Hawk: Broadcast aid not likely
By PETER LEIBIK
Of the Emerald
The antique and inadequate equipment at the Di
vision of Broadcast Services is anything but a secret
to University administrators.
‘‘We re not ignoring the situation,” says Glenn
Starlin, vice-provost for academic planning and re
sources and a speech professor. “The gravity of the
problem, the obsolescence of the equipment, is
being seriously considered by the administration "
But as Ray Hawk, University vice-president for
administration and finance, explains, the University
has other priorities and state and federal funds are in
short supply. The chances for upgrading equipment
are slight
“When you start getting into coior television, the
costs are just so far beyond our capability of funding,
there's not much point in thinking about it," Hawk
says.
Even if the Carter administration approves a pend
ing matching grant through the Department of
Health, Education and Welfare to equip the studio
with full-color broadcast facilities — a prospect Hawk
doubts will materialize — the University couldn't
come up with the necessary $80,000 matching
commitment, according to Hawk
"When you start talking about $80, $90 or
$100,000 that's a major portion of our equipment
money for any one year . . you start looking at a chunk
that's so big it could wipe you out,' Hawk says
Hawk points out both Oregon State University and
Portland State University have broadcast cur
riculums and that Lane Community College program
“puts us us to shame "
“ If we cannot do justice by a department and see to
it that they have the equipment that's going to make it
possible for their students to be properly trained,
given modern vintage — if we can't do that — then I
think at some point we really do have to ask ourse
lves if it's simply too expensive for three univer
sities to try to duplicate facilities on three different
campuses We better just decide which school's
going to do it and then advise students to go there,
Hawk says.
Starlin says a decision on the future of the Division
of Broadcast Services will hopefully be made in the
not-too-distant-future " Meanwhile, the estimated
telecommunications students who are interested in
television production might be wise to start sending
for catalogues from other schools.
Broadcasters discuss
access to public TV
Local public broadcasters discussed the problems ot de
veloping public television in Eugene at the annual awards ban
quet of the Friends of Public Broadcasting last week
Although Eugene has four public radio stations, residents
have no local access to television stations and must rely on cable
for stations from Portland and Salem, whose programs do not
reflect community interest here, said Elite Gruman, president of
the Friends of Public Broadcasting
The organization was formed a year ago to promote public
broadcasting in the Eugene area and serve as "a liaison between
the stations and the public,' said Gruman
Also speaking at the banquet were John Shepherd, manager
of KWAX FM, and Don Larson, manager of the Oregon Educa
tional Public Broadcasting System station KOAC AM
National Public Radio's All Things Considered received an
award as the best public affairs program The award for best news
coverage went to KOAC's Mary Kay Mitchell KWAX won the
award for the best special events program for the Bell Concert
Series.” and KLCC won the organization s award for minority
interest programming
TV studio—
Yet, with all the technical problems, the
division manages to produce respectable
talk shows.
“The quality of the University shows is
quite good, Dwyer says. “If you have a
black and white TV, I don t think you can tell
the difference between the University s
programs and any other stuff" Lane Com
munity College uses color and is "trying
things that are a little more demanding,'
Dwyer adds.
One faculty member says, “If a person
is seriously interested in television produc
tion they would go to Lane. I wouldn’t send
my kid here.”
(Continued from Page 1)
“We've got more cooking now than
we ve had in quite a while.' Sheperd insists
Moscovitz was hired solely to produce
programs to be sent otl campus
But Moscovitz points out the
“Catch-22’' aspect of the situation. "People
ask why aren t you doing anything? If you
did more we d know about you Then they
cut you" Then the administration says
Why should we give you more money when
you don't do anything," he says
According to Sheperd, the division has
four options If the University puts up
$80,000 and the Department of Health,
Education and Welfare approves a pending
grant request and matches the money three
to one, the studio could be equipped with
full-color broadcast facilities, portable video
equipment and an editing machine — all
completely compatible with existing equip
ment
A second option would be to invite the
Oregon Public Broadcasting Service
(OEPBS) to take over the studio "I'm not
sure the goals of OEPBS are the goals of
the University," Sheperd adds
The third option is to spend $80,000 on
color video equipment and continue to use
KOZY
The final option would be to abandon
the studio entirely and switch to a non
broadcasting portable video tape system I
think that would be a mistake. Moscovibr
says, noting his daughter uses portable
video equipment in her grade school class
"It we do that, we might as well go back to
first grade," he adds
And if the Division of Broadcast Ser
vices doesn't get any money? I suppose
we II limp along and the cameras will begin
to smoke and flames will come out of them.
Sheerd says
Maybe we ought to fold up, Loeber
says Maybe a mapr university should fold
up and admit it can t handle television
Maybe we should pack up our tents and go
to other schools, because you can t play
this game without the marbles.
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