NE program revamps after fire destroyed TV studio

By Karen Gavis/editor-in-chief

Workers deliver two modular buildings to NE Campus’ new Radio TV Film Village Jan. 18. The temporary buildings will provide four classrooms for students enrolled in NE’s RTVB program.
Georgia Phillips/The Collegian

NE Campus’ radio, TV and broadcasting classes have relocated but continue after a fire gutted the TV studio and smoke damaged other areas throughout the NIMC building.

Program coordinator Jerry Zumwalt said RTVB students will study at the northeast corner of the campus in a location he has named the Radio TV Film Village.

“Learning is still going to go on,” he said. “My biggest concern right now is people trying to figure out where we are and how to find it.”

Signs welcome students into the NMPC building where the RTVB’s main classroom (1240) is currently located. Meanwhile, the program’s computer classes are being held in NCAB’s graphic communication labs.

Creating space in nooks and crannies for a program that occupied half a building has been difficult, Zumwalt said. Scheduling has also been an issue as well as standard housekeeping items.

“Little things, a million little things that you just don’t think about,” he said.

Once ready, the program’s radio and TV studios will be housed in two modular buildings located within the village south of NMPC. Zumwalt said students were excited when he told them they could park next to the buildings.

Appearing somewhat more relaxed than the days immediately following the Dec. 8 fire, Zumwalt said the disaster has not affected the RTVB program’s enrollment.

“One or two classes are down a few students, but for the most part, we are at 95 percent of what we normally would have,” he said. “We’re just trying to keep everything together to make it the most convenient.”

A lot of equipment was lost in the fire and must be replaced, Zumwalt said, but some has been recovered.

TCC director of safety and emergency management Robie Robinson, who has been involved in the recovery process, said he has no official estimate of the damage.

“The cause of the fire itself is still undetermined and still under investigation,” said Hurst Fire Chief John Brown.

RTVB instructional assistant Richard Neece said Zumwalt noticed smoke coming from the floor of the NIMC building on Dec. 8 and “cut on the fire alarm.”

Zumwalt said he is always receiving training about what to do in emergency situations.

”It was really clear in my head what to do,” he said. ”That was the deal.”

Afterward, staying focused on what needed to be done helped, Zumwalt said. And people have been supportive.

“Counselors all volunteered to come and meet with our classes during the finals,” he said. “Counselors are still available to students who need it.”

Robinson said working with an organization where everyone has been helpful and cooperative in a stressful situation has been reassuring.

“It is not there yet. We still have a lot of work to do,” he said. “But it is coming along very well.”

Zumwalt said no timeline has been set for the reconstruction and reoccupation of the NIMC building.

“It takes a village to get everything back together,” he said.