CYPRESS, Calif.—For-A America has partnered with the Tim Russert Department of Communication at John Carroll University in University Heights, Ohio, providing an HVS-1200 video switcher, FA-9600 signal processor, and MV-1640IP multiviewer for its TV production studio.
The equipment offers hands-on experience in professional broadcast operations—from live studio productions to sports broadcasting‚ with the actual systems employed worldwide.
“Students at this university will become leaders in the media industry, and our partnership with For-A gives them a chance to be trained at the same level of technology they’ll see in studios and out in the field,” said Dan Slentz, director of Blue Streak Media at John Carroll. "With the HVS-1200 video switcher, FA-9600 signal processor and MV-1640IP multiviewer, we can produce everything from a live sporting events to weekly wrap-up shows, while giving our students hands-on technical and creative instruction."
The new system has significant benefits for the school’s multi-camera studio, now equipped with talent monitors, teleprompters, wireless handheld cameras, and high-end playback systems, For-A said. Students can combine different video sources easily, synchronize wireless feeds, and explore greater creativity in real-time using For-A’s signal processing and IP-based multiviewing technology.
The upgraded studio was launched at a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 25. Beyond its fundamental TV production and editing, the complex can now host ambitious productions like music videos, speech programs and streamed events.
Slentz said of his new video production system: “We can now go live to YouTube at the press of a button, and the FA-9600 signal processors give us the flexibility to bring wireless cameras and computer inputs into productions. This changes what we can offer for students, not just as class exercises, but as productions that feel and look like professional television.”
Expanding Sports Production Capabilities
Sports management has always been a popular and successful academic track at John Carroll. Thanks to the new For-A switcher, sports broadcasting is an area of focus at the Department of Communication. The university now has a high-end production tool it can exploit to develop live and recorded coverage of football, soccer, volleyball, and other events for Rock Entertainment Sports—a statewide sports network Slentz was instrumental in launching.
“The switcher helps us support simultaneous events and deliver high-definition live events,” Slentz said. “That’s a requirement as John Carroll grows its national coverage through its athletic programs and its expanded communication outreach throughout the U.S.”
A Future for an Innovation Center
Slentz said he’s looking to create an Innovation Center within the O’Malley Center, where the communication department is headquartered. The Innovation Center will be a digital hub connected to the TV studio. The concept: create an experimental lab space for students to play and learn about production workflows, data-driven communication and multiplatform content methods.
Chair of the Tim Russert Department of Communication Brent Brossman made note of the relevance of this vision. “Our O’Malley Center is the first destination for prospective students and their families,” Brossman said. “The Innovation Center not only will give us state-of-the-art resources for teaching and research, it also will help us display how we prepare students for actual careers in communication and media. For-A’s sponsorship is at the heart of bringing that vision into focus.”
