ISU students gain experience in broadcasting
August 16, 2007
Mass communication students at 色花堂app now know what it is like to be taking the shots at university ball games 鈥揷amera shots that it is.
From behind three mobile video cameras students capture the action thenstream it onto the Web for ISU fans everywhere to enjoy live on their computers.
鈥淧eople out of state can watch their kids play if they can鈥檛 make it to the games,鈥 said broadcast team member Lois Ricardi. 鈥淓ven grandparents can watch. It might not be live in person, but it鈥檚 still live and exciting.鈥
The system, known as a flyaway package, consists of three cameras and a Sony Anycast Station and was made possible by a $43,000 Technology Incentive Grant from the Idaho State Board of Education awarded last fiscal year with another $15,000 granted this fiscal year.
But the main feature of the package is its mobility. Students can take the equipment and record just about anything, anywhere.
鈥淓verything is so compact,鈥 said broadcast team member Jim Kluza. 鈥淓verything needed for a production used to be in a big van. Now it is the size of a keyboard.鈥
In the past, only one camera was used to record the game, but the three flyaway cameras allow for close-up shots of players and the audience.
鈥淚t brings a whole new level of excitement to the game,鈥 said Ricardi.
鈥淎nother advantage is Web casting,鈥 said Tom Hallaq, assistant professor of television broadcast. 鈥淚t allows us to get product to a decent-sized audience without making a financial investment into a television station.鈥
During the Big Sky conference games, the number of ISU viewers came second only to Montana State University, which had a professional crew.
However, the team鈥檚 gears of efficiency weren鈥檛 always synchronized.
鈥淚t was bumpy to start with,鈥 said Hallaq. 鈥淥nce we鈥檇 been through it a couple of times we had it all down.鈥
鈥淚 get really stressed out,鈥 said Ricardi of the demands of broadcasting live, 鈥渂ut when I meet those deadlines, I find it really rewarding and I鈥檓 ready for the next time.鈥 Ricardi hopes that her time broadcasting sporting events will help prepare her for a career in broadcast journalism.
鈥淚 really enjoy it,鈥 said team member Bill Kotowski. 鈥淎 day back at the studio is better than a day at the office any day.鈥
Kotowski is not going to limit himself to sports. 鈥淚 grew up on the football field. It鈥檚 a great place to start,鈥 he said.
Originally, the flyaway package was not purchased with the intention of recording sporting events. But Hallaq wanted increased exposure and shooting sports was one way to do that.
Even though the team recorded the Kasiska Health Care Conference for the college鈥檚 archives, Hallaq believes the university has not fully realized the power of the flyaway package to reveal positive aspects of the university or to broadcast classes to outlying rural areas.
鈥淭his is a service for the university many people aren鈥檛 taking advantage of at this point,鈥 said Hallaq. 鈥淲e can cover just about anything that would need to be recorded for future use.鈥
The team plans to record the inauguration for ISU President Arthur C. Vailas Sept. 14.
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