Archangel Press
T.T.A.R.
In 1997, with the assistance of the township of Lake Orion,
Michigan, the television program T.T.A.R. began production. M. Keaton was the head writer for this program
for all twenty-six episodes of the program (some of which never aired). T.T.A.R. went off the air in late 1999 when
the cast and crew decided to pursue other activities including the long-term
hope of transferring the program to radio should the F.C.C. lift their ban on
private radio. The program was
nominated for several awards and generated an inordinate amount of response,
both positive and negative.
The irony of this controversy is that the program was focused on
teaching mathematics, science, and civics in a clear manner, easily
approachable by adults and children alike who may have missed a key step in
their formal education. The obvious
problem is, of course, that statements of fact, especially in a political arena
are seen as biased and partisan when viewed by those who do not wish to
confront these absolutes. Thus, by
reading the U.S. Constitution aloud on air during the firestorm of President
Clinton's impeachment, the program came under fire from viewers on both sides
of the issue. Not inclined to be
intimidated, the show "removed the gloves" and, in season two,
presented a functional plan to conquer the world. Only a fraction of the program's time was dedicated to civics,
however, and the program stayed committed to education and communication.
As they have become available, the writings prepared for this
program will be posted here (including the Halloween special). Due to the overlap of subjects, some of
these writings are also posted on other pages on this site in the interest of
clarity.
Mathematics:
v Assistance
Notes for Long Division
(Teaching notes for long division)
Civics:
v Requiem (This brief essay by the writing staff
serves as the final summary of the political portion of the program.)
v HAARP (Special multi-part report on the
military H.A.A.R.P. program)
Science:
v Crypto-zoological
Notes (Host notes for the
crypto-zoology segment)
v Oddities (Transcript of a rapid-fire series of
Fortean phenomena and popular misconceptions)
Other:
v Disclaimer and
Closing (The show-opening
disclaimer statement and the closing credit template)
v F.A.Q. (The host responds to frequently asked
questions on-air)
v The Storm (Text of the "special field
reports" for the 11th episode.
The portions were spread throughout the episode. The 11th episode was a parody of
the shown within the show)
v Trailer (Promotional trailer for TTAR season two)