Studio Q: gains and losses

Two QTV alumni discuss the amalgamation of three campus services

Image supplied by: Journal File Photo

On Jan. 19, the AMS announced the amalgamation of three campus services — Queen’s TV (QTV), Yearbook & Design Services (YDS) and Convocation Services — into a collective service: Studio Q. QTV will lose its mandated editorial segments, although it will retain editorial autonomy.

Studio Q has the opportunity to innovate media services

Katherine Kopiak, MA ’16

Queen’s TV was a vital part of my four years as an undergraduate student.

For years, QTV has provided invaluable opportunities for students to experience and produce hands-on broadcast media — from segment creation to online marketing, blogging, interviewing, filming, live-streaming, reporting and editing.

QTV has the added opportunity to address several different aspects of the Queen’s community: arts and entertainment, sports, student life and the Kingston area. The service’s volunteers work alongside and learn from each other in a collaborative, encouraging and positive atmosphere.

Though I’ll look back at the days of “Queen’s TV” with nostalgia, I believe the amalgamation of two strong media services — QTV and YDS — will strengthen them both.

With proper planning and useful insight from previous and current QTV and YDS volunteers, Studio Q should take off running.

As a young student wanting to enter the field of media, I received incredible opportunities with QTV in both media production and management – opportunities I wouldn’t have received otherwise. I learned the process, importance and impact of sharing stories.

We thrived on creative freedom. My adventures with QTV ranged from things as light-hearted as documenting pet goats in the University District to learning about and sharing the stories of new and old businesses in Kingston.

During my time at QTV, I watched the service grow extensively from one year to the next. By 2014, it was releasing more content and receiving more views than ever before.

The service not only provided a phenomenal experience for its volunteers, but also for the Queen’s community at large. It brought people together, online and off.

Though I’ll miss these experiences, I’m excited for what Studio Q will introduce.

QTV and YDS already have great reputations within the Queen’s community. Some QTV videos have received thousands of views on YouTube. Both services have large Facebook followings: QTV with 2,126 Facebook likes as of this week, and YDS with 4,055.

Studio Q should have a larger following than both QTV and YDS each had to begin with.

For instance, if someone only followed YDS’s Facebook page for pictures of Queen’s events and had never watched QTV — or vice versa — they’d then go to Studio Q for both. There, they might find more than what they were initially looking for. This will benefit both students and the service.

Both services also produce excellent media content, with YDS specializing in photographic publication and QTV with video production.

Studio Q will release the same high-quality content, but in a way that’s more multi-faceted. A news segment — via film — could also be accompanied by photographic and written documentation.

There’s more to be gained than lost. The content each service produces and the people that produce it won’t disappear. Instead, there will be more creative individuals under the same roof, and therefore more room for innovation and development.

A student initially interested in photographic design might learn and benefit from video editing, or vice versa. Studio Q will allow students to maximize their creative potential and produce top-quality content.

Amidst my teary and nostalgic eyes, I see promise, and promise only. I wish Studio Q the best of luck — though I’m confident it won’t need it.

Katherine Kopiak is a Master’s student in cultural studies at Queen’s.

Studio Q should retain the pursuit of journalism

Mohammad Kasraee, ArtSci ’14

When I started working at Queen’s TV, I instantly fell in love with the service.

During my fourth year at Queen’s, I had the pleasure of working as QTV’s business manager. Even though I had no previous experience working with the service, I was warmly welcomed by returning volunteers and managers. I met talented individuals who were motivated to gain experience in the fields of film, media and journalism.

The recent amalgamation of QTV and YDS into Studio Q will have many benefits, but there are certain losses that need to be taken into consideration.

The new service will have a much larger budget to work with, which is much needed on a campus that requires an expansion of its media outlets. We had a large number of volunteer applicants in my year, and we unfortunately had to limit the number of volunteers we could take on.

One of the reasons for this was the budgetary constraints we had on buying more equipment, such as higher quality cameras, computers and editing software. Not only will Studio Q be able to purchase more equipment, it will be able to provide volunteers with better and more diverse options, which will improve their overall experience.

With a greater variety of opportunities, the service will also attract a larger number of volunteers, whether they join to create a yearbook, cover an event, work with a client, produce live sports coverage or make creative, entertaining videos.

But there are certain aspects of the new service that I’m wary of — especially the long-term effects of removing its mandate to cover news. I saw countless hours put in by volunteers to create news pieces, and believed QTV had real potential to expand its news segments.

Studio Q will have better resources, but it’s important to dedicate a segment of the service to journalism. Otherwise, the amalgamation will strip the service of its journalistic component, and push away potential volunteers looking to gain experience in video and photographic journalism — which are skills that are becoming important for those pursuing such careers.

QTV has a long history of bringing news to students. Previous managers and volunteers have made countless efforts to expand and increase the service’s abilities; one major success has been QTV’s current relationship with Queen’s Athletics, where we’ve provided live coverage of Gaels games.

While in recent years QTV has struggled to be taken seriously — because of student interest in sharing funny video content, rather than our news videos — its managers and volunteers put significant effort into creating legitimate news segments for students.

One shouldn’t be quick to peg the service as a dying news outlet. Studio Q has an even stronger chance of becoming a multi-faceted media outlet — one that can include news coverage. It’s important for Queen’s to have a variety of news outlets in order for students to be more aware of what’s happening around them, and to keep up-to-date with issues that directly affect them.

I understand that the amalgamation is a work in progress, but I urge the incoming managers of Studio Q to attract volunteers who are interested in creating news.

Rather than abandoning the service’s pursuit of journalism, they should take the next year as an opportunity to create a better-structured system that will have the ability to reach more students with campus news.

Mohammad Kasraee was QTV’s business manager in 2013-14.

Tags

amalgamation, merger, Panel, QTV, Queen's TV, Studio Q, YDS

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