| Hosts | |
| Hunt Carlisle (1965-1976; seasons 1-11) Dan Imel (1976-1978; seasons 12-13) Bob Grossi (1978-1983; seasons 14-18) Bill Schiffman (1983-2023; seasons 19-40) | |
| Broadcast | |
 WOSU: October 2, 1983 - November 18, 2023 | |
In the Know is an American half-hour high school game show that debuted on WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio on October 2, 1965. The show was created in 1964 by Carl Papai, the host, and eight high school students who supplied questions for answers. The first two seasons were broadcast in black and white from 1965 to 1967, but the show began broadcasting in color starting with the third season during the 1967-1968 season.
Format[]
Each episode of In the Know features the host and eight student contestants answering questions on an educational subject that relates to geography. The host asks a question, and the student contestants give their answers. If the students answer correctly, they give the correct answer; if they answer incorrectly, they give the incorrect answer. During the first half of In the Know, the host asks questions, and the student contestants give their answers. At the end of the first half, the host provides the scores for the student contestants, and the winning team is announced.
The second half of the show has the student contestants and the host continue answering questions about a geography topic. They give both a correct answer and an incorrect answer. At the end of the second half, the host provides the final scores for the students and announces the winners. The end of each episode has the host signing off. When the show was on WBNS (from 1965 to 1983), the host signs off and the prizes are announced. The show was on WOSU from 1983 to 2007, and during that time the host would sign off, leave his podium, and goes over to the student podiums to chat with them. Starting in Season 43, the show began in 2007 and ended in 2008, and the host began to congratulate the winning team after signing off.
Studios[]
“In the Know” was originally filmed at the studios of WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio, for its first 18 seasons (1965-1983). In 1983 starting with Season 19 (1983-1984), the show moved to WOSU TV34 in Columbus, Ohio, where it remained until its final episode in 2023.
Timeline[]
Sets[]
WBNS era[]
- "In the Know" premiered on WBNS on October 2, 1965. Its first set featured a curtain backdrop with the host’s podium. The student podiums had flags and a banner that said “In the KNOW.” This set was used from the show’s debut on October 2, 1965, until May 11, 1967. On October 6, 1967, “In the Know” and WBNS shows switched from black and white to color. The set remained unchanged, except that the flags were removed from the student podiums. The banner still had “In the KNOW” written on it, and the student podiums and the host podium remained the same.
- On October 5, 1974, "In the Know" celebrated its 10th anniversary. The show had become a Columbus institution, and it got a new look for Season 11 (1975-1976) and Season 12 (1976-1977). The show kept the curtain backdrop, but removed the banner that said "In the KNOW." So the show's logo was now on the backdrop behind the host and students.
- The fourth set for "In the Know" was used from 1977 to 1983, the final years of the show's run on WBNS 10TV in Columbus, Ohio. It kept the same curtain backdrop as the previous three sets, but with added brown bands and an ITK logo above the host's podium. The student podiums were now on both sides of the host's podium, and the logo was a circle with "ITK" written on it.
WOSU era[]
In 1983, “In the Know” switched from WBNS 10TV to WOSU TV34 in Columbus, Ohio, and the show got a whole new look for its new home. The set featured a blue dome wall with the ITK logo, brown podiums for the student contestants and host, and a dark gray carpet. Host Bill Schiffman’s hair was black, and the student podiums had blue and white stripes and a yellow border displaying the student team names. The host podium had blue and red rectangles that displayed the team names, and the score numbers were darker. The ITK logo can be seen on the blue wall behind Schiffman. At the end of each episode, host Bill Schiffman would leave his podium, walk over to the student podiums, and chat with the student contestants. After the chat, the camera zoomed in for a close-up of the ITK logo as the credits rolled.
From 1983 to 1987, "In the Know" ended with the host signing off, walking to the students' podiums to chat with the contestants, and then the camera zooming in on the ITK logo as the credits rolled.
The first set for "In the Know" was used at WOSU TV34 in Columbus, Ohio, from Season 19 to Season 22 (October 2, 1983-May 15, 1987). The set consisted of a blue dome wall with the ITK logo, brown podiums for the student contestants and host, and a dark gray carpet. Host Bill Schiffman's hair was black. The student podiums had blue and white stripes and a yellow border displaying the student team names. The host podium had blue and red rectangles that displayed the team names, and the score numbers were darker. The ITK logo can be seen on the blue wall behind Schiffman. At the end of each episode, host Bill Schiffman would leave his podium, walk over to the student podiums, and chat with the student contestants.
