Lloyd Busch has all the answers (and questions)

Which queen of England had six fingers on her right hand? Where is Malawi? How many U.S. presidents were named Harrison?

The answers to these questions (Anne Boleyn, southeastern Africa and two, respectively) may not seem crucial at first glance. To Lloyd Busch and his part-time colleagues at Channel 2, however, they are the building blocks of one of their fondest endeavors, the long-running quiz show High Q.

Supervisor of the Photocopy Center in Woodruff Library during the day, Busch spends a great deal of his time away from Emory serving as question writer and judge for High Q, which returns in October for the beginning of its 10th season. The half-hour show airs Saturdays at 10:30 a.m. on Channel 2. Similar to the nationally syndicated program Jeopardy, High Q features two four-person teams from metro Atlanta high schools answering questions written by Busch, who also serves as judge when students give dubious or incomplete answers. Channel 2 Sports Director Chuck Dowdle hosts High Q, with Chief Meteorologist Glenn Burns serving as back-up host in Dowdle's absence.

And as if his work on High Q weren't enough to keep him busy, Busch also writes questions for a Dayton, Ohio, station's version of High Q, as well as for similar programs at stations in Macon, Ga., Richmond, Va., and Flint, Mich.

A High Q tradition

Although Busch is on camera for only a few seconds during each episode, High Q Producer Bob Monti credits Busch with much of the show's success. "Lloyd Busch is High Q," said Monti, who has produced almost every episode of the program since it debuted in 1986. "He genuinely enjoys doing this--writing the material and serving as the judge and jury. He is as big a part of keeping the show fun and interesting, and making it run smoothly, as anyone."

Most High Q episodes are taped on the Wednesday evening preceding the Saturday morning air date. Monti said that each Wednesday, Busch goes to the Channel 2 studios early to meet the student contestants, explain the rules of the game to them, and take them through a half-hour practice round of High Q.

Once taping begins, the host begins the first round by reading questions that are open to both teams to answer. Students are allowed to buzz in and answer at any time during the reading. If the first team to buzz in answers incorrectly, the host completes the question for the second team. Later in the show, each team gets the chance to answer a series of "rapid-fire" questions with shorter answers. Points are given for each correct answer and deducted for each incorrect answer. The team with the most points at the end of the program wins, and most teams that win at least four consecutive games are invited back for the semifinals each spring.

About halfway through each taping, Dowdle has Busch come out from behind the camera and say hello to the teams and the audience. Perhaps the most recognizable portion of the show is Busch's greeting to the students, which Monti describes as High Q's "signature." The ritual involves a complex clapping and a double finger-point move, while saying something to the students to the effect of, "And to the teams, good luck!"

"After the first show when I did that, they asked me where I came up with it," Busch recalled. "I said I was just nervous. They said to keep it. It eventually became more and more elaborate, with a clap and double finger-point.

Anything but trivial

An avid reader with a variety of interests, Busch majored in drama at the University of Virginia and briefly worked in radio and television after graduation. He came to Emory almost 20 years ago as a PhD student in the Institute of the Liberal Arts. At Emory he began participating in College Bowl competitions and eventually was hired by College Bowl to write questions. By the mid 1980s, Busch had joined the library staff full-time, and High Q had debuted on Channel 2. For the show's first couple of years, producers purchased questions from College Bowl, many of which had been written by Busch. During the show's third season, Busch was asked to be a guest judge on High Q. He was such a hit that the producers asked him to be the program's judge permanently.

Eventually Busch persuaded High Q producers to let him write all the questions for the show, in addition to serving as judge. "I sold myself real cheap," said Busch, who is beginning his seventh season of writing for High Q.

Even though it sometimes means staying up until 2 a.m. on Wednesday morning to find three more science questions for that evening's taping, Busch relishes his work. "I enjoy working with people in front of a camera," said Busch. "And I enjoy teaching, filling in the gaps for students who are very bright as they prepare to go through their majors and start focusing down a particular path of study. I've always been interested in learning as much as I can about everything, with a little flair for the dramatic thrown in, of course."

--Dan Treadaway