TV club resurrected at UR

After four years of little or no activity, the student group URTV is in the early stages of a revival. Sophomore and URTV President Dan Bromfield saw that pieces produced by students in video production courses were never used after the course was over. He also realized that UR has an inactive television station. “I made it a project to combine the two – to take the student productions and put them on the channel. That was the starting point for regenerating the TV club,” Bromfield said.At the start of the semester, URTV was represented at the activities fair and has held two meetings since then. The club had attracted about 12 members and is looking for more participation.”We want anyone who has ever made a production for, watched or even heard of television to join our club,” Bromfield said. “No prior experience is necessary – just an interest.”If all goes smoothly, URTV plans to air approximately four hours of footage today on Channel 18. “Our plan right now is to put on a combination of student films, school events that we have recorded and commercials for student groups,” Bromfield said. URTV filmed this semester’s Yellowjackets’ concert and China Nite.Sophomore and URTV Vice-President Josh Matthias explained the club’s goal. “The objective is 100 percent of every day, we’ll have URTV showing you something interesting, new and funny that makes you laugh, cry, marry somebody and then want to join URTV,” he said. “First, people need to see that video is happening on this campus – that production is going on. One thing that I always thought was lacking in our video production courses was a sense that you could talk to the people who were making the videos, on campus,” Matthias said.”It always seemed out of See URTV, Page 14Continued from Page 1 touch to get together with other people and to make a real production and one of the crucial things that URTV will do is let those who are interested in video, film, production or exhibition-anything about TV-to come together and to share that interest,” he added. “You don’t have to feel like you’re alone shooting videos in your room of your Star Wars figures.”Bromfield projects that the channel will have more programming in the near future. “The reason we think this will thrive is that we are combining both pieces that students are interested in producing throughout the semester with pieces that have already been produced and will be produced as part of the curriculum for video students’ projects,” he said. “So we’re guaranteed to have more videos by the end of the semester. We also project a demand for advertising campus events and things such as the RED Program,” Bromfield said. Director of Wilson Commons and Student Activities Anne-Marie Algier is pleased with the reorganized group. Algier explained that the previous club attempted to produce its own new material regularly. “They got in over their heads,” Algier said. Approximately one year ago the Students’ Association officially de-recognized URTV. “I think it’s great that they want to highlight student culture and student film from the academic department,” Algier said. She feels that the current URTV focus is “much more realistic” than the previous group. Sophomore and URTV Publicity Director Russell Wyner would like to see more students join the club. “I think the reward of being seen on TV is a big enough reward to get people to be creative,” he said.The group hopes that student interest will allow URTV to expand. “We have a vision wherein we will have a studio and serious equipment, but we’re not expecting to have that any time in the immediate future,” Bromfield said. “We’re thinking of ways to get funding but that is not our main priority.”Bromfield said that the group will switch televisions in public areas on campus to channel 18 to increase exposure.”We hope to eventually build a relationship with WXXI-the PBS station and we hope to use their studio space or equipment and maybe have them give clinics or internships there,” Bromfield said.URTV meets Thursdays at 8pm in the Film and Media Studies Department office in Rush Rhees Library, room 427. For more information email Bromfield at db001m@mail.