| Mission Statement: We propose to start a Television Broadcasting Club herein referred to as TGN – The Greyhound Network. TGN will not only provide educational and entertaining programs for the Loyola community, but it will also allow Loyola students to showcase their talents and improve their communication and leadership skills. Benefits of TGN: Starting TGN is a very uncomplicated process and will benefit the college significantly. Many of the students involved in the radio broadcasting club are also interested in TGN, and furthermore, the technology to allow for TGN is already in place. How would TGN benefit the college? On Channel 49, we have the Events Channel, where students can watch advertisements for activities on campus as well as listen to current hit rock music. But, to be candid, many Loyola students do not and have probably never even watched, let alone heard of the Events Channel. Loyola College President Rev. Harold Ridley, S.J. said, “I think clearly the Events Channel is an underutilized asset, and I think it would be great if we could develop some kind of programming on campus.” We propose to start production of three television shows to begin airing on TGN (the exact channel number to be designated at a later date) in Fall 2001. In Spring 2002, assuming our first three shows are successful, we plan to produce at least one other show, with the intent of making more programs depending upon student interest. TGN benefits the college because we can use the advertisements currently on the Events Channel to form eight minutes worth of commercials that would air during these 22-minute shows. Imagine shooting footage of a past lacrosse game and then airing it on TGN reminding the community of a big game that coming Saturday against Hopkins or Syracuse. Or imagine shooting footage of rehearsals of the current play in production and advertising the dates the play will be performed as well the hours of the Box Office. There is also the possibility of getting local businesses to pay to have commercials on TGN. Shows that TGN will create, such as Loyola Survivor, will have the potential to become a long standing tradition at Loyola, allowing the student body to learn about their fellow students. Proposed Shows: With our first show, a 22-minute dramedy (combination comedy and drama show), that we would like to begin airing in November 2001, we would deal with college issues such as alcoholism, drug abuse, and plagiarism. We would deal with these issues in a serious matter that is both entertaining and educational (at the end of the episode, we could advertise supports groups on campus such as the Center for Values and Services). This first show, currently known as Charles Street Bridge is still in its initial planning stage, but we feel with its emphasis being on drama, we can start off with a legitimate, serious show that can prove how dedicated we are to the idea of TGN. Charles Street Bridge will be headed up by Alan M. Danzis and Kevin Poll. The second show we would like to begin producing in Fall 2001 would be similar to Saturday Night Live in that we would have lots of skits making fun of the current events in the world, and would be a great showcase to allow anyone who wants to appear on TGN to do so. Known currently as The Pound, this show is the perfect show to appeal to people who may not be interested in Charles Street Bridge. We want TGN to involve and appeal to as many students as possible, and The Pound, headed up by Joe Salvati and Nick Walkonis, will help us achieve this goal. The third show, which would be entitled The News Room, would report current events and problems on the Loyola campus, Baltimore, and around the nation. This show would have up to eight correspondents and up to two anchors. Regular commentary would include ‘the roaming reporter,” a correspondent who constantly interviews students on topics ranging from ‘what is your opinion of the mullet haircut’ to ‘should Loyola have a bar on campus.’ Another part of the show could be a sports analyst for college sports, highlighting and interviewing Loyola’s own star athletes. The news show as a whole would be both serious and funny, with the correspondents influencing the tone of the show based on their own unique personalities. Also, local celebrities, school staff, and faculty will be interviewed. Most filming will take place on campus. This show is headed by Rex Freiberger and Colleen Rutledge. Due to the incredible response by the college community which has resulted in over eighty people who have expressed interest in TGN, we want to begin producing those three shows in the Fall, with the intention of producing even more shows in the Spring. If these shows become successful, perhaps the following year more students will want to become involved in TGN and we can begin production of even more shows in 2003. Some students we have talked to have entertained the idea of one-person comedy specials (like on Comedy Central) and real documentaries showing Loyola life (which could help benefit prospective students). Five years down the line, TGN could be producing maybe as many as five or six different shows (ranging from sitcoms like Friends, dramas like Dawson’s Creek, reality TV shows like Survivor, and full length two hour movies made by the Film classes) a year, each having about 15-20 episodes. If TGN is approved, we would begin recruiting actors, cameramen, and editors immediately to use next year. We would advertise in the Greyhound, and send voicemails and e-mails to the entire campus, in order to find individuals to help us cement the structure of the initial three shows. How TGN Will Be Run With an organization such as TGN you need to have in place people who can make decisions with regard to casting, budgeting, and optioning of new shows. Once TGN is formed, we would create an Executive Council made up of ten students including the co-founders Alan M. Danzis, Rex Freiberger, Kevin Poll, Joe Salvati, and Nick Walkonis. All Executive Council members have equal power, but positions will be appointed such as Secretary and Publicist. In the Fall, once the Executive Council is formed, we would write a more extensive Constitution for TGN. If someone wanted to create a new show, they would come before the Executive Council with a mission statement for their show and would need to demonstrate to us that many people are interested in their idea. All proposals for shows must include estimated budget, number of actors, number of shows, and how it will benefit the Loyola community. If the Executive Council approved their idea, we would allocate funding for their show and instruct them how to go about the casting, filming, and editing of their program. If their idea was not approved, they would have the option to retool their show and present it again to the Executive Council at a later date. The Executive Council would also be responsible for dealing with the SGA and administrators on issues of budgets and content. Summary In less than three weeks, without any real recruiting we already formed our core five members of TGN and we have found over eighty other students that expressed interest. As Theater becomes a full-time major and the Film Studies minor becomes more prevalent on campus, it’s important to have many opportunities for students to showcase their talents. TGN is the perfect showcase to do that. And it even benefits the college through advertising commercials. If we produce three successful shows next year with Charles Street Bridge, The Pound, and The News Room we would be laying the foundation in which TGN produces numerous shows to help show the beauty and talent of our college community. Thank you, Co-Founders of TGN:
Alan M. Danzis (x6020)
Rex Freiberger (x3145)
Kevin Poll (x3020)
Joe Salvati (x3146)
Nick Walkonis (x3146) Co-Moderators
Mr. James Bentley (x5403)
Father Michael Braden (x5293)
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