For those involved with Baker University’s television station, KNBU-TV, the old saying is true – “The more, the merrier.”
Adviser Joe Watson credits the station’s growing content to this semester’s high enrollment figures.
“Last year at this time there were six kids in the workshop,” he said. “Now there’s 20. In one year our enrollment tripled. People saw what we were doing and wanted to be a part of it, and I’m thrilled. I can’t believe the growth. I’ve been here for a year, and I thought maybe by my third year we’d (get to this point), but not this soon.”
Junior Allyssa King, a mass communications major, said she is excited about the rising enrollment numbers.
“I think it’s awesome that we’ve grown to include people who aren’t mass communication majors,” she said. “It’s great that other major areas are coming to support us. Joe Watson has really built up the television station, and I’m impressed by it and proud of it. Last semester I got to help with (the station’s sports talk show) ‘Wildcat Chat.’ I liked working behind the scenes, but now with the increased enrollment I can focus on the news show that I really enjoy.”
KNBU-TV students currently produce two shows, “Wildcat Chat,” a sports talk show, and “Inside Baker,” a show covering news and university affairs. The material is broadcast on cable channel 70 through Mediacom.
“(Mediacom) gives us the channel through public access rules, so it’s ours 24-seven,” Watson said. “The shows alternate on a loop, so you can tune in any time to see it. Last semester we planned to put out one show every week, but we only ended up producing four (episodes). This semester we’re on pace to put out nine of each show. I don’t think there’s another university our size anywhere that puts out that much content.”
To make the programs even more accessible, episodes are now posted on YouTube.com, where they can be found by searching for KNBU.
Junior Lesley Gill, a mass media major with an emphasis in broadcast journalism, is working on the KNBU-TV staff for the first time this semester.
“I don’t have one role, per se,” she said. “We rotate who does what so everyone gets a chance. I think it’s good that we have a lot of people because it’s better to have two shows instead of just one playing over and over again.”
King said while the growth of the program is exciting, several factors will be vital to the station’s success.
“One of our biggest challenges is not getting enough support from campus,” she said. “As we grow, we’ll need more and more student support. We could also use more funding for technology to continue growing. Our goal is to do more shows, to produce them faster and get them on the air faster, but we’re still learning.”
Gill said she would like the station’s success to continue while expanding into other areas of Baker’s campus.
“I’d like to see not just the other student media getting involved,” she said. “I’d like all of the campus organizations to get involved and realize that it’s their media. I think we need to reach out more. Sometimes I feel like we’re stuck in a ‘media bubble.'”
Watson said he had his own improvements in mind for the station.
“I’d like to get to the point where we have a weekly newscast,” he said. “With anchors, reporters, producers, a full complement of people. As we get more students with more experience, I can see it happening one to one and a half years down the road.”
