FUNC Radio: The FUNKiest Production On Campus

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When we think "Lights, Camera, Action!" so often we forget about the "Lights, Camera... " part- let alone the "Research, Scripts, Editing, Audio, Wiring, Broadcasting, Graphics, Lights, Camera, Action!" ... Perhaps that just doesn't roll off the tounge as well.

I think the mark of producing any piece of Art is that there is 3 times the number of people behind the piece of art than are featured in it.

For Furman's FUNC radio, this reigns true. I was intrigued that there were 2 Anchors, one camera man, and 3 people in the backrooms doing live rolling, subtitles, audio, broadcasting, and direction.

There's a lot more to broadcasting than the desk!

My role In all of this was to observe the many moving parts and operate the cross sectional camera on the left of the setup. Considering this is a multi thousand dollar piece of equipment designed to roll by itself for hours, this was a relatively easy task, and it gave me the opportunity to observe FUNC's Radio production as a whole.

This also freed me to learna lot about news production. I had an inkling of what it was like after being in class with former head anchor of several major news stations, Mary Sturgill, and head anchor of WYFF, Nigel Robertson. However, small things still surprised me.

I Learned:

• The system they had for live reading their cue cards off of a camera is just an Ipad with a floor facing mirror in it to correct inverted reflection.

• The reports for the radio, from the crime update to the sports segment, was written on the day of, not too far in advance so that the news was as accurate as possible.

• The second anchor was only a freshman a few months into his Furman career.

• Colby changes the cadence of his voice to make it easier to understand and pay attention to.

• They were able to flip so discreetly through topics with minimal editing required to produce the broadcast as fast as possible to stay relevant.

• Each person in the room was incredibly dedicated to FUNC, despite a vast number of Furman students not even knowing it exists.

  
  

  

  The view from the left camera I operated!

To me, this was just like any art. A complicated choreographed dance between many people, all working towards a shared goal: a quality news show. Just like any art, theres more that went into it than what you see in the final product. Just like the Furman theatre hosting shows, or the Furman Orchestra hosting concerts, FUNC radio is a mass of students working to push their creation out of their brains and into existence, yet thier work is chronically underrepresented. Student television, unlike theatre and orchestra, rarely receives the recognition it deserves as an art form that requires a lot of time, energy, and hands on deck to get off the ground. It is often undervalued or ignored. I was guilty of that before I got to witness this complex dance for myself.

According to recent news outlets like The Boar, students are watching less traditional broadcast TV, but have recently harnessed the fad for "live moments", premiers, and slow releases in contrast to the "binge watching fad" that rose in popularity alongside mass streaming services like Netflix. Perhaps while FUNC doesn't have the pull of these premiers, like Stranger Things, nor the cultural anticipation of The Summer I Turned Pretty, this craving for live moments could be reflected in their viewers.

I will apply what I learned today at FUNC radio sometime in the future. While I don't plan to go into broadcasting, I am intersted in the potential jobs it creates in this economy and the many roles a small independent film maker has to have to produce even a fraction of the content news channels broadcast. As someone who hopes to eventually produce my own media in several different forms (content creation, photography, blogs, videos ect.) by myself when I travel, this was a good wakeup call that that may not be a possibility straight away, until I learn the ropes of content production. Regardless, I still have a lot to lear, and I am excited about the future posibilities!

If you're intrigued about FUNC and their awesome mission, give them a listen here! Radio for everyone, made by students!