NSRT Program in Media Arts
HVCC has a two year program in place for students looking for a career in the Media Arts. It enables a student to get traditional schooling on the HVCC campus and hands-on, real-world training at the New School of Radio and Television. The program is set up for the student to take their first year courses at the HVCC campus, offering a well rounded curriculum with classes such as English Composition, Journalism, Media & Culture, Communications, Television Production I, Intro to Computer Graphics and Public Speaking. After a student has acquired at least 30 credits and has completed all of their prerequisites, they are then eligible to go on and finish the remaining portion of the degree and certification program at The New School of Radio and Television.
The New School of Radio and Television was established 38 years ago by the Executive Director, Tom Brownlie, a well renowned radio personality, who previously held positions at KISS-FM in NYC, Chum Radio in Toronto, CLW in Detroit and was the program director for WBAZ, Kingston and WDOT, Burlington stations. According to Brownlie, in the early years of the school’s development, he began to get discouraged, but after borrowing thousands of dollars from a relative to finish construction, he knew he had to make the school work.
The New School started out as just a school for radio, offered only in the evenings. Eventually, the school began to offer television and broadcast, and only three years ago started offering music and digital recording arts. The programs are listed as Radio & Television, Television and Video Production, Broadcast Journalism and Digital Recording Arts.
If someone wanted to attend the school without attending HVCC, they could enroll directly. The New School is a five- and-a-half month program that ends with a mandatory internship provided by the school. The cost to attend the New School is $10,000 and is broken into two semesters if you’re an HVCC student. Although students can attend the New School directly, some feel the need to get traditional schooling before they go to the New School. Assistant Director Cathy Taylor has been working for the New School for five years now and acts, among other things, in the capacity of a principal. “There are so many options here it’s incredible… it all depends on what a student brings to the table,” said Taylor. She also said that making the decision to go to college instead of going directly to the New School all depends on what you want to do and where you want to end up. “If you’re going to be a journalist on air, you’re going to need to go to college, you’re going to need to know how to write, have absolutely perfect English and grammar… no two ways about it,” said Taylor.
Hudson Valley Senior Andrew Balog is currently a Broadcast Communications Major and is enrolled in the Television and Video Production curriculum at the New School. Balog is an upstart independent film maker who’s company, Logs Leisure Entertainment, has two films currently under its belt. “They teach you hands on everything there is to know about video production, everything down to the smallest detail,” said Balog. “The biggest advice I could give to someone coming into the New School is: don’t go in cocky. You will come out of it saying, ‘Wow I genuinely learned something.’ They give you a different perspective of film and television that you don’t have going in. They teach you a good sense of loyalty, a sense of friendship, brotherhood and respect. They don’t only teach you technical skills, they teach you life lessons in there; it’s a very good school,” said Balog.
Brandon Lewis, a current New School student in the Radio and Television arts curriculum decided to go directly instead of attending HVCC. Lewis claims the allure of the New School was the ability to learn hands on. “I think if you go to Hudson Valley, you get the book aspect out of it, but the New School prepares you for show prep, commercials, learning how to do shows, knowing what to say and knowing what not to say. I think the New School did a great job in my life by preparing me to the work at any radio station, “said Lewis. Ovella Snow is a current Radio and Television Arts student at the New School. “I think with the experience and knowledge I gained from The New School of Radio and Television, I definitely think I’m equipped to go out and find a job,” said Snow.
According to Taylor, one of the most important aspects of the New School is the teaching. Professor Michael Flynn, known in the Radio industry as “Jim Steele,” has been in the business for over 26 years. Professor Flynn, a graduate of Christian Brother’s Academy and Herkimer County Community College, has worked for 12 radio stations and has worked in every format except sports talk. In the early 90s, Professor Flynn attended The New School and graduated in 1986, which at that time was called The New School of Contemporary Radio. He started teaching in 1999, and with the exception of two years, has been teaching over the last 12 years.