Las Cruces Sun-News from Las Cruces, New Mexico • Page 68

12-Scttion K-flQfKK Rdllion-Siin-Ncws-iji Cnices. New Mexico-Sunday, i-'cbniaiy 24, 1974 'Student Potver' In Full Force With Student Potver In full force KRWG-TV--An Impossible Dream Come True (EDITOR'S NOTE: The following "Insider's" view of KRWG-TV, New Mexico Stite Unlvertlty's public televhkm tutlon which went on (he ihh past year. It wrkten for this edition by Sandy Steinberg, director for the station.) BY SANDY STEINBERG For The Las Sun-News KRWG-TV, Harvey C. Jacobs' "impossible dream" came true on the evening of June 29,1973. Thai's when the area's only public television station went on the air for the first time, all 1.7 million watts of it.

That's power. But KRWG-TV, channel 22, went on the air and has stayed on the air with student power. And that was supposed to be the "impossible" part of Harvey Jacob's dream. For it was Jacob's particular vision that this station could serve a dual purpose--be the public voice of the southern Elio Grande region, and be a learning laboratory for students in the NMSU Department of Journalism and Mass Communications, which Jacobs chaired for the past 10 years until he resigned in February. The station was, therefore, to be a television slalion largely staffed and operated by students with varying degrees of TV know-how, working under the supervision of a small core of professional staff.

It was the Jacobs dream that students could get their hand on the real equipment of a TV station, to get the experience and skills they would need out on the job market. In the Jacobs dream students pushed the color TV cameras, recorded public service announcements, manned the film projectors, set Ihe lights for locally originated shows, wrote and reported the ncws-in other words, did Ihe myriad artistic and technical jobs that keep any TV station on the air. Well, KRWG-TV is impossible, and it is slill on the air, wilh a combination of Broadcasting Service shows and a rich assortment of local programming that few other stations at- templ. Local talent and local issues get aired on "The Ricardo MunozShow." On "Oddities Beyond Belief," the subject is film. There's "Family Studies," and "Sports Special.

For art and information, it's the "Hourglass" series. But the most impossible local programming of all for a public television station is news. KRWG-TV carries between three and four news programs daily, Monday through Friday. Every one of the five minute news shows lias to be scripted wi visual cues for the director, including slides and pictures that have to hit the air at just the right second, to match Ihe right news story. ROGER LARSEN, member of student staff of He is one of several students who help operate the K.KWG-TV iit New Mexico Slate University, makes educational a i (NMSU) an adjustment to a color camera during a rehearsal.

But then there's PANAVISTA! Monday through Friday, KRWG-TV broadcasts a half hour ol news, in English and Spanish, weather and sports. Who do you think shoots the the newsmakers, writes Ihe script, mans the studio cameras, runs the movie projectors and slidechain, announces on camera, gives the cues behind the cameras, lights the set, gives the cues, and directs the whole shebang? Students, that's who. When a story breaksinLasCruces, you can bet Jerry Davis or John David Schapiro are out there capturing it on film. When the City Commission meets, there's Jon Roberts out at city hall gelling the story. Every afternoon Kimberly Hunter sifts through Associated Press and United Press International wire copy to get the big stories of Ihe day and pare them down to their essentials She oversees other students who sift through and re-write state news.

She edits Ihe final script, placing local, stale and world news stories in logical order and making sure scrip! order allows for camera maneuverability. Then, twice a week, she goes and powders her nose and sleps in front of those cameras and delivers Ihe news. As script deadline approaches, Roger Larsen takes his regular seat in the newsroom and decides which camera will get which story. He takes tape recordings and slides to the conotrol room, where other students check cues and put the slides in Ihe slide chain in the right order. It's probably Randy Bock or Mike Groves or Greg Peterson manning the cameras (but sometimes when Kimberly Hunter isn't in front of a camera she's behind one).

Louis Quinones, Sam Murillo and Victor Romero go out and report, and come back and write, and announce. These are all students, and without these and other studen Ihe Mesilla Valley would no! have its only free, over-the-air, local, daily television news program. And these are all fantastically able, talented and intelligent people whose particular gift it is to be artists of communications via television. Previous articles about KRWG-TV in this newspaper have described our professional staff, our state and federal funding, and our programming, including such Public Broadcasting Service Offerings as the bi-lingual children's series "Carras- colendas," "MaslerpieceTheatre," "Firing Line," and the twin hits "Sesame Street "and "Electric Company." All of this programming is, of course, not otherwise available at no cost over- the-air to viewers in the Mesilla Valley. Andit is Harvey C.

Jacobs's "impossible" true. BUILDING FOR TOMORROW Let Us Be Your Partners In Personal Progress. ACTION CAMERAS. crews prepare for one of the many pro- dncli.ms which was aired this year by KRWC-TV, public broadcasting station, New Mexico State University. The in-w television station seen on Channel 92 or by area cable viewers on Channel 7, began production June- 2J.

Since 1962 Dona Ana Savings and Loan Association has been proud to contribute to the growth of the city of Las Cruces. Our reputation has been built on 11 years of helping the people of our Community with thrift home ownershi Dona Ana Satrings AND LOAN ASSOCIATION 161 E. Madrid 7 am to 11 pm INTRODUCED SELF SERVICE GASOLINE TO D.RIVE IN GROCERY CUSTOMER. rs Orders Morning Evening Paper YOUR COMPLETE UP TO-DATE DRIVE IN GROCERY 524-1681 Corner Of Madrid Mesquitel.