Virginia Commonwealth University

VCU-TV/HD

Established in December of 2005, VCU-TV/HD is a video production program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) in Richmond, VA. It is one of the first programs at a major university to produce exclusively in high-definition format.

VCU Board of Visitors members Dick Robertson, Senior Advisor to the Warner Brothers Television Group and former President of Warner Brothers Television Distribution and Tom Rosenthal, CEO of MedOutcomes, Inc. and current Rector of the VCU Board of Visitors, proposed the initiative in the spring of 2005. The concept was to provide students with a unique opportunity to produce original programming for Broadcast on PBS affiliate WCVW, Community Idea Stations of the Commonwealth Broadcasting Corporation. Upon approval by the VCU president’s office, a national search was conducted for an Executive Producer/ Manager to make VCU-TV/HD a reality.

A search committee representing both VCU campuses and community broadcast professionals was soon developed. The committee was headed by Pam Lepley, Director of VCU News Services, and overseen by Sue Ann Messmer, Vice President of External Relations and chief of staff for VCU President Eugene Trani. Dan Brazda, then Creative Director for the Fox/UPN owned and operated affiliate in Los Angeles, was hired in December 2005. Mr. Brazda developed a strategy whereby cinema verité documentary film techniques would be used to build a program library that would highlight both VCU and the Richmond community. Knowing that high-definition was an imminent reality in broadcast television, an alliance was formed with Apple Computer and Sony Broadcast whereby high-definition production and postproduction gear was secured. An old radio/TV studio was renovated on VCU’s Monroe Park Campus in downtown Richmond in the spring of 2006. Initially four part-time students were hired to help develop a formula for program production.

On February 18, 2007, the VCU-TV/HD website went online and all programs are now available for live streaming or download in iPod and high-definition formats.

One of the initial students hired for the program in Spring 2006, Lisa Figueroa, has since graduated and was hired full time in August of 2007 as Senior Producer for VCU-TV/HD. Planning is currently underway for expansion of the program including an accredited course structure to train students for future internships and paid positions..

As of this writing VCU-TV/HD has produced 44 original programs in HiDefinition. All programs were produced from start to finish by students who are or were enrolled as full time students at Virginia Commonwealth University. All programs are available for streaming or download at VCU-TV/HD as well as being broadcast on WCVW in Richmond, VA. 8 more shows are in production which will bring our total to 52 original programs by the end of this academic year. Our webisodes won an international Accolade award in 2007 and we have been nominated for... well, let's not jinx it (fingers crossed).

VCU-TV/HD is in the process of creating an accredited course structure whereby students will be trained in HiDefinition production and qualify for internships and paid positions. Target date is Spring semester 2009 so stay tuned for more details.

We have also begun exploring the future of HiDefinition, known to many as "Ultra-HiDefinition, as we continue to develop a premier creative playground for our students.

A minimum of 32 original programs are on tap for the 2008-2009 academic year as we continue to explore such topics as: filmmaking at VCU, the music scene in Richmond, VCU Study Abroad, Theatre VCU Productions, VCU Medical center, VCU Dance, VCU Music, VCU Fashion, VCU Sculpture, VCU Engineering... and a whole lot more!