Hometown Holiday Greetings Team to begin taping at Kadena

Published Sept. 15, 2009
By Rich Lamance

Joint Hometown News Service -- Broadcast teams from the Joint Hometown News Service in San Antonio, Texas, will begin taping video holiday greetings of service members and their families at Kadena Air Base Oct. 1 and 2, and other overseas locations during the holiday season.

This year marks the 26th anniversary of the program.

According to Erich Schwab, Air Force News Agency holiday greetings coordinator, active-duty military from all branches of service, their families and DoD civilians are eligible to participate in the program. Families of deployed members are also encouraged to participate.

According to Schwab, 3-person teams will travel to the Pacific, Europe and Southwest Asia theaters, setting up their cameras in more than 60 locations. Additionally, they have partnered with military broadcast organizations in Iraq and Afghanistan to provide coverage for those locations.

This year the team will broadcast at the Golf Course Tee House starting at 1 p.m. on a first-come, first-served basis and will continue to take customers until 7 p.m. Military members must be in uniform of the day and are encouraged to bring their families to the taping.

Schwab also offered a few tips to help people ensure their families and friends back home see their greeting on local television:

· Make sure to bring your address book. You'll need family members' names, city, state and phone number. No street address is needed this year, but station managers need phone contact info to let families know when your greeting will air.

· Service members need to be in uniform. Work uniform is fine. Family members should accompany their sponsor, unless their sponsor is deployed. And, of course, don't forget the props: Santa's hats, pets, banners and Christmas attire.

· Depending upon where you're stationed, there is a good chance there will be waiting lines. Immediately after work is normally prime time, so if you can break away for a few minutes during mid afternoon or evening, you can avoid the rush.

· In front of the camera: There aren't a lot of rules, but here are some tips to make the experience go smoothly. The top three - relax, relax and relax. So what if you'll be seen by a million TV viewers. When you're taping it's just you and the camera.

· Try to be cheerful and in the holiday spirit. It doesn't show well on camera if your teenage daughter looks like she'd rather be at the mall than wishing grandma happy holidays.

· Try to keep hand gestures to a minimum. When you're giving your greetings, don't say "Happy Thanksgiving." Most greetings will begin to air on Thanksgiving Day and will quickly become obsolete if that day has come and gone when your greeting airs.

· You don't need a teleprompter or a script, but try writing down your main points on a 3 x 5 card. Sometimes nerves can cause a bout of forgetfulness, so jot down your family members' names and the points you want to get across. If you have family in more than one area, you can do several greetings. You've got 15 to 20 seconds per greeting, more than enough time to get in your holiday wishes to those closest to you.

Local television stations will normally begin running greetings on Thanksgiving Day and continue through New Year's Day. Schwab says many greetings air multiple times during the holidays and usually on more than one station.

For more information, contact the public affairs office at 634-1509.