Georgia Tech Plans New Sports Broadcasting Facility

[LongforDodd]

Georgia Tech is planning a new $10 million sports broadcasting facility.

The school wants to convert an existing administration building into a high-definition production facility for events to be broadcast on ESPN’s Atlantic Coast Conference (“ACC”) Network.

The total estimated project cost of $10 million would be funded by the Georgia Tech Athletic Association. The project is scheduled to be voted on by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia at its Jan. 11 meeting.

The project would occur in three phases: (1) demolition of existing interior walls to allow space fit-up for a central production facility; (2) installation of program production equipment and infrastructure; and (3) development of a new fiber optic infrastructure between the central production facility and Georgia Tech's sports venues. The high-definition production facility would include control rooms, a small production studio, support spaces and staff offices. The new fiber optic infrastructure would support productions originating from the sports venues and produced in the facility’s control rooms.

"Completion of this project would allow [Georgia Tech] to meet the ACC’s requirement to have production facilities on-site and would allow for sharing of revenues generated from the ACC’s contract with ESPN," notes the Board of Regents' agenda.

Why can't a smidgen of that $10mil, funded by the GTAA, be put towards, say, an enhanced recruiting staff?

 

[GTBandman]

Our own facility 2 blocks from Turner stuff. Wow that would be so hard to connect up to from the beginning for educational purposes. Oops- our network is ESPN tied.

Skeptic in me says a degree program or two makes too much sense for it to actually happen anytime soon. Can always hope.

 

[ramblinjacket]

Our own facility 2 blocks from Turner stuff. Wow that would be so hard to connect up to from the beginning for educational purposes. Oops- our network is ESPN tied.

Skeptic in me says a degree program or two makes too much sense for it to actually happen anytime soon. Can always hope.

A degree in what?

 

[jgtengineer]

A degree in what?

Audio and broadcast engineering with a minor in cinematography. The signal knowledge would still require calc etc but when you graduated you be quickly able to work in tv or movies

 

[ramblinjacket]

Audio and broadcast engineering with a minor in cinematography. The signal knowledge would still require calc etc but when you graduated you be quickly able to work in tv or movies

Don’t we already have a music technology degree. Is that getting us down the path?

 

[jgtengineer]

Don’t we already have a music technology degree. Is that getting us down the path?

Not exactly that would be one branch. I would imagine this degree like our CS degree with different threads. Including one that also deals with performance components and outreach ( a way around not having an education degree). The end gaol would be someone in this program would be able to fill all the roles currently being filled by comm and journalism majors. That would really help us in recruiting athletes.

 

[Techster]

Audio and broadcast engineering with a minor in cinematography. The signal knowledge would still require calc etc but when you graduated you be quickly able to work in tv or movies

I can tell you from personal knowledge, a vast majority of the people who do audio and broadcast engineering and/or any cinematography have never seen a Calc book. Most learn through internships or hands on experience volunteering for free. These media/music/film/TV jobs are all about networking, who you know, and putting together experience and demo reels.

The top film/TV/music schools in the nation (NYU, USC, UCLA) require at most lower level math for degree requirements. Local schools that cater to those students (GA State, AIU, SCAD) are the same. Sure, taking Calc helps someone understand the science behind signal knowledge, but it doesn't necessarily give that person an advantage over someone who's out there getting experience. I know AIU, SCAD, and GA State all have pipelines into all the local media companies and studios, so it's not like not taking a higher level math or science has hurt their programs.

If GT does offer a program, and we are insistent on making it making it heavily academic oriented with Calc and Science, we would not be able to compete with the local schools who offer the same programs without the heavy math and science.

 

[jgtengineer]

I can tell you from personal knowledge, a vast majority of the people who do audio and broadcast engineering and/or any cinematography have never seen a Calc book. Most learn through internships or hands on experience volunteering for free. These media/music/film/TV jobs are all about networking, who you know, and putting together experience and demo reels.

