Truman State University - Echo Yearbook (Kirksville, MO)

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Roll ‘cm — Helmut Dumfahii. fr. exchange student from Austria, prepares to film his interpretation of Until You Come Back to Me. Film- ing videos was part of the class. — Photo by Roxane Kolich Onc-mon show — Bones clacking. Darryl Muhrer leaps in the air as he does his Spike Bones Show. Muhrer used his flair for creativity in his broadcasting classes as well. — Photo by Roxane Kolich Take two — Darryl Muhrer. instruc- tor of mass communication, oversees the direction of a music video. Video direction was used to develop creative expression. — Photo by Roxane Kolich Academics = 23 = Campus TV

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Students roll with changes Equipped with initiative I had an act called the ‘Spike Bones Show, and 1 traveled with it through seven states. Basically, I danced, juggled and played the bones, Darryl Muhrer. instructor of mass communication, said. Muhrer’s face brightened as he talked about the cam- pus television studio and the projects he had planned for the television broadcasting students. The creativity found in his traveling one- man show was the kind of inventive energy he wanted to incorporate into the televi- sion programs, documen- taries ana news spots he assigned to his students. Muhrer. in stride with the trends, also had students create and produce their own music videos to spur their ingenuity. The music video project is everybody’s chance for creative expres- sion. Muhrer said. But “creative expression” can be hampered by mediocre equipment. The University looked into the acquisition of the UHF station K40AI to expand the broadcasting program. The idea was originated in Muhrer’s survey of broad- casting class. The students wrote to the local television station inquiring about ob- taining the IJHF station. KTVO had discontinued the use of K40AI and wanted to donate the station as a tax write-off. But this would not have been an expense-free project for the University. To begin with, the Federal Communications Commis- sion needed to give approval to the proposed donation. If approval was received, the station would have had to broadcast at least one hour of every day in the Kirksville area. This would have been very expensive. Other cost factors con- sidered included the cost of moving the equipment from KTVOs studio to campus. The amount of electricity required by K40AI also ad- ded to expected expenses. The high cost of purchasing extra equipment necessary to make the station operable ($320.000-$500,000 according to Television Engineering of St. Louis and Video Masters of Kansas City) was a block to accenting the donation. The audio-visual depart- ment. which actually owns and manages the TV studio, sent a report to the president explaining that if we got the transmitter it would be a huge expense to set up a tower and relay equipment. It would also cost to raise the present equipment to broadcasting standards.” Muhrer said. Tammy Billington. coor- dinator of student produc- tions. said that K40AI would be an invaluable asset to the studio. The way the broadcasting program is set up now. you don't get much experience (using tne equipment). K40AI would give more students hands-on experience. The more experience they gain, the more likely they’ll get a job at a television station, Billington said. Lana Exline, senior mass communication major, cited one problem of the television studio concerning the broad- casting program itself. In her opinion, a program did not exist. The studio itself isn’t bad. There’s just no course of study. It’s hard to put bits and pieces of an education together. Exline said. With the sounds of five ... four ... three ... two ... one ... fade in — the stage was set for freshman seminar mass communication students to make their debut. Dreams of television careers seemed within reach as students played the roles of host and guest on a mock talk show and then moved to the control room to view with pride the results. The ’talk show’ format gave the class a good idea of what working with cameras and video cameras would be like,” said Laura Metzgar, freshman mass communica- tions major. Metzgar worked with broadcasting equipment in high school, and she said the seminar days spent on broad- casting helped to build on her firevious knowledge of the ield. Students were the founda- tion that Muhrer wanted to build the broadcasting pro- gram upon. I plan to commit four years to building a pro- ?ram, which means that reshmen we’re working with now will graduate when the program is complete,” Muhrer said. Muhrer hoped that some- day the broadcasting aspect would be “brought up to the level of the print media on campus.” He said, My goal is to work with a group of students and help them to become good technicians and creative designers. That’s a challenge. Through the lens — From the camera’s perspective. Greg J ladley. so,, ex- amines the scene set by Helmut Dumfahrl. Ir.. for a remote filming. The University was looking into acquiring different equipment that could give students more hands on experience in a television studio. The expense of the equipment caused a delay with the decision concerning the purchase. — Photo by Roxane Kolich Academics = 22 = Campus TV

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Academics = 24 = ROTG