Friday, February 24

Full Time BC Students Hard at Work

Getting Paid $$ in TV While Still in School!
Above: Mike Wolenski at WYTV.
Below: Luke Garrett at WKBN.

This post is a follow up on an earlier one where I announced we had dueling television directors in the department. Luke is actually directing morning newscasts now to fill-in for some folks. Mike has been at WYTV since last summer directing the newscasts there on the weekends.

While both are busy with their jobs, they're still keeping their full-time class schedule. In BC that means many more hours out of class, especially with my BC 312 (Broadcast Journalism II) course. They're reporting and producing for both Titan Radio and The County Line. Today Luke rushed to a news conference with the PA Attorney General about a major drug bust. Don't forget the walkdown!

Great hustle! What a way to build a resume!

Wednesday, February 22

Titan Fans Have a Case of Playoff Fever

The County Line Staff Covers It LIVE.
The BC 312 (Broadcast Journalism II) students went "live & local" by doing the sports thing this week. They wrapped up the end of the regular basketball season with a special report during Saturday's game against Waynesburg. It was great experience with a live television event and conducting live interviews. Now the Titans are in the semifinals. The Thursday game interrupts our regularly scheduled program. So The County Line will collapse from 30 minutes to 10 and air at halftime. While that show will feature news and stories, BC 312 students will once again hit the ground running after the game for some post-game interviews.

Justin Egley (Titan Town Sports Director) is the man behind the Titan fan picture above. Justin's the one back in the studio who figured out how to dress for TV. You only need to think about things from the waist up. Justin was also busy this week shooting spot news with a fatal fire just outside the borough limits (one of the news stories on TCL and on Titan Radio and Titan Radio.net this week). Great hustle, Justin! Thanks for being a team leader!

Monday, February 13

How the New Medium is Becoming the Message

HOOKED ON TV
TV addicts, do you remember when going out of town or on vacation during sweeps meant missing new episodes of your favorite shows? Heck, I remember getting angry at my parents when I was seven if we weren't home on Friday night for the latest episode of The Brady Bunch (my addiction started early and with only three networks and a knob that you turned rather than a remote control).
The VCR brought some hope, and then TiVo saved the day, but now with iTunes & the video iPod you can stay completely caught up with the masses watching along at home.

Check out how one television news photographer (Little Lost Robot) working the Olympics in Italy fight boredom by staying current with his favorite non-NBC programming thanks to his video iPod (but it’s also a hot item for the pick pockets working the crowds in Turin).

Those who doubt how new media reshapes our
media habits should take note. And at the other end Hollywood is poised to produce original programming for the iPod, right? As mass media theorist Marshall McLuhan put it, "The medium is the message."

Law & Order's Dick Wolf is apparently interested. Even looking at how to change how things are shot to meet the needs of the smaller screens. Check out the how he's thinking about it as you can already download new episodes from the Law & Order franchise.

"I may be completely out of my mind, but I think people don't even realize yet how much the iPod is a game changer. Once you put the headpho
nes on, the screen size doesn't matter at all."

Variety reports Wolf is even starting consider the way he produces certain series elements in order to make shows more download-friendly.

Cartoon Network is also looking to bring Adult Swim programming full throttle to the 'net in late March with something called Adult Swim Fix-- streaming full-length episodes 24/7 online with some of Adult Swim original programs premiering online two days before they appear on-air.