By Alex Robinson
Queens College is set to give its TV studio a long-overdue $1.5 million renovation.
The Flushing college will be upgrading everything in the studio from its control room and cameras to its doors and electrical system.
The studio, which was built as part of the King Hall building in the 1960s, has had pieces of equipment upgraded over time but has never had a complete gut renovation on the scale of what the college is now proposing, said Dave Gosine, the director of facilities, design, construction and management.
“A core aspect of what we want to do is provide students with state-of-the-art facilities that have integrated technology and equipment so they can learn how to operate, manage and additionally do production of film, movies and shows in that facility,” Gosine said.
The school has been working on a design for the studio for the last year and has secured funding for the project through city and state grants.
Gosine said he had been requesting funding to give the studio a face-lift for three years and finally got his wish recently.
The renovation plan includes converting the entire studio from an analog system to a digital one.
“I think it’s great we can give our students access to equipment that uses digital technology. That’s the key,” Gosine said. “It will provide them with marketable skills.”
The new studio will also have more specialized areas so students will be able to get better hands-on training in specific areas of TV and film production, Gosine said.
It will include new prop rooms, a green room and a master control room as well as sound and visual control rooms.
The studio will provide students with facilities that are up-to-date and comparable to any professional studio, Gosine said.
Queens College’s media studies department, which uses the studio, has 260 students enrolled in the program for the winter semester.
Gosine said construction will probably start this summer and the new handicapped-accessible, 3,200-square-foot facility should be operational in fall 2015.
“This facility is going to be at such a high level we’re hoping the surrounding community will come use it. If there are any groups or folks that want to rent it out, we want to make it available,” he said.
Reach reporter Alex Robinson by e-mail at arobinson@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4566.
