host I feel much more relaxed.
Q:
The loss of your key sponsor last year must have been a big blow.
How did you deal with that?
A:
Smith's was a really good sponsor. It's unfortunate what happened to
them. They filed for bankruptcy in September 1995 when I had 76
teams ready to play. Smith's was my sole source of money. Like
everybody at Smith's it came as a shock to me. I drew unemployment
for awhile. Fred Meyer helped out and allowed me to get the show
going again and 66 teams hung in there. I found out I was dedicated
enough to continue it. |
Q:
How do you attract financing, sponsorships and TV Stations?
A:
I try to make the show as financially rewarding as possible for the
sponsors. Still, you really have to sell it. A TV station could air
an infomercial instead, which takes zero effort, just give us the
check! The show is a break-even deal for the stations, which could
make more money selling time to infomercials. KPTV has been great.
They have provided five cameras and a trained crew.
Q:
Which high school teams have been champions so far?
A:
Hudson's Bay was the champion the first and third year, and they're
in the playoffs again this year. Wilson won the second year.
Who has stood out among the players?
A:
Lawson Fite from Hudson's Bay made it to Jeopardy! Lawson was a
three time Academic All-American at the national academic challenge
in Florida. He was also a national geography champion. When
geography came up, the other kids would cringe. He was automatic!
He's a freshman at Harvard now. The other teams were relieved to see
him graduate.
Q:
What future plans do you have for the series?
A:KPTV's
news studio allows a bigger live audience of up to 80 people. I want
to invite senior citizens to come watch and get involved cheering
for the teams.
Q:
Looking back at the show so far, what has the experience been like
for you?
A:
Despite all the troubles, I don't regret leaving TV news. It's still
very slanted and stresses the negative about high schools. Good kids
aren't news, the 5% who are troublemakers get 95% of the attention.
People are getting burned out on all the negatives. High Five really
counteracts that. The good kids are getting some exposure.
By: ERIK H. BERGMAN
As featured in TV Host 1997 |
