In recent years, Escalante hall has had several monitors that collectively form a large screen on the East wall, lit with the Colorado Mesa University Television channel. This year, the screens have been black.
“I think it broke right before classes started, that is my understanding,” Dana Nunn, director of media relations for CMU, said.
Although it may not impact many students or faculty, the CMU-TV crew is affected by these monitors being out.
“That always has been our primary way of showcasing our TV station,” Joe Azar, general manager of CMU-TV and online editor for The Criterion, said. “It continuously runs a loop of our channel, which is always super cool, not just for us, but for students to be able to walk in and see our program.”
It is their primary outlet for students to be exposed to their station. Nunn explained that only one of the six screens is broken. The reason that all the monitors are blank is unknown.
Azar gave two reasons why the whole thing is not on. One, he explained it like a brain. If one part of the brain isn’t working, then the rest will not work. It could be that the wiring system prevents it from all working.
The other explanation is that it could be that it would look strange to have one part of the screen blank while the others are displaying an image.
“We would rather put out quality,” Azar said.
With half of the semester over, Nunn explained that the replacement has been ordered and arrived.
“It will be replaced probably fall break because of the size and location of the screen they are going to have to get a big scissor lift in there that a person can stand up and that can raise up to replace that screen, so they don’t want to block traffic while classes are in session,” Nunn said.
Azar pointed out that the CMU-TV crew understands that it is nobody’s fault and that it isn’t an easy fix. These monitors all have to be compatible to one another in many ways. Nunn explained how the six-screens all have to have the same color, brightness, size, spacing and manner of framing.
The reason the monitor broke is unknown.
“Sometimes things break,” Nunn said.
The advisor of the CMU-TV, Greg Mikolai said, “It doesn’ affect much, just that we can’t show our work.”
“Not having that TV might not seem like a big deal in the grand scheme of things, but for us, it is kind of a big deal just because that’s our old reliable when it comes to showing our content,” Azar said. “If students choose to tune in inside their dorm rooms, we can’t control that, but we can control the CMU-TV monitors up in Escalante.”
Azar mentioned how they are working to get TVs all around campus to show their programming. Yet, there is difficulty because they are not a big-time TV station like FOX or CNN and they don’t have as many viewers who know about their programming.
“We also use it for other things,” Azar said. “The way we have it laid out is we sometimes have banners that can help other clubs display some stuff. Professor Durham wanted to post some of our pictures from photojournalism up on that screen as well.”
The majority of the monitor is covered with CMU-TV, but there are a couple monitors on the side that can go to other things. A bottom banner is a place that they use to showcase someone’s work, announce upcoming events and make for other groups.
“At least for CMU-TV, it is a little bit selfish, but at the same time we have worked our butts off for the last weeks to put on decent programming that would be kind of cool to be up, right as students are walking into Escalante,” Azar said. “And maybe students would get interested in CMU-TV. I’ve had athletes where they look up at the big TV and the next thing you know they are watching their football game. At least they get excited about the fact that their game is on campus.”
Channel 3.3 is where students can watch CMU-TV on campus. They also post on Facebook and online.
“Again, doesn’t seem like a big deal, I get it,” Azar said. “I’m not going to say I enjoy the fact that the TV isn’t working.”
Azar is looking forward for it being fixed and hoping to come back after fall break, to see the screen up and running.
According to Nunn, this monitor breaking doesn’t have any effect on anything or any of the other screens. Yet they are all blank, and the CMU-TV doesn’t get to control the one monitor they can.