The top film/TV/music schools in the nation (NYU, USC, UCLA) require at most lower level math for degree requirements. Local schools that cater to those students (GA State, AIU, SCAD) are the same. Sure, taking Calc helps someone understand the science behind signal knowledge, but it doesn't necessarily give that person an advantage over someone who's out there getting experience. I know AIU, SCAD, and GA State all have pipelines into all the local media companies and studios, so it's not like not taking a higher level math or science has hurt their programs.

If GT does offer a program, and we are insistent on making it making it heavily academic oriented with Calc and Science, we would not be able to compete with the local schools who offer the same programs without the heavy math and science.

Every degree we offer has to have it as per the BOR. might as well make it worth something. if we produce better ones we can sell the job placement rate in a field that traditionally has a pretty low one.

 

[Techster]

Every degree we offer has to have it as per the BOR. might as well make it worth something. if we produce better ones we can sell the job placement rate in a field that traditionally has a pretty low one.

Oh, I get why GT would NEED to have Calc and high level science, but my point is it would probably cripple the program before it even starts.

The "industry" is populated people who have never even stepped foot on a college campus. If kids are too intimidated by our academics, why should they enroll when a program like GA State or SCAD offers the same program without all the heavy math and science...AND they have pipelines to all the media outlets and studios in GA?

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Audio and broadcast engineering with a minor in cinematography. The signal knowledge would still require calc etc but when you graduated you be quickly able to work in tv or movies

I would have jumped at that.

 

[Supersizethatorder-mutt]

Oh, I get why GT would NEED to have Calc and high level science, but my point is it would probably cripple the program before it even starts.

The "industry" is populated people who have never even stepped foot on a college campus. If kids are too intimidated by our academics, why should they enroll when a program like GA State or SCAD offers the same program without all the heavy math and science...AND they have pipelines to all the media outlets and studios in GA?

As with every other program at Tech, the odds are that it would be one of the best, if not the best, in the country, and that will draw in student-athletes interested in that area with or without calculus.

 

[dressedcheeseside]

Oh, I get why GT would NEED to have Calc and high level science, but my point is it would probably cripple the program before it even starts.

The "industry" is populated people who have never even stepped foot on a college campus. If kids are too intimidated by our academics, why should they enroll when a program like GA State or SCAD offers the same program without all the heavy math and science...AND they have pipelines to all the media outlets and studios in GA?

Because you have a leg up on the competition because they know what kind of work ethic it takes to grad GT, AND... you have an incredible fallback plan if tv or film doesn’t pan out.

 

[Techster]

Because you have a leg up on the competition because they know what kind of work ethic it takes to grad GT, AND... you have an incredible fallback plan if tv or film doesn’t pan out.

I think you mistake the whole "GT degree" thing in the media world for a what it means in the business and engineering world. If people want to pursue the media field, they're not counting on a "fallback" in business or engineering....otherwise they'd pursue business or engineering. The program at GT would be new, so I'm not sure how people would "know what kind of work ethic it takes to grad GT". Maybe one day down the road, but given the reputation of the local schools like SCAD and GSU that are established with media types (who, let's be honest, probably don't even care that GT is a world renowned engineering school) I don't think it makes any difference. I mean, how many GT grads do we know that have won Academy Awards, Emmys, or whatever major media awards? There's probably some, but GT isn't the household name in that world like it is in engineering and business.

I think we're being too insular when we think GT would automatically carry weight just because of our engineering and business accomplishments.

 

[Techster]

As with every other program at Tech, the odds are that it would be one of the best, if not the best, in the country, and that will draw in student-athletes interested in that area with or without calculus.

Oh, I have no doubt GT could build a world class program...eventually. My point isn't that, my point is because of the requirements (Calc and Sciences) GT would scare away potential students who would have an easier path elsewhere and get just as good of an education elsewhere for the same field...at a school more established than GT for that field.

 

[a5ehren]

Why can't a smidgen of that $10mil, funded by the GTAA, be put towards, say, an enhanced recruiting staff?

Because ESPN isn't paying for it.