Buried under a greenhouse behind the Bryan Center, roughly 40 students meet each Sunday to discuss how to resurrect the University's student television station.
Their efforts have been years in the making, but in the next eight weeks, the organization will revamp its digs, planning to renovate the studio to improve broadcast quality and attract more viewers, said Cable 13 President Orcun Unlu, a senior. Station leaders also said they plan to finalize a contract with Clark Powell Audiovisual Technologies and Systems within the week.
Student interest
Visitors to the studio pass a case of five Telly Awards for "excellence in college broadcasting"-the most recent one from 2000.
But several students interviewed by The Chronicle said they did not tune in to the station often, and when they did, they found it wanting.
"I saw one show-it was like a mock game show," said junior Lisa Myers. "It was entertaining because my friend was on it, but I thought the student production was pretty poorly done."
Unlu said that according to an informal survey conducted by Cable 13 members last year on the West Campus Plaza, the station has increased its viewership during his tenure, with 80 percent of students responding saying they tune in "at least occasionally."
However, fewer than 60 students were included in the results, and fully 22 percent reported never watching Cable 13. Seventy-eight percent of respondents who watch Cable 13 reported that they tuned in mainly for movies.
Waning student interest has been one of the station's obstacles, and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Student Television may pull talent from Duke's campus. Several Duke students work at Carolina Week, STV's Triangle news branch whose coverage includes Duke issues.
STV is nearly twice the size of Cable 13 and benefits from the university's popular School of Journalism and Mass Communication, said STV station manager Ernie Gilbert, a senior.
"There were a couple of students who were at the first Cable 13 meeting," Duke freshman Andrew O'Rourke said. "Two of us were offered to be the co-news directors at Cable 13 and turned those down to do Carolina Week instead.... It's run by professors who have been in the industry for many years. They really know what they're doing."
Senior Jonathan Oh, who also provides weather forecasts for The Chronicle, said Carolina Week offers journalism training, which he said he could not get at Cable 13.
Unlu said there is a steep learning curve when many students first sign on to the organization.
"Not many people come with a television or production background to Duke University," he said. "We tried to create an environment that fosters a desire to learn, to give opportunities to create something, so they can come and enjoy themselves."
Changing the channel
Cable 13, founded in 1976, was the first student-run station in the country. The renovation is one of the last steps in Unlu's plan for the station before he graduates this Spring.
The studio has not been redone since its 20th anniversary in 1996, and Unlu said the overhaul should enable the organization to have professional quality, high-definition-ready programming.
"There have been peak times in Cable 13's history, and we want to end that cyclical pattern," said Cable 13 Executive Vice President Justin Mahood, a senior. "[Sometimes] there's nobody left to carry the torch."
Unlu said he had a three-year plan to change Cable 13 and return its reputation to the esteem it had in the '90s, when a number of dramatic series were critically acclaimed. Currently, however, much of the original content is spun-off of MTV shows, such as "Room Raiders" and "Cribs."
He added that he expects the renovation to make it easier to update scheduling and solicit feedback from viewers online.
"It is very appropriate and much needed for us to be again on the forefront of college TV-making," Unlu wrote in an e-mail. "I am excited that [the renovation] will be completed before I graduate."
Cable 13 received more than $30,000 from the Duke University Union this year, but the project will be financed primarily from a depreciation budget and money donated from alumni and other benefactors, Unlu said. The depreciation budget, which is also funded by the Union, was set up in the 1970s to account for the depreciation of technology and allow the studio to update its equipment.
The team's initial goals included designing a logo and updating the Web site to establish a brand recognition for Cable 13. It has also moved to constantly streaming content.
"We began doing productions 24/7 in the fall [of 2005]," Mahood said. "The best way to do that was to get blockbuster films and intersperse your productions through those. It was a good marketing tool because you'd draw an audience from other productions."
Mahood noted that the technical barrier has historically been high, which prevented the station from producing much original content.
"[Cable 13] used to broadcast like a PowerPoint station-there was no video content-so we've been limited in terms of technology," he said.
Current coverage
Despite projections for an overhaul, there may still be untapped outlets for production, frequently symptomatic of student-run stations, said UNC senior James Mundia, former STV station manager.
"The creative potential for a student-run TV station is limitless, and we aren't getting anywhere near there," he said.
Cable 13, which Unlu said was about 100 students strong, has worked to improve coverage of local events, including Duke Student Government meetings and University athletics.
He noted that students often expect to see major sports covered by the station. However, national television networks, such as ESPN and CBS, prohibit closed-circuit broadcasts for some events. Recently, Cable 13 has been given more opportunities to cover games.
"We'll be constantly improving our feed from Cameron [Indoor Stadium]," Unlu said, adding that currently, the station must remove its equipment after each filming. "We'll be able to have [a more permanent] setup after March Madness, and that's mostly because of our relationship with the athletics department. Because they trust that we can put out a good product, they're giving us the space and infrastructure we need to put out a much better project."
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