Film department set to create talk show, seeks new media talents

01/30/09 - The University of Rhode Island will soon be hosting its own talk show, and the film department is searching for participants. Assistant Director of Audio Visual Production Services Tim Tierney will supervise the show, which can be taken as a 3-credit class. Though about 10 students have already signed up for the course (FLM 491), Tierney said he is looking for producers, directors, camera operators, writers and on-air talent, among other roles.

The last day to enroll in the course is Tuesday, and Tierney said students must see him to obtain a permission number.

Mirroring "The Today Show," the talk show will feature a variety of subjects to cater to a wider student audience.

"I'm thinking maybe a comedy program, a news program, a public affairs issue program ... who knows what," Tierney said. "Whatever folks want to do, I'm hoping we can move in that direction."

Other possibilities included poetry readings, music presentations and interviewing administration and athletes.

The idea for a talk show generated from junior Angela Garafolo's final film project last year, where she and others created their own sports talk show, and Garafolo acted as the host.

"I guess I came up with it because it's something I would like to see myself doing in the future, so this is a great place to start," the film and communications major said.

Though Tierney said he's been "thinking about this for years," the opportunity became reality when the URI film and journalism departments received nearly $120,000 from a Champlin Grant, allotting all new equipment for a digital production studio in the Chafee Social Sciences Building.

Tierney plans use the equipment to the best of its ability. He stressed the importance of the development of a talk show at the university.

"This is not a joke," he said. "I'm serious that we're going to have a good time doing it, but we're going to be professional. This is going to get people in the door, opening up job opportunities."

The 15-minute show will be played on a looped DVD, much like URI-TV, and Tierney is hoping to collaborate with other student organizations once the show garners more interest. As of now, the program is scheduled - once it begins - to air Monday through Thursday at 3:30 on channel 80. Off-campus students will be able to access the show through the Internet.

He acknowledged, there might be difficulties in getting the show off the ground.

"When you're a pioneer, sometimes you get your knees and elbows muddied and you fall down, but you learn to carry on and overcome, but in the end ... you're going to see some beaming faces because they'll be so proud of what they've accomplished," Tierney said.

Tierney has high aspirations for the show, and he is hoping to create "five or six" different types of shows from the ideas generated from his students, and have a lineup for these shows by the end of the school year.

The professor, who is also a URI alumnus, said he has been waiting for an opportunity like this to show up at the university.

He said when Garafolo approached him about creating a real talk show, he decided "on short notice, to 'crank it up' and make it happen."

A meeting will be held Wednesday at 3 p.m. in the TV studio of Chafee (room 204) for those interested.