The Broadcasting curriculum strives to immerse students in the radio production experience. Utilizing professional recording and production equipment, Integrated Media Broadcasting students learn to produce sound-rich audio projects, news-style features, radio imaging elements and sound design for picture. From field recording techniques to narrative development to audio design, the broadcasting curriculum prepares students for work in broadcasting, multimedia and the creative services.
FACILITIES: MHCC broadcasting facilities include two television studios, four production/control room studios for radio broadcasting which support our student-run college radio station 89.1-HD2 (KMHD-HD2). This student-run radio station affords students real life experience in running a radio station that broadcasts 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on the High Definition secondary digital service of 89.1 KMHD.
KMHD, the college's jazz station broadcasting on FM 89.1 is a strategic partnership between Mt. Hood Community College and Oregon Public Broadcasting. This partnership provides opportunities for our students both on the air and in general station operations on the campus station as well as at OPB in their TV and Radio operations. Software employed in running the station includes BSI Simian, VoxPro and ProTools and a mixing/mastering room with ProTools HD1 and HD3 Systems. The instruction labs and production studios feature a 20-seat Mac lab featuring training in ProTools and RCS Selector software.
EMPLOYMENT OUTLOOK: Employers favor those who have excellent technical as well as the professional skills to work effectively both in teams and independently. As the broadcast and audio industries continue to evolve, radio, television and other media outlets are relying more and more on digital tools. Portland and the greater Northwest area's creative industries provide many opportunities for students after graduation. Graduates can qualify for positions such as Sound Designer, Radio Program Editor or Producer, On-Air Talent, Sound Editor or Mixer.
In Broadcasting I, students will practice and develop a personal on-air style with critical constructive feedback from peers and professionals working in the field. This class serves as an introduction to the concept of radio communication and helps provide an understanding of radio performance and control room operation. This course will also cover the history of broadcasting, technical and social aspects of broadcasting and how current conditions are affecting broadcast technology and trends.
A beginning class in news writing. Emphasis is placed on writing leads, developing the story and a sense for news. Character and communication of news, rights and responsibilities of journalists explored.
Audio Production introduces students to an exploration of the fundamental properties of sound and professional practices for audio production. Coursework includes an overview of audio signal processing in the analog, digital, and acoustic domains. The course will emphasize the student’s ability to deal with practical problems in a professional audio environment with a particular emphasis placed on the development of skills using computer-based Digital Audio Workstations (DAW).
This course is an introduction to the range of equipment and production roles associated with live broadcast production. Special attention is paid to understanding the interrelationships that are key to a successful studio team. Students work in rotations to perform every position on a studio team: Control Room, Studio Floor, Audio/CG/Playback. Through these rotations, students are instructed on each position while they observe their colleagues in other positions. The course enhances technical skills, an understanding of production processes and the ability to give and take direction under pressure.
Broadcast News covers story structure, shaping the language for the ear, the value and purpose of original sound and interview segments, journalism conventions, procedures and the law as it applies to daily news functions. This course is designed to work in tandem with RB151, Audio Production, to help facilitate field recording and editing of news packages. The majority of the course is designed to allow students to undertake newsroom tasks and roles on a rotating basis. Each session culminates in a broadcast of a live radio program.
Sound design and post-production examines broadcast post production technologies and their respective techniques. Emphasis on sound-for-picture synchronization techniques and principles — including working with QuickTime and traditional machine sync. In addition, students gain experience working with SMPTE time code, removing unwanted noise from production audio and, exchanging data between DAWs and video editing software, recording voice overs for narration and automatic dialogue replacement (ADR).
Digital Systems provides an overview of the inter-workings of closed-circuit, base-band and multi-band broadcasting systems. Students study basic electronics terminologies as related to the generation, transmission and reception of broadcast signals. In addition, students design and document a closed circuit, base-band system and learn techniques and procedures for necessary observations and adjustments to broadcast transmitting systems. The class highlight current changes and trends in broadcast technology.
This course examines the role and responsibilities of the broadcast producer. Emphasis is placed on applying intermediate audio skills to live and on-demand broadcasts. Students develop, research, organize, plan and execute live in-studio and remote broadcasts.
Students create an original radio documentary feature using an individual voice, ambience and field recordings for broadcast, internet deployment or museum installation. This course includes a survey of 20th and 21st century historical radio documentary work, analysis of audio documentary forms and non-fiction storytelling techniques as well as script writing. Technical instruction includes recording and post-production, editing and mixing, discussion of audio preservation and restoration techniques.