Moore Hall Television
Policies
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Contents:
I.
The Purposes of MHTV are to:
A.
Provide a learning facility for BCA and other
interested students that simulates a professional
television/production facility. A central component
of that learning experience is to allow students
to experience the opportunities, responsibilities
and constraints of working within a professional
television/video production environment.
B. Offer options for student activities that reflect various career interests
(production, management, news, etc).
C. Promote activities of CMU and the BCA Department to the community.
D. Inform and entertain members of the community, both on and off campus.
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II.
The Responsibilities of MHTV staff are to:
A.
Work with faculty in providing co-curricular
opportunities for BCA students and extra-curricular
opportunities for other students.
B. Hold weekly staff meetings for discussion of program scheduling and staffing.
C. Monitor personnel, programming, and facilities to insure that program
quality is upheld.
D. Help insure that program content reflects positively on students, the
BCA department, and the University.
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III.
The Responsibilities of the BCA department
are to:
A.
Provide faculty advisors for MHTV productions.
B. Provide facilities and equipment for MHTV productions.
C. Oversee and approve records and expenses.
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IV.
MHTV Organization
A.
Central Michigan University is governed in
descending order by the Board of Trustees,
President, Provost, and the Dean of the College
of Communication and Fine Arts. The Chairperson
of the Department of Broadcast and Cinematic
Arts authorizes overall MHTV policy, operating
function, and financial activity.
B.
The General Manager of MHTV is the Chairperson
of the Department of Broadcast and Cinematic
Arts, who is responsible for all activities
of the operation.
C.
The Video Unit Director is appointed by the
chairperson of the department of BCA and is
responsible for managing the MHTV operations
budget and insuring the quality and integrity
of station programming and staff performance.
D.
The TV Operations Manager is appointed by the
Chairperson of the Department of Broadcast
and Cinematic Arts and is responsible to the
department for day-to-day operations as well
as for any special activities involving MHTV.
E.
The News Division Manager is appointed by the
Chairperson of the Department of Broadcast
and Cinematic Arts and is responsible to the
department for day-to-day operations and the
department's co-curricular news laboratory
experience.
F.
MHTV is primarily a BCA-funded production laboratory.
For this reason, the General Manager, and/or
the Video Unit Director, and/or the TV Operations
Manager, and/or the News Division Manager may
set both equipment use/access and program content
policies without consulting with or seeking
approval from the student Executive Staff.
G.
The Executive Staff of MHTV consists of the
students appointed to the following positions
by the Department of Broadcasting and Cinematic
Arts:
" Station
Manager
" Business/Grants Manager
" PR/Promotions Unit
" Field Producer
" Traffic Director
" Sports Director
" M2D2 Content Coordinator
The
members of the Executive Staff are equal in
voting stature.
Chairperson
of the Executive Staff is the Studio Manager.
In the Station Manager's absence, the Studio
Manager assumes leadership.
The
Executive Staff sets both immediate and long-range
goals for the station and works to sure that
goals are achieved. In doing this, among other
activities, the Executive Staff makes major
programming decisions on a long-range basis,
coordinates station activities, and reviews
and evaluates the progress of station personnel.
The Executive Staff also approves appointment
to any supervisory management positions on
the station staff. The Executive Staff may
also, by means of a majority vote, recommend
equipment use/access and/or show content policies,
as well as penalties for violation of those
policies to the Video Unit Director and/or
TV Operations Manager.
H.
The procedure for appointment to Executive
Staff involves the incumbent Executive Staff,
the Video Unit Director and/or TV Operations
Manager, and the faculty/staff of the Department
of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts.
Executive Staff positions are selected each regular academic year, in the
Spring Semester. In addition, selected positions may be filled as deemed
appropriate by the Department for the summer months. Further vacancies
may occur from time-to-time by resignation or other causes.
When
a position is to be filled on the Executive
Staff, notice of that pending or current vacancy
is posted on the department bulletin boards.
Any student who wishes to be considered may
apply for the position(s) so posted by completing
the Executive Staff Application Form and submitting
it to the MHTV Station Manager along with any
other supporting documents on or before the
submission deadline. Program producers are
not eligible to serve on the Executive Staff
except under unusual circumstances. The Video
Unit Director and/or the MHTV and forwards
both sets of recommendations to the Department
of Broadcast and Cinematic Arts.Operations
Manager will define such circumstances.
All
candidates for a position will be interviewed,
after which the Executive Staff will deliberate
and recommend the name of the most acceptable
candidate to the TV Operations Managers. The
Video Unit Director and/or TV Operations Manager
reviews the Executive Staff recommendation(s),
attaches his/her own recommendations(s),
The
Department, after deliberation, makes the final
decision on the appointment of the person to
fill each vacancy.
The
Executive Staff, the Video Unit Director and/or
TV Operations Manager, and the Department all
have the option of voting to reopen any position
for which a suitable applicant has not been
determined. In such a case, the notice of reopening
of the position vacancy is posted and the above
procedure is repeated. Persons who originally
applied for a position that has been reopened
may reapply for that position.
