June 2013 - Idaho Public Television

idahoptv.org
GENERAL MANAGER’S REPORT
PAGE 24
The first waves of an expected 6,000 people are passing though Expo Idaho at the Western Idaho Fairground in
Garden City, bearing one or two items.
Every piece gets an estimated value from one of about 70 appraisers who came to Idaho at their own expense.
From that larger pool, Bemko and her colleagues, Supervising Producer Sam Ferrell and Associate Producer Jill
Giles, are furiously culling the items to about 90 that will make the show and another 15 that will appear on webonly
appraisals.
The result will be three one‐hour shows airing during Roadshow’s 18th season, sometime between January and
June. Additional material will appear in “Junk from the Trunk,” special episodes featuring items from various cities
on the 2013 summer tour.
Bemko, who’s been with the show for 14 years, said she’s delighted to be in Idaho, one of a handful of states that
hadn’t yet been visited. Even though the population base is small compared to many stops, about 15,000 people
applied for 3,000 pairs of tickets, on par with Jacksonville, Fla., and more than Knoxville, Tenn., and Baton Rouge,
La.
“Without a doubt, enough things will walk through the door that we’ll have no problem filling three‐plus
episodes,” Bemko said.
Host Mark Walberg, taping his ninth season, said high value in some items is flashy, but the tales of their
acquisition are just as important.
“The entrée to watching our show may be waiting to see that little ‘brrrring’ across the screen to see if the person
is rich, and, therefore, I could be rich from finding something in my garage,” Walberg said. “But the reason people
stay with the show is still story. We tie objects and peoples lives and families to moments in history.”
Boise can thank Billings, Mont., for paving the way for the Roadshow reaching Idaho. With no Idaho convention
center big enough to accommodate the program’s typical needs, a 2010 taping at MetraPark in Billings showed
using multiple buildings in a fairground setting could work, said Giles, the associate producer.
“The people at Expo Idaho have risen to the challenge,” said Giles, noting that light leaks had to be plugged, tents
erected, parking shuttles arranged and security assured.
Idaho Public Television has provided 120 volunteers, to supplement the crew of 45 from Roadshow’s WGBH‐
Boston home and 15 local technical crew.
Idaho Public TV General Manager Peter Morrill was wowed by the scale.
“I am speechless,” Morrill said. “This is a huge operation and I can see why they generally don’t come to cities
without 100,000 square feet of convention space without obstructions. It’s going to be a remarkable showcase for
Idaho.”
Read more here: http://www.idahostatesman.com/2013/06/28/2635887/antiques‐roadshow‐visitsboise.html#storylink=cpy