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Production
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Redefining government access
Tucson station strives for network-quality programs
Sep 27, 2005
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by John W. Owens
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For some, “government access” evokes an image of a static cover shot of council members seated at a large conference table. While the content might be important, the video is often far from compelling.
However, not all government access channels are cut from the same cloth. Many are taking advantage of the latest technology to supplement their uncomplicated city meetings with innovative field production and entertaining studio pieces. One such station is Tucson 12, the city channel for Tucson, AZ.
Like many government access stations, Tucson 12 started from humble beginnings. Formed as a part of a cable franchise agreement between the city and Cox Communications, the organization was without a studio in the early years. Dan Sheffer, director of photography for Tucson 12, was one of the station's first hires, and his film production and news videography background prepared him well for the required field production.
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“Most of the people hired in the beginning came from a news background. We were familiar with going out and shooting single-camera style and putting together packages,” he said.
While its current facility includes a studio featuring three Ikegami HL-45A cameras, Tucson 12 still relies primarily on field production to create its original content. Thirteen staff members, including three part-timers and two paid interns, help produce four monthly and three semi-monthly programs, as well as the weekly mayor and council meetings.
Think that churning out this amount of material with a small staff leads to a lack of quality programming? Think again! The National Association of Telecommunication Officers and Advisors named Tucson 12 Government Station of the Year seven times in the last nine years, and the station was honored with 19 awards from NATOA in 2004 alone.
Freedom Of Content
While some government access stations are restricted from covering anything other than government-oriented events or stories, Tucson 12 is given much more freedom in the selection of content. “The City of Tucson is unique in that the city leaders realize that the city is more than just the government. It's the people, it's the culture, and it's the arts,” said Sheffer. “They allow us a wider parameter to go look at those stories because I think the city sees its responsibility as going farther than just policing the streets, putting out fires, and collecting the garbage.”
For example, The Beat is a 12-minute monthly program that examines a wide range of activities and events happening in the downtown area. While the revitalization of the downtown region (a long-term city project) is emphasized, the episodes provide viewers with loads of information about area businesses, entertainment, and culture.
The Tucson 12 crew went one step further with The Beat by shooting the show in 24p with its new Panasonic AJ-SDX900. “I think we wanted to really sell downtown to people in the city who don't come down here,” Sheffer explained. “The 24p look gives the show a richness and sophistication that I think works well for the subject matter.”
Sheffer also believes that high quality footage and graphics must be supported by good storytelling. “If we don't put the information out there in a watchable, entertaining way, it doesn't matter how much information you pack in a story ... they tune out,” he added.
In order to enhance the quality of their productions, Tucson 12's staff regularly examines the work of other award-winning stations as well as the video work of National Press Photographers Association award winners. At a recent NPPA conference, Sheffer met CBS photographer Les Rose, who is the chief photographer for the Steve Hartman series Everybody Has a Story. As a result of that meeting, Rose was brought in to speak to the Tucson 12 staff about his work and his approach to storytelling with video and sound.
To make its shows even more palatable to the audience, and as a result of budgetary constraints, the station now packages the majority of its programs into 12-minute blocks instead of the more common 30-minute model. The change fit nicely as a branding element for the channel; it allowed Tucson 12 to generate a wider variety of information within the same time frame, and stories that could not fill a 30-minute program are now in play. This change has been well received by the audience, plus the shorter format integrates nicely with the station's streaming service on the Web.
Sheffer also senses a positive competitiveness within the organization that helps improve the programming. In other words, when one person sees the excellent work of a colleague, they tend to push themselves to raise the quality of their work the next time.
Digital Advantage
While the storytelling is important, the staff at Tucson 12 knows that their product must have a professional look as well. “We came from a broadcast background and so we wanted our programming to look as good or better than what was produced by local broadcast affiliates,” said Sheffer.
A transition to digital technology occurred at Tucson 12 a little more than three years ago, made possible through funds earmarked for capital improvements in the city's agreement with Cox Communications. The station chose Panasonic cameras to support its extensive field production.
The AJ-SDX900 used for The Beat is also used in the production of Sonoran Style, a 30-minute Southwestern lifestyle, arts, and culture magazine program that is produced two or three times a year. The capabilities of the camcorder have led the staff to discuss the creative implications of combining various capture modes (24p, 30p, or 60i) and aspect ratios (4:3 or 16:9) within the same production.
Three AJ-SDC915 camcorders are the workhorses for the crew, and a new AG-DVX100A was added to support their many ride-alongs with Tucson police and firefighters for their public safety program, On Scene. The camera was recently deployed on a day-long shoot on the Mexican border documenting the U.S. Border control for their Spanish language program Conexión 12.
“The crew was in a Humvee all day, so it made sense to use a very portable, agile camera. Having the DVX100A gives us a lot of flexibility,” said Sheffer. He envisions an expanded role for the mini-DV camcorder as the entire video industry moves toward “one-man band” style production.
Like many video production shops, audio capture often receives second billing to video at Tucson 12. Every photographer packs wireless microphones from Lectrosonics, but the operation is beginning to expand its ability to enhance the acoustic element of packages.
“When I train people, I tell them that audio is as important and sometimes more important than the video in terms of the elements of the story,” Sheffer said. “Visually we're at 110 percent - our images are top notch. I think where we can improve is in our audio and paying more attention to its quality.”
The majority of editing now takes place with Avid Xpress loaded on two PCs that are supported by the city's IT department. Sheffer will occasionally utilize an older online editing room equipped with a Sony BVE-900 edit controller and a Sony DFS-700 switcher and effects generator.
Sheffer will be discussing HD with the city's communications director as a part of long-range planning, but he does not see a move in that direction in the immediate future. However, "as far off as HD seemed to me about a year ago, I can see now that it's coming," he added. "We may end up going HD for the very same reasons we went digital -- because that's where the marketplace is going and that's where we need to be."
Sheffer knows that some people still turn their noses up at government access television. "Some people look at it and say, 'Oh, you're propaganda,'" he noted. "In one way we are asked to put the city in a good light, but on the other hand, there a lot of things that the city is doing that is good for the community and those stories aren't being told."
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