Modeling itself after national television networks, TTV has added numerous positions, such as Senior Vice President Production and Vice President Marketing; it now also has the ability to license its work beyond A.S. Council to student organizations, departments and even outside of UCSD.
The station is undergoing an unprecedented transformation. Rebranded as UCSD’s first pre-professional film and television station, TTV is a far cry from last year’s Student-Run Television. After last year drenched the name SRTV in a turbulent history that brought national media attention, Station Manager Thomas Dadourian said he is happy with the makeover.
TTV is scheduled to receive a total of $11,000 a year for operating costs and a film initiative from A.S. Council, which will finalize the executive budget during Week 3.
Dadourian said he will request additional funds for necessary equipment, like a new server as well as a possible adviser.
Additional amendments to the charter include new broadcast rules and regulations, one of which relies on the Society of Professional Journalists’ Code of Ethics to avoid stereotyping material that maligns or libels individuals.
“The charter wasn’t complete enough, to where we wanted it, and we didn’t want there to be any unsure wording, so we wanted to tighten it up,” Associate Vice President Student Services Meredith Madnick said. “There’s a standard of what can and what cannot be aired and what will happen if anything happens that’s not according to the charter.”
Madnick said her office looked at other universities’ television stations and found this definition to be the best.
Additional amendments to the charter include licensing copyrighted material and shows, which must follow the charter’s broadcast rules and regulations and campus policies.
Two new divisions are scheduled for amendment in the charter. Triton News Network will report events on campus while Triton Artists Guild will be a place for actors to post their profiles so that production staff can use it as a way to hire people.
“TTV’s been doing some work with outside shows. To get those to air, we have to make some licensing agreements and put them in the charter to clear up any wording,” Madnick said.
Dadourian stressed that the station is concerned with production, not the new charter.
“Right now, we’re trying to bite off more than we can chew,” Dadourian said. “The only way we’re going to be able to do this is in a way that is both effective and organized.
The station is currently in pre-production for “The Power Behind Closed Doors,” a weekly half-hour show that will air on Time Warner La Jolla that features Dadourian, ex-White House official and producer Pasquale Augustine and Time Warner Producer Jessica Elford.
The show will look at how UCSD functions and how its community can get involved by interviewing local leaders about research, government affairs and current events. The primetime show, which consists of 52 episodes, is expected to air throughout the 10-campus UC system in October.
The newest amendments to the charter are small but significant updates to an already edited version that passed in March, after the station’s February shutdown for a racially controversial live broadcast of Koala TV.
“I can understand that [A.S.] does not want a repeat of SRTV,” Dadourian said. “Because they’re the ones giving us the money to be able to do what we love to do. We’re here to perfect our craft. That’s why we’re pre-professional.”
The major changes in the March charter included changing the station name from Student-Run Television to Triton Television and a ban on live programming — with the exception of the FallFest and Sun God festivals.
“There’s things that we felt needed to be added from last year, just to close any loopholes that may have been in the charter and make sure everything’s up to date in accordance with what we want to do with TTV— because they’re going to be doing a lot of great things this year,” Madnick said.
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