The following is a letter from our advisers.

Dear Readers and Viewers of The Thunderbeat,

For four years, we have taken new strides in growing our journalistic coverage of sports at Bellevue West. We started with just video on an iPad, and now are running one camera with a soundboard and live commentary.

We’ve done this in addition to publishing a yearbook, video yearbook, website, literary magazine, and newspaper, adding small lessons to our existing curricula on how to produce live broadcasts.

We have offered this content for free, and now we enter a new phase of broadcasting by partnering with the High School Sports Network, run by the National Federation of State High School Associations. This is the broadcast partner for the Nebraska State Activities Association as well, and enables us to broadcast NSAA playoff and district contests.

Effective Friday, October 27, to view our sports broadcasts, viewers will need to purchase a subscription option through the NFHS website. These subscriptions will allow access not only to Bellevue West events, but also to any event on the website.

Additionally, for every subscription purchased, 50% of that revenue comes back to Bellevue West, which will help offset some of the costs associated with producing broadcasts.

While we have prepared for nearly every contingency, there is always a chance that we will experience some hiccups along the way. We ask for your patience and understanding, as our broadcasts are student-run with limited resources. 

We know that sometimes it is uncomfortable to pay for something that we are used to receiving for free, but we hope you join us in our continuing coverage of Bellevue West Athletics.

Thanks for your time,

Julie Rowse and Aaron Stueve
Advisers to The Thunderbeat