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V.
Duties and Responsibilities
A.
STATION MANAGER
" Supervises daily activities of the station by guiding the departments
in setting and accomplishing goals.
" Chairs all Executive Staff and general staff meetings, and is responsible
for the recording and appropriate dissemination of minutes of those meetings.
" Coordinates the activities of the various departments; works closely in
association with department directors while overseeing all aspects of station
functions.
" Serves as a liaison between the BCA Department and station personnel.
" When possible, the Station Manager, along with other department heads,
should represent the station at all station functions.
" Proposes program schedule to the Executive Staff.
" Monitor all MHTV programming in order to maintain program continuity and
quality and to avoid duplication of content.
" Supplies program information to PR/Promotion Director.
" Supplies program tapes to Traffic Director.
" Serves as the station representative to the Student Broadcast Executive
Council.
" Responsible for all additional duties delegated to him/her by the Video
Unit Director, TV Operations Manager or General Manager.
B.
BUSINESS/GRANTS MANAGER
" Organizes and seek out underwriting.
" Supplies Field Producer with information on underwriting to be produced,
including copy.
" Supervises sales force, whose main responsibility is to seek out underwriting.
" Reports to Station Manager.
C.
PROMOTION UNIT
" Advises program producers concerning creative concepts.
" Promotes MHTV to all municipalities wired to cable.
" Supervises promos for all programming on MHTV with assistance of program
producers.
" Coordinates promotional material for the program producers.
" Prepares detailed plans for upcoming campaigns and remotes.
" Submits copy of all promos to Station Manager for approval before airing.
" Reports to Station Manager.
D.
FIELD PRODUCER
" Contacts clients for shooting schedule in coordination with Business/Grants
manager.
" Assures production of donor and spot reel assembly is done in a timely
manner.
" Produces underwriting spots.
" Initiates training seminars and workshops in order to enhance production
quality.
" Advises program producers in regard to technical considerations that will
provide maximum use of facilities.
" Reports to Station Manager.
E.
TRAFFIC DIRECTOR
" Recruits and trains MCR Operators.
" Supervises and schedules MCR Operators.
" Schedules and produces station breaks for all programs.
" Reports to Station Manager.
F.
SPORTS DIRECTOR
" Responsible for al programming related to sports cablecast on the station.
" Must audition and appoint all student personnel who prepare and/or cablecast
regular play-by-play or sports-related programs not proposed under guidelines
in Section VII.
" Acts as the senior producer for all live sports cablecasts and sports-related
programs not proposed under the guidelines in Section VII.
" Responsible for the training and critique of all sports department personnel.
" Report to Station Manger.
G.
M2D2 Content Manager
" Responsible for the MHTV website
" Reports to Station Manager.
H.
Participation of the Executive Staff at weekly
staff meetings is mandatory. In the event of
an absence, a written report will be submitted
in advance to be read at the meeting.
I.
PROGRAM PRODUCERS
" Each program must have two producers, one of which must have successfully
completed (with a grade of a "C" or better) BCA 422 or be enrolled
in BCA 422 in the semester during which the show is to be produced if the program
will be using any BCA-owned equipment.
" Secures a faculty advisor for each show/series. Be sure advisor is consulted
on such matters as meetings, program critiques, production schedules, etc.
" Presents program proposals with detailed treatments to Executive Staff
for approval.
" Maintains coordination of pre-production/post-production activities, as
well as program evaluation.
" Presents pre-production materials to Station Manger for production authorization.
" Submits tape of post-production programs to Station Manger by deadline
designated by Station Manager.
" Recruits and oversees Production Technical Staff.
" Requests equipment, studio, and editing time from Studio Manager.
" Oversees actual production.
" Is responsible for producing promo(s) for their show and submitting to
Promotions Director by deadline.
" Represents or assigns a representative to weekly producers' meeting.
" Producers are responsible for proper crew use of equipment.
" Reports to Station Manager.
" Producers must be willing to take part in MHTV and/or BCA Departmental
activities and to represent MHTV and/or BCA in University activities.
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VI. Faculty Advisors
A.
Faculty, staff, and/or graduate assistants
functioning as advisors will oversee and advise
on all aspects of the program for which they
are responsible. This should include script
approval, copyright clearance, and attention
to other legal or ethical concerns. Faculty
advisors may require screening approval before
a show airs.
B. Advisors should be directly involved in regular critiques of the programs.
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VII.
Other Appointed Station Personnel (Supervisory
Staff)
Positions
that are important to the operation of the
station, though not Executive Staff level,
may be designated by the various department
heads when approved by the Executive Staff.
Examples of these include Assistant to the
Station Manager, Assistant Studio Manager,
etc.
When
the Executive Staff approves a Supervisory
Staff position, the appropriate department
head advertises the position, accepts application,
interviews applicants, and presents his/her
recommendation(s) to the Executive Staff, which
makes the appointment of the individual to
the specified position.
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VIII.
Program Proposal Procedure
A.
