Station Blog

Dear station members,

Hope you’ve all had a great semester. Just a quick note to share my excitement to serve the station as our general manager for the next two semesters.

If you haven’t already had a chance, please join me in congratulating the other nine newly elected exec staff members who Jaime mentioned in an email last month. We are all looking forward to working together to move CitrusTV forward.

Please also be sure to pat everyone on the back who has served on exec staff for the past few years and will be graduating. We are extremely lucky for their service and the level of excellence they have brought to the station. Please echo my huge thank you to Jaime, Wes, Resnick, Spencer, Jon, Audra, Sheetal, Annalisa and Jaclyn for everything they have accomplished.

It’s now our turn to work together to pick up where they have left off. Among our goals as a station, moving forward we will work on:

• Furthering our campaign to upgrade our facilities to high definition (HD) technology
• Maintaining an organized and efficient station
• Improving our visibility and credibility on campus, in the community, and around the world

With your help, we can meet these goals. We can, in the words of the Athenian Oath (which is inscribed behind the statue of George Washington in the lobby of Maxwell) - ever seek to “transmit this city, not less, but greater and more beautiful than it was transmitted to us.”

If you ever need anything or have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me. Email is always the best way to reach me as I get it on my phone, and in an emergency you can feel free to call or text me at (646) 265-2620.

Good luck with finals. And thanks for everything you do for CitrusTV-

Ryan

SUper Sports stopped by the Carrier Dome today for some good ol’ SU Woman’s basketball. SUper Sports is the television play-by-play production by CitrusTV and OTN. Our four camera set up (plus replay) was enough for a pretty good simulation of a network broadcast. I directed the show. That means I was repsponsible for calling which camera is on air, when to insert graphics and when to play replays among other things.

It’s a pretty sweet set up. CitrusTV provides the crew while OTN takes care of the equipment. We use a Sony AnyCast to cut the show. For replays, we use a Buff. The thing is a basically a poor man’s EVS. The Buff is better than a tape deck because you can instanly play clips instead of rewinding like you’d have to do with a tape deck. Playlists can be created to string clips together to make neat bumps into and out of breaks.

We spent most of the day setting up. Most of us where in the dome not 18 hours after Saturday’s football game. Already the place had been outfitted for basketball. The eastern bleachers where rolled over to Jim Boeheim Court. (That reminds me, should we call this place “Jim Boeheim Court on Ernie Davis Legends Field at the Carrier Dome?”)

It’s not easy setting up a show like this. We don’t have a TV Truck. Instead, all of our equipment is packed into a “Fly Pack” or several big, black, heavy cases. We have to lug them wherever we go and set everything up from scratch every time. There’s a ton of cable to be run. From cameras to control room, audio from talent, video back to the talent and more.

After a while of setting up, EIC Ryan Balton and I got to thinking. Union! Here’s a pic demonstrating how we are over-worked. After talking with the crew we decided something needed to be done.

Notice the two IATSE logos…

Hey Awesome CitrusTV Members!

Welcome back! I hope you all had amazing summers and are now rejuvenated for this semester. There are a couple of things you need to be aware of at the start of the semester.

Re-register for the station
A new semester means you have to re-register. If you are planning on being a member of the station again this semester, take five minutes and fill out the form at www.citrustv.net/register. This will grant you permission to use the equipment and will also give you card access to the station. There is also a short survey that will give us some feedback on the station.

New Entertainment Director
Chris Aubin and a couple other CitrusTV members were chosen to be part of the first group of SU students studying in LA this semester. Audra Coulombe has been appointed to complete his term as the new Entertainment Director.

Juice & Java gets a new home
The morning talk-show has been moved from the Entertainment Department to the News Department.

Fall 2009 General Interest Meeting
This semester’s meeting will be held on Sept. 16th at 8:30pm in Watson Theater. Spread the word!

CitrusTV T-Shirts
Our very stylish t-shirts are still on sale for $15. We have all sizes and you can purchase one from myself, Wes, or Resnick at the station. Support the station by buying one for yourself, your significant other, your family, or anyone who likes to wear t-shirts.

OTN goes HD
The Orange Television Network is the nation’s first student cable TV station broadcasting in HD. CitrusTV gets to be a part of this exciting new venture and some of our shows will be airing in HD.

Social Networking
Become a fan of CitrusTV on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @CitrusTV.

I know I will see all of you at the station soon! My door is always open if you want to chat. If you have any questions about anything in this email or about the start of the new semester, feel free to email or call me.

All the best.
JAIME