From 1987 to 1993 (seasons 23-28), "In the Know" featured a close-up of the ITK logo on a beige wall with red terracotta tiles after the host walked to the student podiums to chat with the contestants.
The second set for "In the Know" was used at WOSU TV34 in Columbus, Ohio, from Season 23 to Season 28 (October 2, 1987-May 6, 1993). It featured a beige wall with blue and red terracotta titles and the ITK logo on the wall next to the host and contestants. The student and host podiums were also beige to match the walls, and the carpet on the student podiums was lighter gray. Host Bill Schiffman's hair was still black, and the blue and red rectangles had the student team names. The ITK logo can be seen on the beige wall with red terracotta tiles can be seen behind Schiffman. As before, host Bill Schiffman leaves his podium at the end of each episode, and walks over to the student podiums to chat with the contestants. After the chat, the camera still zoomed in for a close-up of the ITK logo as the credits rolled.
In 1993, the "In the Know" set was updated for Seasons 29-30. The most noticeable changes were the darker blue and pink stage backdrop and the removal of the blue and red terracotta titles and the ITK logo. The ITK logo was added to the podium stand in the middle of the set next to the host and student contestants. The student and host podiums were changed from beige to light brown, the carpet on the student podiums was changed to black, and the blue and red rectangles still had the student team names, as well as the host's podium, with the score numbers still brighter. Also on the set, a dark blue backdrop can be seen behind Schiffman. Host Bill Schiffman continued the tradition of leaving his podium at the end of each episode and walking over to the student podiums to chat with the contestants. After the chat, the camera continued zooming in for a close-up of the ITK logo as the credits rolled.
In 1995, the "In the Know" set was updated for Seasons 31-42, which aired from October 5, 1995 to May 10, 2007. The set featured a brighter blue and pink stage backdrop, and the carpet was removed from the student podiums to make the set more modern. Bill Schiffman's hair gradually changed to a whitish gray color over the years. However, it was still mostly black. The student podiums gained a white color scheme with blue, white, and red stripes, while Bill Schiffman's podium got a white paint job. The ITK logo has been on a podium stand next to the host and student contestants since Season 29 (1993-1994). Also on the set, a brighter blue backdrop was used behind Schiffman. Host Bill Schiffman continued the tradition of leaving his podium at the end of each episode and walking over to the student podiums to chat with the contestants. After the chat, the camera continued zooming in for a close-up of the ITK logo as the credits rolled.
During Season 43 of “In the Know,” which aired from October 2, 2007 to May 10, 2008, the show’s set and format changed in several ways. There were significant changes in the physical set design that included replacing the logo from the middle of the set with touchscreens. The new set also featured video walls that showcased the audience behind host Bill Schiffman. Host Bill Schiffman also no longer left the podium to chat with the students after each episode and the closing credits no longer ended with a zoom-in on the ITK logo. As of Season 43, Bill Schiffman started wearing glasses to help him read the student contestant’s questions and answers and he ended each episode by congratulating the winning team.
In Season 43 of "In the Know," the ITK logo was removed from its position on a podium stand in the middle of the set, and replaced with touchscreens at each of the student podiums. To compliment this change, video walls were added to the set, with the audience visible behind host Bill Schiffman. Host Bill Schiffman stopped chatting with the students after the show, and a close-up of the ITK logo was no longer shown at the end of the episode. Also, Bill Schiffman started wearing glasses to aid in his ability to read the student contestants' answers and questions.
The set for the 58th season of “In the Know” had a purple backdrop, black podiums, blue and red accents, and the return of the ITK logo. WOSU also celebrated its 40th season of the show. One of the biggest noticeable changes from past seasons is that the video walls that used to show the audience sitting next to Host Bill Schiffman are gone and the host's podium is now black.
During the Schiffman era of the show, there were six different sets used on the show, the final one featuring a purple backdrop, black podiums, and blue and red accents. The ITK logo, originally used from October 7, 1977 to May 10, 2007, was brought back. Host Bill Schiffman's podium is also black and features blue and red rectangles for the team names and scores. The audience is no longer seen next to host Bill Schiffman, and the video walls were removed.
Videos[]
