Changes
In the beginning, there
was the Highacres Video
Engineers
whose yearly function
was to tape around five
basketball games and air
them over cable TV.
Then in the fall of 1980, a
few students initiated
what was to result in a
dramatic change in the
force of the visual media
on the Hazleton Campus.
A number of in
dividuals approached
organizational leader
Barry Jais with some
ideas that the club might
branch out into new
areas, including a televi
sion news program.
"It all started with a
----. One of Steve Zarick's responsibilities has been
as
preparing the studio for taping sessions.
fp—
enjoyed dramatic
letter," said Jais. Some
people who had ex
perience with television
_equipment in high school
expressed interest in do
ing some serious work
and outlined some ways
to go about it."
(HAVE)
One of those students
was Joe Krushinsky.
"Television and
newspaper had been my
obsession in high school,
and a group of people I
know here on campus
decided along with me
that if the equipment was
here, something ought to
be done with it," said
Krushinsky.
Jais, having long been
anxious to expand and
essful on comm
develop his club, agreed
to pursue the new ideas.
Meanwhile, the
organization took on its
new name, the Hazleton
Campus Video (HCV).
Throughout the follow
ing basketball season,
work continued to
prepare other formats
and material for HCV.
Finally, following discus
sions with local cable
people, a weekly
schedule was initiated,
and HCV-TV was born.
The first program to be
produced at HCV was
News View 8. The show
was co-anchored by Deb-
by Gorman, and the first
News Director, Chris
McNab. The program at
tempted to offer local
news coverage along
with campus happen
ings.
"We were lucky to get
the right mix of people to
handle all the phases of
getting things under
way," said Jais. "Look
ing back, we were pretty
bad at the start, but the
fact that students were
now producing their own
news show was an im
pressive start."
Next
magazine,
HCV recruits'
start at an
early age.
Places and Things," was
added to the roster. This
show was co-hosted by
Lauta Steimling, a non
student, and Joe
Krushinsky, who had
become Executive Pro
ducer of HCV program
ming.
"A show like P.P.T.'
showed viewers that we
had a creative side,"
said Krushinsky, "and I
worked on the show
essentially because I
wanted to keep actively
involved with aspects in
addition to my Producer
position."
By the Spring of 1981,
the organization had
gained a reputation of
being rather active, and
had developed a broad
base of talent for the
following year.
Throughout the summer,
numerous meetings and
planning sessions were
held for the purpose of
developing a quality
sho'w roster for the new
programming season.
"In no time at all we
saw that our biggest bet
would be to try a TV auc
tion."
In six weeks, several
hundred phone calls
were made and letters
were sent to local mer
chants asking for sup
port for the local televi
sion alternative. On Oc
tober 13, 14, 15, a HCV
television made its first
live broadcast . ever. The
result was a grand total
of over $l,OOO earned for
production expenses.
feature
"People,
The next several
weeks were spent
carefully considering the
Bugda, Jerry Trently, and Bob Tier
y, camp]
most effective use for the
money.
"I think that we could
not have been more suc
cessful in making the
most of our funds," said
Jais.
With the money, the
club's room in the Phys
Ed building . was
transformed into a true
studio-like facility. With
the tools in place, the
next step was to develop
more program ideas.
For the purpose of pro
viding community
oriented programming,
the television show took
on town-oriented topics.
In early May, a spE
news documentary
the Stablex toxic w
plant was produced.
One local doctor jo
the HCV at the begin
of 1982 to pro(
"Health World," a E
designed to exf
various Health is
and clear com
misconceptions
public has about s
fields of medicine.
tor John Degenhart
that he enjoyed wor
with the HCV team
especially enjoyed c
"Health World" bec
of his hopes to som
operate a show of
nature on a larger sc
"Some of our fav
community efforts
eluded the coverage
pee-wee football
final game,
Christmas special
with many y
children from downi
and, of course,
telethon," said Kri
sky.
This year, for the
time, HCV partici]
in the Greater Hat
American Cancer
ty Telethon. The pr
tion involved wee
planning including
special . meeting in
York City. "I didn't
any of us ever exp
when we agreed tc
telethon that we
end up in a New Yo