Sean Gasser
The display from Burden Gardens' new holiday installation, "Louisiana Lights."
Spare a thought for the long-suffering TV producer tryinghto hput together a Christmas fundraising special in mid-November. This was the lot handed to my friend Kathy Scherer, who, as Public Information Officer for Louisiana Public Broadcasting, was producing “A Louisiana Holiday,” a Christmas-themed pledge drive showcasing holiday destinations around the state, that would run in Louisiana: The State We’re In time slots during December.
I have known Kathy for decades, both during her tenure at LPB, and prior, when she was a lynchpin at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. So, when she called looking for some local “talent” to join LSWI’s news anchors to co-host “A Louisiana Holiday,” I was glad to volunteer. Some might know that, in addition to my efforts at Country Roads, I host LPB’s Art Rocks! program, and as an admirer of locally produced television like Louisiana: The State We’re In and Ziggy’s Arts Adventure, and national shows like Antiques Roadshow, NOVA, Masterpiece Theatre, and PBS NewsHour, I believe that LPB’s contributions to the quality of life, learning, and culture in Louisiana are hard to overstate.
In any case, the project sounded like a lark. Kathy explained that “A Louisiana Holiday” would be shot at Baton Rouge’s Burden Museum & Gardens, against the backdrop of Louisiana Lights, the holiday lighting extravaganza at Windrush Gardens that debuted last year, which I hadn’t yet seen. I would be co-hosting alongside LWSI host Christina Rogers and Executive Producer Linda Midgett, consummate professionals both, and segments would be shot at the Radiant Rondelle, the spectacular lighting installation that appeared on the December 2024 cover of this magazine. What’s more, during early November, the weather had finally turned cool, so the prospect of dressing festively and hanging out at a Christmas lighting display introducing viewers to holiday destinations sounded like a good opportunity to support one of the state’s great institutions amid what has by any estimation been a difficult year. What, I wondered, could go wrong?
“Arrive around 4:30. Wear something Christmas-y,” Kathy said. My wardrobe is short on ugly Christmas sweaters, so I settled on a white shirt, red tie, and woolen sports jacket, and arrived at Burden in late afternoon. By the time everyone converged on the Radiant Rondelle, LPB’s production crew had lights and cameras in place and were waiting on some action. My co-hosts Linda and Christina arrived resplendent in red and green. While the three of us got mic'd up, the crew stood about waiting for a guy with the loudest leaf-blower I've ever heard to finish his pre-opening sweep.
As dusk settled, the challenges of creating good TV in an outdoor Louisiana setting at night began to reveal themselves. The weather was no longer Christmas-y. After early November’s brief cold snap, the temperature had shot back up into the eighties, with humidity to match. Beneath the klieg lights in front of the cameras, it felt hotter, and as shooting got underway, the three of us began to glow like Christmas ornaments. To South Louisiana’s abundant insect life, nothing screams “all-you-can-eat-buffet” like three mammals stranded for hours beneath high-intensity lights and, as darkness deepened, every mosquito south of Florida Boulevard apparently got the message. I’m no great TV talent, but trust me when I tell you it’s hard to deliver lines with a smile while a half dozen mosquitoes settle noisily on the back of your neck. The ladies, bare-legged in holiday cocktail dresses, had it worse, and between takes, we sweated, swatted, and said un-Christmasy things while the production crew looked on with the patience of Job.
As evening progressed, Louisiana Lights, the capital city's most popular holiday attraction, filled with visitors. Since we were standing in front of its iconic installation, we became one with the incandescent display. In take after take, delighted children dashed through the frame, emitting shrieks that made a mockery of the phrase, “Quiet on the set.” While we were shooting the final segment, somebody somewhere tripped over an extension cord, plunging part of the set into darkness, and setting off a chorus of "aaaahs" when it was plugged back in. No matter. With a few good takes and visions of West Nile Virus dancing in our heads, cast and crew decided it was a good time to call it a night.
As you probably know, this has been a hard year for public broadcasting, in Louisiana and pretty much everywhere else. The elimination of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting brought $4.6 million in cuts to Louisiana public broadcasting networks including LPB, WYES, and WLAE TV; WRKF/WWNO, WWOZ radio, and others. If these institutions, which do so much to shine light on the state’s current affairs, politics, environment, art, music, sports, history, and cuisine were to go dark, the loss of public awareness, learning, and identity will be incalculable. Commercial media outlets like The Advocate, WAFB, or dare I say it, Country Roads, certainly can’t do that alone. The state’s public broadcasters can’t, either. So, this year more than ever, please consider supporting the public broadcasting services you care about. Your life and the lives of all Louisianans will be richer for it.
LPB’s “A Louisiana Holiday” pledge special will premiere December 9 at 7 pm, with an encore December 13 at 10:30 am. Or become a member anytime at lpb.org.
—James Fox-Smith, publisher
