Pace’s Official Programming, POP Television’s presence at the university, is on the rise with new shows and heavier student and staff involvement. POP TV was founded in 2009 by four entrepreneurial sophomores. Their programming consists of completely student produced shows, giving students the opportunity to engage in broadcasting experience that is currently not offered on the New York campus due to lack of space and availability. Some of the experiences students receive are in the fields of filming, audio production, lighting, hosting, and film editing.
Deliana Acosta, junior, said “I think it’s amazing what this club has to offer, especially since we do not get broadcasting opportunities the way the Westchester campus does.”
One of the main goals of POP TV is to establish a better sense of community throughout campus. They do exactly that as they integrate clubs and services through the filming of various commercials and events, while also entertaining and informing the University. Their shows include: Cooking with the Dean, a cooking segment with Dean O’Grady, Good Day Pace, a news/talk show in the style of Good Morning America, Sabor in the City, an expose/reality show about the Sabor Latino dance team, and Pace Life, Pace’s version of MTV’s True Life. The most popular show remains Cooking with the Dean, as it has been the longest running show on the channel.
In regards to how they choose their shows, Samantha Scadron, the programming secretary said, “We choose shows that we feel everyone will be most interested in.”
POP TV has their weekly meetings in the middle of the week and they do most of their filming towards the end of the week. Each show is on a different schedule so they film based on the talent and member availability.
Even though they are successful with their shows and have increased their student and staff involvement, POP TV faces many obstacles as a fairly new activity on campus. Scadron said “POPTV was founded in 2009 yet we are still considered to be a new club, and are treated as such. We are not given the same respect as some of the older clubs, even though we feel that having a television station is a huge asset to the university.”
The club experiences issues when trying to gain funding to make important purchased for things like cameras and editing software, which are necessities for a television station. They also do not even have their own office, and have been told that they probably would not be eligible to get one. Despite these difficulties, POP TV remains a stable presence on campus. They are developing a few new shows for the spring. They air on channel 36 in Maria’s Tower and Fulton Hall and welcome all student-produced content. They are always looking for new members who know how to use cameras, lights, Final Cut, or who are just interested in learning about production. If you are interested, please email [email protected] for more information on the club and the meetings they hold every Wednesday.