Typed program proposals are submitted to the
Executive Staff for prioritization for all
programs (excluding the news program that is
part of the news laboratory and any sports
program produced under the direction of the
Sports Director). This will be done toward
the end of the semester previous to the semester
the program or series is to air. The format
for the proposal will be made available by
the Station Manager.
B.
The Executive Staff will make a final determination
of shows to be produced, taking the following
into consideration:
" Balance
of programming content for the semester.
" Hours of facility and equipment use.
" Educational/training benefits for students involved.
" Number of students involved in the specific crew list.
" Program costs.
" Quality of program proposal. This includes such factors as: clarity of
concept, adherence to proposal guidelines, completeness of descriptions, general
thoroughness, and neatness.
" Maturity, reliability, dependability, integrity, and professional attitude
and behavior of students proposing the show.
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IX.
Regulations for working at MHTV
A.
All students working at the station must have
and maintain a minimum overall Grade Point
Average (GPA) of 2.25. (Students assigned by
faculty to work at MHTV to fulfill course requirements
are exempt.)
All
students applying for and/or holding Executive
Staff positions must have and maintain a minimum
overall GPA of 2.50.
Students
must have taken or be taking BCA 223 or demonstrate
the same proficiency and respect for equipment
as learned in BCA 223.
B.
Student Executive Staff personnel will serve
as volunteers, or may register for Practicum
credit (BCA 329), for services rendered. It
is the responsibility of the Video Unit Head
to determine the number of hours to be earned
by Executive Staff personnel and to act on
requests for Practicum registration.
C.
Regular staff members will volunteer, or may
register for Practicum credit (BCA 329), for
services rendered. It is the responsibility
of the Video Unit Head or News Division Manager,
with the advice of the program producer, to
oversee workloads for all station personnel,
including whether such workloads may be counted
toward Practicum credit.
D.
Volunteer Students: Any CMU student who wishes
to volunteer his/her services at MHTV for the
purpose of gaining experience in the field
and/or as a vocational interest may do so.
The nature of his/her service is governed by
the student's own interest and aptitude, and
will be utilized as determined by the appropriate
Executive Staff member and the Station Manager.
Each such student will abide by station and
BCA Department policies.
E.
Practicum Students: Students who wish to register
for Practicum credit (BCA 329) must receive
approval form the Video Unit Head or the News
Division Manager prior to registration for
the course. Practicum students must abide by
station and BCA Department policies. The TV
Operations Manager or the News Division Manager
shall determine the grade for the Practicum
student after consultation with the appropriate
program producer.
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X.
Conduct and Responsibilities of Station Personnel
MHTV
personnel will adhere to and be governed by
all regulations set forth in this document
and the University's "Policy and Procedures
Relating to Students Rights and Responsibilities."
A.
Discipline for Station Staff
Staff
members may be suspended or dismissed from
all duties and offices for:
" Any
unauthorized cablecast over campus or Mt. Pleasant
cable.
" Unexcused failure to report for assigned duties (MCR shifts, staff meetings,
production, crew, etc.).
" Removal, without permission, of any university property. (CMU Police will
be notified in the case of all apparent thefts. Disciplinary action will be taken
either through the Office of Student Life or criminal prosecution.)
" Obscene or indecent language on the air.
" Playing of any tape which is blatantly obscene or indecent or which depicts
inappropriate behavior.
" Inappropriate conduct, as defined by Section 3 of the Policy and Procedures
Relating to Students Rights and Responsibilities, while participation in or representing
MHTV which would be detrimental to the image of the station, the BCA Department,
or the University.
" Possession or use in the station of alcoholic beverages, illegal drugs,
dangerous chemicals, firearms or explosives, as well as found being impaired
by alcoholic beverages or illegal drugs.
" Tampering with any station equipment.
" Failure to attend mandatory meetings called by the Station Manager or
by any other Executive Staff member for his/her specific department. Absences
should be cleared in advance. Unexcused absence from a mandatory meeting will
result in suspension from activities in the specific department involved for
a period of two (2) weeks. Repeated unexcused absences from mandatory meetings
will result in dismissal from MHTV.
" Any other specific action which results in censure by majority vote of
the Executive Staff and/or the Video Unit Head and/or the TV Operations Manager
and/or the News Division Manager.
B.
In each case of violation of station policies
and procedures, such as those listed in Section
X-A above, the Executive Staff will determine
if the incident is severe enough for suspension
or dismissal and will inform the involved staff
member(s) of its decision. All suspended or
dismissed staff members will be notified in
writing, and a copy of that notice shall be
placed in the student's personnel file at the
station. Incidents involving faculty will be
referred to the General Manager.
C.
Appeals of the Executive Staff decision for
suspension or dismissal may be presented in
writing to the Video Unite Director within
ten (10) days of the suspension or dismissal.
The General Manager will make a final decision
on the appeal. The Video Unit Director and/or
TV Operations Manager and/or News
D.
Division Manager may dismiss or suspend a staff
member in cases involving equipment use/access
without seeking approval from the Executive
Staff.
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