2008 Woodie Awards
MCTV makes a comeback
Eirinn Disbrow
Issue date: 2/21/08 Section: News
As of last Mon., Feb. 11, Muhlenberg College television has been revitalized. New programs every week air on channel 21 at 5 p.m., 7 p.m., and 11 p.m. Mon. through Sat., and 12 a.m. and 2 a.m. on Sat. and Sun. MCTV has been inconsistently active on campus for the past several years. This past year, channel 21 has been a blank blue screen for most hours of the day. That has all changed thanks to new technology and Dr. Tafler, the Associate Professor and Department Chair of Media and Communications. He is currently teaching the special topics class, Studio Workshop/Film-TV, that is being offered for the first time this semester.
MCTV started prior to Tafler's arrival in the fall of 1995. At the time, the College did not have the resources or technology to keep the programming running on a constant basis. Students who were part of the MCTV club had to not only design their programming but also walk it over to Ettinger each time they wanted it to air. Due to the lack of technology and the small size of the College, there was no way for MCTV to fulfill its potential. "The production ebbed and flowed, depending on student interest," Tafler explains.
Jen Gutman '08, President of MCTV, was frustrated by the exigencies of the club. Most members neither had the time nor the experience needed to put on a production each week and Gutman did not have the time to train them. Now through this experimental course, students are trained to use the editing programs and projects are due each week. "Because MCTV is now a course offered at the College, production has become much more structured and students actually show up to do the work," Gutman explains.
MCTV has also advanced due to the new programming and design technology, SCALA. SCALA allows students to control the programming from the editing room in Walson, enabling programs to be played at scheduled times each day. Tafler agrees that "this year MCTV has taken a major leap forward! For the first time, programs can be scheduled at precise times on the broadcast calendar."
MCTV started prior to Tafler's arrival in the fall of 1995. At the time, the College did not have the resources or technology to keep the programming running on a constant basis. Students who were part of the MCTV club had to not only design their programming but also walk it over to Ettinger each time they wanted it to air. Due to the lack of technology and the small size of the College, there was no way for MCTV to fulfill its potential. "The production ebbed and flowed, depending on student interest," Tafler explains.
Jen Gutman '08, President of MCTV, was frustrated by the exigencies of the club. Most members neither had the time nor the experience needed to put on a production each week and Gutman did not have the time to train them. Now through this experimental course, students are trained to use the editing programs and projects are due each week. "Because MCTV is now a course offered at the College, production has become much more structured and students actually show up to do the work," Gutman explains.
MCTV has also advanced due to the new programming and design technology, SCALA. SCALA allows students to control the programming from the editing room in Walson, enabling programs to be played at scheduled times each day. Tafler agrees that "this year MCTV has taken a major leap forward! For the first time, programs can be scheduled at precise times on the broadcast calendar."