By André Green/managing editor
Throughout Jerry Zumwalt’s tenure at NE Campus, the radio television and broadcasting program has seen hundreds of students pass through its doors receiving instruction and using the tools to prepare for careers in broadcasting.
Now his students have a new and more familiar tool to use—a new set.
In August, KTVT/CBS 11 needed to convert their news set to accommodate high definition broadcasts.
However, before renovations could begin, they had to do something with their old one.
That is when Richard Neece, RTVB instructional assistant, said the department received a phone call.
An interning TCC student asked if the department would be interested in some or all of the station’s $1 million set, which was used for celebrity interviews and local service promotions.
“ [The student] said, ‘You can take all of the set that you want,’” Neece said.
Neece and Zumwalt, with the assistance of the maintenance department and a few students, went to the station and picked out a small portion of the set.
Zumwalt said even though he wanted the entire set, it would have been nearly impossible to fit in the confines of the school’s studio.
“ Before we added the new set, we could easily fit 100 students in [the studio],” he said. “Now we may be able to fit 25.”
The section includes an elevated platform with a free-standing, two-person podium and an area where students can conduct sitting interviews in a talk show-type atmosphere.
Two 20-by-16 walls complete with decorative curtains conceal two embedded green screens, which can be used for backdrop images during mock newscasts.
An additional section has not been erected because of space available.
“ Their entire set was so large, we were only able to obtain a corner of it,” Zumwalt said.
Zumwalt said this is the studio’s first permanent set.
The temporary set previously used gave students the experience of set strikes, he said. However, a permanent set offers more from a lighting and continuity standpoint since the program serves so many students.
Zumwalt said his students’ reactions have been positive because they get the feel of working on a professionally designed television set.
“ It looks good on camera,” he said. “The set creates a smooth pattern of colors and warm tones that look good on TV.”
Monique Rea, RTVB student, said she loves the new addition.
“ I think it’s cool,” she said. “It adds a professional look to the studio and offers a valuable teaching tool to the class.”
Neece said the new equipment was a drastic improvement over what the program previously had.
Normally when studios change their designs, most donate their equipment to area schools and universities with broadcasting curriculum. That is where the benefits of networking come into play for programs like NE Campus’ RTVB.
“ Things like this happen when you develop good relationships with people,” Neece said.
