Volume CXXXIII, Number 9 November 9, 2001 f

BCN revamps this year's lineup
SEAN O'HARA
STAFF WRITER

Growth for any student organization means changes, and the Bowdoin Cable Network is no exception. It is perhaps the most visible and easy-to-access of the venues of student creative work on campus, and the Cable Network has gone through a number of changes since its inception in 1999. This year marks several major additions in the programming schedule and goals for the network.

BCN prizes its state of the art technological equipment, displayed above. The network is geared up for a season of new programs. (Henry Coppola, Bowdoin Orient)

To find out exactly what has changed, and where the folks at the BCN plan to take us over the next year, Nat Felsher, the general manager of the station, and Matthew Volk, the assistant general manager in charge of sports, discussed what's in store for Bowdoin students.

"It's like night and day," says Felsher of this year's BCN over last year's. "We've been building a base for two years, and now things are starting to come together." The BCN's programming lineup has a number of new premiers, including "Bowdoin Cribs," a spinoff of the MTV show, that will interview Bowdoin students and show the dorm rooms in which they live. Other hopeful additions will be student-made films, dating personals and even full-length feature films, an experiment that garnered a "great" response when tried earlier this year. And, of course, the long-running soap opera "The Tower" will enter its third season, with more promises of the on-campus romance, treachery and deceit that has made it popular.

But Felsher and Volk were most excited about the two new live shows that will premier this year. "Bare Essentials" and "Polar Pride" will premiere at 7:30 PM on Wednesdays and Thursdays, respectively. Presenting these shows--live broadcasts, not taped--are a "brand new idea" for the BCN, which is devoting much more of its programming effort into creating live shows.

As for how the student body responds to these changes, the response has been "phenomenal," says Felsher. "We've had people writing and calling in with suggestions for the shows... a lot of people seem to be sitting down and tuning in." The fan base is expected to increase with the introduction of the new live shows and the general improvements around the station.

So what exactly is the BCN planning for this year? As mentioned before, more live television shows, in addition to expanded live coverage of sports events is a major goal. Volk was enthusiastic about the possibilities of live sports coverage, saying it was something that Bowdoin "really needs," and even suggesting the use of digital footage and streaming internet video to broadcast games. Other goals for this year include creating more continuity for such running shows as "The Tower," which are plagued by constantly-graduating actors and semester-to-semester changes in cast.

"We're still learning as we go along," says Volk. "[The BCN's] real goal is to give students a creative outlet to express themselves... we're well on our way."