VCU news

By Pamela DiSalvo Lepley
Division of University Relations

VCU-TV/HD Preview

"Real" reality TV hits the airwaves Oct. 2 when VCU-TV/HD launches its first programming on WCVW-TV in Richmond.

The student-run, television production operation at Virginia Commonwealth University is one of the first in the country to produce TV programming in high-definition format.  Over the past several months, the very latest in production and post-production technology has been obtained, placing VCU students at the forefront of those with professional experience in high-definition TV production.

The half-hour programs, produced in cinéma vérité, non-narrative style, will air on WCVW two Mondays a month, 9 p.m. to 10:30 p.m., from Oct. 2 through March 19.

"This is not reality TV as we know it today," said Daniel Brazda, VCU-TV/HD executive director. "We're trying to show what real reality TV should be, and truly document what goes on."

Brazda came to VCU to head up the new TV initiative from Los Angeles, where he was creative director and director of production for the KTTV Fox 11, KCOP UPN 13 Duopoly.

"What we're trying to do is make programs that attract viewers and will stand out," Brazda said.

The Oct. 2 lineup includes a pilot for the Richmond Restaurants series – an intimate look at the unique atmosphere and characters that are part of Bottoms Up Pizza – and Cinemaphiles, which profiles current and former VCU student filmmakers and their films. Future programs include Inside the VCU Medical Center, which will focus on 24 hours inside the VCU Level-1 Trauma Center.  Amped! features episodes on local bands in various stages of their careers.  VCU Theatre Presents Medea provides a behind-the-scenes look at the making of this production that will showcase a deaf actress in a contemporary take on the classic Greek tragedy.

The idea for the high-end, student-run TV production studio came from two VCU Board of Visitors members, Dick Robertson and Thomas Rosenthal, both of whom have strong ties to the TV industry.  Robertson recently was named senior adviser to the Warner Bros. Television Group after serving 17 years as president of the Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution.  Rosenthal, CEO of MedOutcomes, Inc., also is chairman of the board of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation.

They led the university in establishing a partnership with Community Idea Stations, owned by Commonwealth Public Broadcasting, to air VCU-TV/HD programs over WCVW.

"The basic premise of VCU-TV/HD is to foster collaboration across this big university – all of its departments and disciplines – and to promote both the university and the community we live in to a broader audience," Brazda said.

"We're starting off small with the goal of getting bigger, bringing in more students and equipment and producing more quality, exciting programming," he said.

VCU-TV/HD is open to all VCU students, regardless of their majors. More experienced students have the opportunity to apply for a limited number of student worker positions.  Faculty across VCU may establish for-credit internships for their students.

Brazda said that as the program matures, the hope is to accommodate students on an extracurricular or volunteer basis to learn TV production.