Cardinal Television-Year 2 Reflection

 Another great year has passed working with Cardinal Television, and my heart is so full of gratitude. I have the privilege of showing up on set each week and working with the phenomenal Cecil Felton.  This past year, I produced two shows—30FPS and Watcha’ Reading. Both shows were special in their own way and demonstrated the power of television for our audiences.


During my freshman year, Professor Felton approached me and mentioned the idea of a Gospel Music show. I was a little hesitant at first because I had no experience working in television, but he immediately took me under his wing. Getting the opportunity to host this show has been a great way to gain experience and grow in my faith. In my second year with 30FPS and Gospel House TV, we had three amazing guests. Fr. Bill Graf was our first guest, who formerly taught at St. John Fisher University. Getting his take on the ministry and building community was very inspiring for me—and I hope for others. Lauren Stanger was our second guest and has recently returned from missionary work in Arkansas. She is a phenomenal student at the Eastman School of Music and currently studies with my Uncle that teaches there.  Our last guest for the year was Evan Salazar, who joined us on the show last year as well. Evan leads a wonderful men's group at St. John Fisher University in the chapel each Sunday. Getting to know Evan’s story touched my heart in many ways and showed me the importance of working with those in our school community.


Last summer, my goal was to go into the new school year producing my own show. As I thought about ideas for a new show, I instantly remembered the PBS cuts that were recently made. Many of us grew up on amazing shows, such as “Mister Rogers Neighborhood” and “Reading Rainbow”, which inspired us into our adulthood. This immediately drew me to the idea of creating an educational program for children. It took me quite a while to settle on a specific area that this educational program was going to focus on, but then my mind went to literature. I was reading an article about the low statistics of children reading across the United States, and I knew that this had to be the focus. Finding a name for this show was also a difficult task. As I was reading a book on my Uncle’s porch one day, my friend came up to me and said, “watcha’ reading?”. It was at this moment that I knew that I had the title of my new show. For the rest of the summer, I spent countless hours designing logos and thinking about the format of this show. The Pilot episode for this show aired in November of 2025. 


Our first guest on the show was Dr. Jill Swiencicki, who teaches English at St. John Fisher. The first book that we introduced was “Thank You, Mr. Falker” by Patricia Polacco. As I was thinking of who should be the first guest, Dr. Swiencicki came to mind first. She embodies the kindness and compassion that was shown by Mr. Falker in the book. This was an extraordinary interview that reached many people across campus and the Rochester community. The second guest was Joy Breeden, who works in the library at St. John Fisher University. Joy is a die-hard fan of the show, “Dawson’s Creek”, which aired back in the 90’s on the WB Network. I am also a big fan of the show, so I thought an episode on the program would be perfect. The book that we introduced was “I Remember Everything: Life Lessons from Dawson’s Creek” by Erin Hensley and Julia Callahan. The book touches base on the lessons we can take from the show. It was such a treat to talk to someone who loves the show as much as I do and realize what a treat it is to tune into each episode.  The third guest that we had on the show was Thomas Warfield, who recently retired from Rochester Institute of Technology. Thomas has been a performer for many decades and comes from a family of brilliant artists. The book that we introduced for this episode was “Dancing in the Wings” by Debbie Allen. Thomas explained to us the delight he receives from dancing and singing. He was truly an inspiration, and that interview is something that I will carry with me for the rest of my life.  Our final guest of the year was Kourtney Blackburn, who serves as one of the librarians at St. John Fisher. She is most definitely one of the kindest people I have ever met, and her interview was so special. The book that we introduced was “Library Lion” by Michelle Knudsen. Many people don’t know the daily routines of a librarian, so getting the opportunity to sit down with her and ask questions was very interesting. Kourtney is one of the highlights of the school community—and she continues to touch the lives of each student.


If there is one thing that I have taken away from this past year, it's that television is one of the most powerful tools in the world. Those in our communities are struggling with the current state of our world, but we must remember that our words are valuable and can reach many people. I’m grateful to Professor Felton and the advice he has given me on a lifestyle in this career. Looking forward to working with my colleagues for many years to come.


In Gratitude,

Keenan Griffey


             



                  



   








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