Students to learn the workings of a TV station in new studio

HARLINGEN — Work is underway to turn an old band hall into a new studio.

The new Media Arts and Communications Academy is scheduled to open this school year in the old Memorial Middle School.

The district is using some existing structures of the old band hall such as sound-proof panels to enhance the effectiveness of the studio.

Students will learn the operations of a television station and a radio station.

“We are painting the walls,” said Oscar Tapia, assistant superintendent of district operations.

“We’re putting in a new drop ceiling,” he said. “We’re painting the door frames and the window frames.”

The school district’s maintenance department is performing these and some other phases of the project, which also include replacing the air conditioning units and upgrading some fire alarms.

The studio will closely resemble contemporary news stations, complete with a desk for the anchor man or anchor woman. Students will record video in front of a “green screen” and the rest of the studio will be black to prevent reflections from nearby lighting. Scenes will be illuminated by a state-of-the-art lighting system.

Alpha Construction will work on the lighting — light dimmers and lighting racks — for the studio.

“The lighting racks have to be hung on top to rack all the lighting systems for the studio,” Tapia said.

The phase of the operation performed by Alpha Construction will cost $190,630 in TRE funds. Those funds are extra tax dollars collected as the result of a property tax increase — Tax Ratification Election — approved by voters two years ago.

Work performed by the school district’s maintenance department amounts to about $100,000.

The MACA, which is part of the redesign of the career and technical education department, will serve about 100 students. It’s one of six new academies being created under the redesign.