Professional upgrade provides place for news crew to flourish
By Greg Pfeiffer
Let’s just get right to it: Have you ever seen Terror TV? Have you paused on it for more than 5 minutes, besides that time at 2 in the morning when you were waiting for your Ramen noodles to finish cooking? Is the fact that we have a working television station news to you? If so, maybe it’s time you tune into what some of your fellow students are doing over in Lewis Hall.
Until recently, the studio left a lot to be desired in terms of functionality and space. A small room in Lewis acted as the studio, forcing students to work in close proximity with one another.
Needless to say, less space made creating broadcasts difficult.
Effective audio and visual production of any kind requires specialized equipment and surroundings. Fortunately, the facilities received a major overhaul last spring with the help of the Communication Department.
“Last year they were practically working out of a closet” said Patrick Stinson, a student involved with the TV Production class. “Now it’s a bigboy studio in the basement of Lewis.”
Professor Jonathan Slade, the faculty advisor, was pivotal in the studio’s re-configuring. Upon learning that a larger room had opened downstairs, Slade jumped on the opportunity to convert it into a professional grade production suite.
With the help of Communication Chair Dr. Robert Lemieux, Slade installed drywall, light fixtures, a window and doors to accommodate a control room. The new layout gives students more room to work with, allowing varied camera angles as well as improved recording capabilities.
Viewers familiar with the broadcast will certainly remember “News Night McDaniel,” a segment that provides information on events that take place here on campus. The program covers a wide variety of material, ranging from new administrative policies to upcoming sporting events.
If students are facing a difficult issue, the News Night team is there with an informative story.
For example, the ice storm that blocked most campus sidewalks and stairways last year prohibited mobility for everyone; the news team kept us up-to-date with predictions from the maintenance crew as to when conditions would improve.
The piece kept students safe and prevented unnecessary injury, serving as an example of quality news reporting.
“News Night McDaniel fills a unique niche: we know our audience is exclusively the students of this campus. Therefore, we are giving students the information they need in a way they can relate to,” adds Stinson. “That’s what we do.”
The renovations have sparked new interest in the production club, and students eager to participate both on and off camera are encouraged to participate. Make sure that throughout the year you turn to channel 75 and check out all the hard work that goes into making Terror TV.