“Thirty seconds,” shouts the floor director, as she scans the room for unfinished details.

The two hosts quickly find their places in their chairs and wait anxiously while the production and camera crews scurry around the studio.

“Ten seconds,” says the floor director, a little louder, with a little more strain in her voice. Situated and ready, the hosts exchange a nervous smile. They both love being in front of a camera, but it’s hard to stop the adrenaline from flowing before a live show.

Then, the floor director’s hand goes up with five fingers extended. “Four … three … two … one …”

Point.

“Good evening and welcome to ‘InCyde Out,'” says a host with a congenial smile.

The cameras are rolling, the teleprompter is running, and there’s no turning back.

New airwaves

“InCyde Out,” Iowa State’s daily evening news program, is just one of many ISU9 shows that has been giving students something to talk about lately.

The station formerly known as STV9 has changed its name, its image and some of its programming, to become a station viewers are finally finding time to watch.

“In the past, I know that people haven’t watched Channel 9,” general manager James McNab says. “They think we show the same crap over and over again.”

But monotony isn’t an issue this semester. McNab says the station averages 10 hours and 45 minutes of new programming per week, and half of the shows are new to the station.

Old favorites such as the call-in “Triple Threat Sports Show,” the hour-long music program, “Video Plus,” the hip, entertainment informer, “Hello Squirrel” and “InCyde Out” plan to stick around, while a few newer entertainment programs have been added to the line-up.

“In the past, Channel 9 has done well with news-style programming,” McNab says. “I’m trying to make it more entertainment-related.”

In his quest for entertainment programming, McNab has added “1800 Seconds,” a sketch-comedy program in the style of Saturday Night Live, “KOG TV,” a sketch comedy/arts and entertainment opinion program, “Full Access,” a show that involves situational comedy and “FAC (Fun After Class),” a new weekend show with a newsy angle on weekend activities and “Cy’s Eyes in the Sky,” a bi-weekly update on the weather, designed to provide more of an opportunity for meteorology majors to strut their stuff.

Of all the new programs scheduled, McNab says there is one that will stand out from the rest.

“The most-produced show in the history of Channel 9 is coming,” he says, excitedly. “More hours have been put into this show than any other show.”

All summer long, McNab and some other ISU9 producers, worked together to produce a new science fiction program called, “Space Rocket: The Previous Generation.” McNab says the five-episode series, which stars ISU theater students, has taken more time, money and energy than any other show produced by ISU9.

“This will be the new cult classic at Iowa State,” he says. “It will be the show people stop to turn on.”

Cheap labor

Sometimes it’s hard to measure the benefits of a task by the experience that was garnered. But the staff at ISU9 doesn’t have a choice.

Students who pitch in at the station aren’t paid a penny for the long hours that go into each show; however, the experience that is gained is worth its weight in gold. Now that ISU9 has decided to add more programming, the students are being asked to step up to the challenge.

“I’ve seen students get a lot more involved,” McNab says. “In the past, [students] thought it was something they had to do. Now, I see students who are eager to do this.”

Depending on the requirements of the program, one show can be staffed by anywhere from six to 20 people. ISU9 adviser Dan Mundt says for a show like “InCyde Ou,” enough staffers must be available to operate the audio mixer, the teleprompter, the video switcher, the tape playback, the tape recorder, the cameras and the timers. There must be a producer, floor manager and a couple of hosts and news anchors on the set.

Mundt mentions that the staff of “InCyde Out” is produced and crewed by two journalism classes, which makes it easier to get students to participate. However, all of the other shows are staffed by volunteers, some of whom don’t have a journalism background.

The producers of “KOG TV” and “Full Access” aren’t journalism majors. However, McNab says because they had interesting ideas and a willingness to work them out, he was ready to give them a try.

“We really don’t cut shows,” he says. “Not because we’re desperate for programming, but because we believe that every program should have a chance.”

Such creative freedom provides an incentive for unpaid workers. And that motivation has spurred the ISU9 staff members to produce some of the best collegiate programming in the nation.

“We’re producing an awful lot of programming,” Mundt says. “Sometimes other departments struggle to get their department to put on a half-hour show once a week. We do a great job of producing new programming, and it’s only going to get better.”

Changing scenery

Along with its new image and line-up, ISU9 has been working on a change of scenery to match.

The station has been housed in Exhibit Hall since its inception, but it is tentatively scheduled to start broadcasting in the Communications building in mid-October.

During the spring of 1997, ISU sold WOI TV and the station re-located to Des Moines. Since the move, the space has been vacant, only rented out for special occasions.

“When WOI left, the university’s intention was to create some digital television production studios for use by any campus entity that had need for it,” says Jim Twetten, head of creative services for the Instructional Technology Center.

“The decision was not to let ISU9 in specifically, but to provide the studio for all of campus, of which ISU9 was a user.”

Because the studio was once occupied by a professional station, the ISU9 staff is inheriting state-of-the-art facilities and a ton of studio space. Tweeten says the size of the studio is bigger than most in the state, making it possible to bring classes into the studio.

Also, Twetten notes that the studio is one of the first fully digital studios in higher education in the country.

“Every piece of video equipment in there goes into the digital system,” he says. “Iowa State is now poised for whatever digital television throws at them in the next 10 years.”

TV stars of the future

With such big improvements in technology and programming, McNab says more and more students are interested in becoming involved. However, there’s still room for more.

Anyone who wants to be a TV star or just be involved in the process is welcome to attend ISU9’s weekly Tuesday night meetings at 6:45 p.m. in Hamilton Hall.

“It’s a lot of work but it’s very rewarding and, in the end, I can have something tangible and say it’s something I did,” he says. “And it’s hopefully something people will watch.”