Late August brought many of its worries as the year moved on. Pressured to keep federal funding to come to the various school districts, many states, and the more conservative ones in particular were trying to mandate opening schools as quickly as possible, regardless of the Covid 19 pandemic which showed little sign of slowing down. And while Lyre and Animalia hadn't had it as bad as other places that didn't mean that the entire situation was without worry. Things in Lyre and Animalia were healthier, but the pressure was still there as Miles made his way up to Animalia's City Hall which was selected for where Animalia Ambassadoria would have its first show after the original cast had left.
There had been some practices, and Miles felt they worked, but they were more about meeting the Human members of Animalia Ambassadoria and their two new members, Eliza Doolittle, and Olaf Snow. The introductions were polite and they got to know each other fairly well and Miles learned a bit about how things had been done in the past, often with a Human and Animalian or a pair of Humans and Animalians sent off for field interviews as needed. It was stuff he knew from seeing the show, but the in person talks on how things worked were helpful and he found that a good many of his suggestions were accepted in trying to present a more serious and professional version of Animalia Ambassadoria. Some of the old gags weren't ended, as some of the new Animalian members and most of the Human members actually liked them, but it was agreed that they would be cut back on in favor of more factual reporting.
And as he entered he found the large open area that made up the entry area to Animalia's City Hall was set up for a more professional looking broadcast with chairs set up so that they sort of formed a half circle and alternated between Human and Animalian, hoping to serve the mission that Animalia Ambassadoria had in not only reporting on updates from Animalia but also building on how well Animalians and Humans could live and work together. Some of that was self evident in some ways, given how Animalia and Lyre got along, but Miles hoped the new way of explaining things would reinforce that record. He approached the chairs and found his name on a notecard sitting on one of the chairs in the middle with Jenny Jenkins to his left and Rebecca Longshot to his right.
"A center chair..." Miles said slowly.
"Yeah... looks like we'll be the main anchors for the show," Jenny commented, "and as planned the others will often team up for specific events and activities... which will go on through the course of the year... The biggest things coming up are Labor Day in September and Halloween in October."
"And we'll hopefully get some updates from all over for that as well," Johan added, "though for the most part... all today will be is to introduce you guys and the two new Human members..."
"Replacing two that were seniors at WSA two years ago," Harvey commented while scratching his mane, "weren't they supposed to do polls or something like that?"
"They were... and are," Lara Wilkerson commented, "and we've all gotten the emails from Sophie in that she and her friends might be willing to do some of that sort of thing on Animalian issues at their colleges too... but they're not something we can count on because their schedules will be different from ours."
"Thus the need for introductions," Ronald Wilson said pointedly.
Miles nodded. The first show for them wasn't going to be much more than an introduction to all the new members and some explanation of the changes that would be coming and leave things at that. From there the more weekly regular schedule would start and would include the bits where members would be set off for interviews on things that were being updated, parties that were planned for Animalia as a whole, which Miles suspected would be a toned down version of Spookyville this year given the Covid pandemic, and that sort of thing. When they got to the bigger school breaks, like Christmas, and then the next summer there would be the bigger specials that would cover updates in things like Animalian sports and a continuation of showing how and why integrating Humans and Animalians into team sports wasn't practical at the moment would continue. Miles was pleased to see Harvey smile at that and even voice some ideas on how that integration could ultimately be managed... but those were all topics for the future. Right now all they had were introductions.
Miles moved and sat down in his seat and looked up to where one of Animalia's PR office members was running the camera and had a few notecards set up. The cards would work like a teleprompter and would set out how the first episode with the new team would run, and they had actually rehearsed it before and it went well. Now it was for real and Miles watched as a red light on the camera came on and the PR man lifted up one hand and gave a thumb's up. With that, Jenny picked up to open up the show.
"Hello, I'm Jennifer Jenkins... or Jen-Jen as some of you in the comments have taken to calling me, and welcome to an all new format for Animalia Ambassadoria," Jenny opened, "as you can see... Animalia Ambassadoria's most favored faces are no longer here... as they have graduated from WSA and are now off to college and the experiences that come with it. And all of us that have worked with them over the past couple of years will miss them greatly and wish them well."
The other Human members of Animalia Ambassadoria all nodded in agreement with that as Jenny continued.
"But the show must go on, and we will now be introducing a new show with new members, including two new Human members who will be replacing Courtney Hedge and Katherine Keuchel, who are also presently in college. We will now introduce the new members and some of the roles they will field here with Animalia Ambassadoria..."
That was then the que for Miles. He waved to the camera for a moment and then spoke, "I'm Miles Williamson. My family moved here over the summer to continue the work their former employer who's moved her home and business operations here to Animalia. We are now a mixed family of Animalians and loving it. I will be working alongside Jennifer Jenkins to anchor the show."
"Call me Jen-Jen," Jenny playfully punched Miles in the shoulder.
"I'm Betsy Talbot," Betsy introduced herself, "and I will be helping cover the elements of fashion that have grown up around Animalia and how businesses manage to design clothing to not only fit Animalian sizes but also some of the unique adaptations that might not be so simple to use. It's a lot of work, and in some ways has even made a lot of money for Human fashion designers looking to cater to Animalians."
