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The Daily OrangeNew TV station must be built quickly, more efficiently
By
Posted: 10/21/05, 3:14 AM EST Section: Opinion
Disbanding HillTV was the best action for Syracuse University to take during these tense times on campus, although the university must ensure that a restructured television studio springs up in HillTV's place as quickly as possible.
The HillTV name will forever be synonymous with the insensitive content of its show "Over the Hill," content that offended and scared members of the university community. HillTV did not protect this community adequately; instead, some members of the organization ignored and others were unaware of a show that produced offensive content for more than a year. To maintain the organization with only cosmetic changes would be a slap in the face to the thousands of hurt people in the community every time someone utters the name "HillTV."
HillTV's structure created the lack of oversight, which is why the station will benefit from being forced to completely reinvent itself. The news and sports departments of HillTV are almost unaffiliated with the entertainment division, which produced "Over the Hill." Yet each of the divisions works under the HillTV name and is responsible for the content of the organization as a whole. A more cohesively structured television station should ensure that all students within it hold each other accountable for what they broadcast.
Isolation from the community was also a factor in HillTV's downfall. Hardly anyone watched the shows this station produced under the SU name and with its money. The new television station, which Chancellor Nancy Cantor said would work in conjunction with Orange Television Network, can be broadcast to the community. If the station sets itself up properly, it might even produce compelling shows that people want to watch. When there are actual viewers, the community will be able to hold the station accountable.
If broadcast journalism students are enterprising enough, they should look into a long-term plan of declaring independence from the university. In that case, there can be no excuses of how administrators didn't tell them to stop running racist content and they didn't know any better. An independent news organization is entirely responsible for its own content and it answers to its viewers and its advertisers.
The HillTV name will forever be synonymous with the insensitive content of its show "Over the Hill," content that offended and scared members of the university community. HillTV did not protect this community adequately; instead, some members of the organization ignored and others were unaware of a show that produced offensive content for more than a year. To maintain the organization with only cosmetic changes would be a slap in the face to the thousands of hurt people in the community every time someone utters the name "HillTV."
HillTV's structure created the lack of oversight, which is why the station will benefit from being forced to completely reinvent itself. The news and sports departments of HillTV are almost unaffiliated with the entertainment division, which produced "Over the Hill." Yet each of the divisions works under the HillTV name and is responsible for the content of the organization as a whole. A more cohesively structured television station should ensure that all students within it hold each other accountable for what they broadcast.
Isolation from the community was also a factor in HillTV's downfall. Hardly anyone watched the shows this station produced under the SU name and with its money. The new television station, which Chancellor Nancy Cantor said would work in conjunction with Orange Television Network, can be broadcast to the community. If the station sets itself up properly, it might even produce compelling shows that people want to watch. When there are actual viewers, the community will be able to hold the station accountable.
If broadcast journalism students are enterprising enough, they should look into a long-term plan of declaring independence from the university. In that case, there can be no excuses of how administrators didn't tell them to stop running racist content and they didn't know any better. An independent news organization is entirely responsible for its own content and it answers to its viewers and its advertisers.
