The Communication Department was granted $232, 312 in HD equipment for the studio in Maltby Center.
The studio will be geared up with industry-standard video cameras, controllers and monitors.
Three JVC video cameras, a QGear/Prompter People 17 inch teleprompter kit, a NewTek HD production switcher with CG, a Telex intercom system, and over $3,000 worth of audio equipment are just some of the tools that will be sported in the studio.
The equipment is expected to be bought and installed over Christmas break.
The department has been having technical problems with the current equipment. Dr. Thomas Flynn, Communication department professor and chair, brought the problem to attention.
“Some of the equipment is older than most of the students,” Flynn said.
A lot of work went into making this proposal. Last year, Dr. Mark Chase, a communication professor, went to the National Association of Broadcasters, a national trade show in Las Vegas. Businesses from all mediums came to talk about and to look at the different products.
After Dr. Chase visited the vendors, he came back with a proposal to bring industrial standard equipment to the studio to make an effective space.
During the summer, the department talked to James Smith, a new communication professor, about the state of the studio.
Smith had over 30 years of experience in TV and cable networks including ABC News, NBC News, A&E, Discovery, ESPN, HBO, Lifetime, Warner Bros., The Weather Channel and MSOs. After the meeting, the department put together a shopping list of what they needed for the studio.
Dr. Kurt Schimmel, the dean of the College of Business, Information and Social Sciences, sent the list to the provost for approval, and it was accepted.
Schimmel pushed the department to go digital and would like to see more converged media of videos and print posted online.
Schimmel expects SRU to be on top with new media coverage on the industry level.
“Ultimately, it’s about getting jobs and skills to be valuable,” Schimmel said.
The department is planning on getting WSRU-TV shows on Armstrong Cable in the future.
Dr. Li Pu, a communication professor, said that the Dance and Business Departments spread good words about the hard work that WSRU-TV students put into filming performances and academic presentations.
“I appreciate the department for giving students the opportunity to work in the studio,” Pu said. “It really is the best way to test what they learn.”
Pu gave credit to Jake Leiby, a senior emerging technology major and WSRU-TV president, for his hard work. Last year, Leiby, who is from Germansville, Pa., interviewed with Information Technology professionals about what the studio needed.
“We really need new cameras and camera controls,” Leiby said. “Half of the buttons and knobs don’t work.”
From then on, Leiby and other WSRU-TV club members pushed the channels to put their shows on TV. The department’s goal is to reach the University community more as well as a broader community.
“It’s an exciting growth period for SRU’s media program, and the new television studio equipment will really boost the Department of Communication’s ability to more effectively meet the instructional mission,” Smith said. “It provides students with a wonderful High Definition digital studio facility- a facility that better reflects expectations.”
