Part of college is to prepare students for working in the "real world." Any college course worth taking should have materials and instructors that will give students at least a fundamental understanding of the field they are pursuing.

Broadcast Television is a field that has always had to adapt its operations in order to keep up with new technology. In commercial television, companies have to upgrade their equipment in order to keep up with the competition. It should seem like a no-brainer to have college television production courses that utilize the latest equipment and teach the newest techniques.

For the most part, the television production courses offered at MCC-Penn Valley introduce students to equipment that would be comparable to that which is used in professional and commercial studios. A lot of the equipment in the department's main studio is up to or above par by professional standards. The only system not up to speed is the editing system.

Most professional studios are using non-linear editing systems like Media 100 and Avid, which are software-based, digital editing programs. The type of editing that is used and taught in the MCC-PV courses is a linear, tape-to-tape system. Victor Garcia, Video Production Specialist for the Distance Education Services Department, calls the linear system a "relic of the past."

Mitch Green, Senior Video Editing Engineer and Television Production Instructor, defends the curriculum despite not having updated editing equipment. "We teach all the basics of television production: camera operation, switcher operation, and audio production. You won't walk into an editing position right out of school, not even from a four year school. You have to work your way up."

Green said that a consistent interest in the courses semester to semester might influence MCC to upgrade to a non-linear system. However, that may be a bit of a Catch 22. "Upgrading of equipment is determined by use," Garcia said. In either case, at this point if a student wants to learn non-linear video editing they will have learn it somewhere else.

The majority of the programming created at MCC-PV is Distance Education related, but the department also puts out programs on other subjects like sports, cooking, and aerobics. Cable Television courses or ITV (Interactive Television) can be viewed on either Time Warner Cable (CH 17) or Comcast (CH 20). For more information log on to http://distance.mcckc.edu.

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