"I am Olaf Snow... and call it irony, but I got assigned to help cover stories on how Animalians adapt to changes in the weather and how that will apply to the larger world we're in," Olaf introduced himself.
"Not ironic, necessary," Julie Jenkins told him.
"I am Natasha Yarr, and I will be helping Olaf with his coverage," Natasha spoke, "and before anyone asks... I have never been in outer space."
"I am Louie Ringo and I will be covering on updates for Animalian music, art, culture...just about anything that can uplift your hears and inspire great things," Louie added.
"So keep up to date on all your concert needs with him!" Penelope Tellz cheered.
"I'm Harvey Mainz and I will be working through with Animalia's sports coverage... be it the UFC-A, Dino Fight Club, the ICA, comparisons between Human and Animalian athletes and the difficult point of integrating sports will all be possible topics to discuss and figure out," Harvey introduced.
"Go team!" Fred Stairs added his own cheer with his fist raised in the air.
"I'm Eliza Doolittle, and I will be joining Harvey and Fred at the sports "desk," so stay tuned," Eliza added, earning nods from both Harvey and Fred. Miles glanced to see that both of them seemed happy with the addition.
"I'm Minnie Moose... that's M-o-o-s-e," Minnie introduced herself, "I will be working with Julie Jenkins in dealing with any cultural or scientific artifacts found... such as what has been found at the Animalian colonies at New Zerzura and Vilcabamba..."
"Not to mention the scientific discoveries that have come out of Dinotopia Aquatica, Dino City, and future projects that will be dealing with extinct life from Earth's prehistoric pass," Julie added, "showing where Horizon, Animalia, and the Animalia Virus have actually been helping scientists learn more about life before us... and letting us get some better impressions on what prehistoric life looked like beyond just their bones."
"I'm Melvin Eco," Melvin spoke clearly to the camera, "in addition to basic field reporting... I will try to cover on how Animalia's presence has actually helped boost the economy. Not just in fashion design and the things that have often been publicized in the past... but all the things that relate to construction for housing, furniture, and even things like pencils and pens."
"And shows on how Animalia has helped the country... even the Human parts of the country," Miles commented slowly, "just by existing it creates demand and that in turn creates jobs."
Melvin nodded in agreement to that.
"I'm Susie Pringle," Susie introduced herself, "and I will also be helping with the sports "desk" while also doing some field reporting."
"Cooper Copper is my name," Cooper gave a warm smile, "Athena and I will be covering how Animalia's school system works and its schedule... particular in trying times."
"And keep in mind that WSA has its fall schedules out," Athena added, "we may be getting into late August... but the first day of school at WSA is coming and the school board and faculty have all posted the schedules for in person learning and remote learning... what grades will get which and how they will work. They should be posted online. Safety notices are also there. Remember, even if Animalians are healthier than most Humans... Covid 19 is no joke."
"And until we have a vaccine, it will be best to wear a mask and try to keep your distance," Cooper spoke, "for even Animalians can catch the disease. We don't want things spreading."
"I'm Grace Thule," Grace nodded, "in addition to some field reporting... I will provide some measure of humor and working with the appropriate animations to try and keep Animalia Ambassadoria interesting and hip with younger viewers."
"Which means we could still get some Animalia's Funniest Videos clips if they come in," Rebecca Longshot gave a smile, "and there's often been something funny to see."
That was one of the things that Miles felt was something that had been a part of what held Animalia Ambassadoria down. Jokes were fine, but the things that often made the cut were pretty low brow in making fun of people making stupid mistakes among other things, and no one liked being made fun of. Part of Miles figured that was something helped trigger some of the people that often attacked Animalia. They wanted some attention, made a mistake and then got laughed at as a result of it. However, some of those sorts of jokes were among the things that had some popularity and about all Miles could do was convince the others that they wouldn't be as prominent. Miles paused his thoughts as they then got to the last two to introduce themselves.
"I'm Ben Willer and in addition to field reporting will cover medical and family news," Ben spoke, "What Animalia and Lyre can do to help fight the spread of Covid 19... how families are adapting to this... how those with infants are protecting their newborns, as well as various medical tests that have come in from elsewhere. Rumor says that Horizon down in Dino City has been looking into how Dinotopians would respond to things like Rabies, mostly with blood samples at the moment... along with some cooperation with Dinotopia Aquatica on work on an Animalian version of the Covid vaccine, after the Federal government FINALLY cleared Horizon to actually research on a way to vaccinate people and Animalians. It means there is a lot that will relate to your health... and that Animalia is doing what it can to help and survive... like everyone else."
The last was Kendra, who straightened herself before speaking, "I'm Kendra Tykes... Unlike the others, I have no set area of assignment to cover and will do some field reporting on things that are happening... but I will say that I have my opinions and I will not hesitate to share them if the situation requires it."
That brought nods from everyone else before Jenny spoke to close out the episode, "And those are all the new members. Hopefully over the course of the coming year you get to know them quite well. For while things may be tough now as we reach toward the last weeks of August... but there will be a lot to cover as things move forward. Things like Spookyville and Halloween aren't all that far into the future."