Vol. 38, No. 18

1-31-2007
By: Adam King

It's cool to be smart

WOSU's 'In the Know' broadcast for 24 years

For the past 24 years, Carl Papai has helped lure some of Ohio’s smartest kids to Ohio State — at least to WOSU-TV’s Fawcett Center studio.

He has had a front-row seat at "In the Know," a high school trivia program that tests students’ knowledge of math, science, history, culture, current events, geography, art and music.

Papai is the judge and original creator of the show that started in 1966. Schools representing the final four teams receive scholarships from Ohio State (now $22,000 annually; $191,000 since 1984) and Westfield Insurance, so some of these students go on to become Buckeyes.

“The university has been generous with the scholarships for many years, but the fact they’re used by kids who want to be here and want to participate in the Honors Program, that’s what really makes this thing work and allows the university to attract the best and the brightest in central and southern Ohio,” said Bill Schiffman, a CPA and financial services adviser by day who has hosted the show all 24 years at WOSU.

Papai says the show’s unofficial mantra is “it’s cool to be smart.” And Schiffman quickly adds that the show has not lowered its standards.

“In the Know,” which began at WBNS as a live production, is one of the nation’s longest-running broadcast shows that never went on hiatus, according to Papai. A station salesperson had seen a prototype in Cincinnati and Papai was asked to create and produce a similar show for Columbus. When WBNS decided to cancel “In the Know” 18 years later, Ohio State snapped it up.

“At WOSU it’s a part of the fabric of this place. It’s a good fit over here,” said George Levert, who has produced “In the Know” the past six years.

Watching two teams go head-to-head, the first thing one notices is how determined the contestants look. They put on their game faces as soon as Camera 3’s red light pops on. They come to win and take the game seriously.

River Valley High School senior Trey Sands, however, said playing “In the Know” is more than about proving one’s intelligence. Discovery also is an incentive.

“It allows me to go back and read more about the things I never knew,” said Sands, whose team was competing in the third round. “For me, it’s art and classical music.”

There was one contestant who actually did know everything, Papai said. About 20 years ago, a freshman from a small western Ohio school answered virtually every question.

“After the show I asked her, ‘How can anybody 14 years old know that much about everything?’ She pulled herself up to her full 4 foot, 9 inches and said, ‘I’m 13.’”

The questions for the show come from Patrick Press in Columbus, Ga., a service that supplies questions to other similar shows as well as the national contest. But Papai makes it his labor of love to write the art, music and “Big Bonus” questions.

“Sometimes Bill and I filter out questions that nobody on the face of this Earth would know the answer to because they’re so obscure,” Papai said. “We stay away from the esoteric and the arcane and try to keep it general interest.”

Papai said the show’s goal is to make sure the audience is never discouraged about not knowing an answer. The telecast supplies the answer to viewers or the kids will ring in quickly and do so. The speed of the game also helps because contestants don’t have a lot of time to answer.

“In the Know” airs Sundays at 9 a.m. Visit wosu.org/local-features/in-the-know for a schedule of schools competing.

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