Georgia Public Broadcasting or GPB, is a state network nonprofit organization under PBS television. Located in Atlanta, GPB is an organization that strives to provide the community with a public service, while providing “public interest, convince and necessity.”
Me and a few students that attend my digital broadcasting class at Georgia State university, were able to get the opportunity to go to GPB and tour the facility. While there, I learned about many different aspects in regards to working in television. First, our tour guide made sure to give us the break down on working with different “talent” for various programs that are shot within their facility. He stressed how many celebrities who come to the station can be hard to work with, but most of them are humble and nice.
The more we walked around the building we were shown many different sets that were shooting completely different shows. Apparently, there are always multiple different shows being shot and aired throughout the GPB building.
As the tour continued, we entered the control room, which in fact controls everything that happened on set, as well as how things get aired throughout GPB’s air time. Inside of the control room there were nothing but screens that reflected multiple camera’s that were physically on set. In addition, there were many lights and buttons used to control these functioning’s. While in this room, I learned that everyone who works in this room are more or less the ones who contribute most to the station. For example, in the control room, the person who writes the script for the teleprompter, works in this room and so does the people who analyze a station’s “flow” to decide what schedule to take in regards to commercials,and various television specials
After we viewed the control room, we were taken to GPB’s second largest studio, where they do most of their news segments. While there, I learned about the importance of lighting, floor directing, and camera operating. Likewise, our guide went further in-depth when discussing the camera functions. Below you can see a picture of a part of the camera, as well as the GPB set. The camera is a separate piece of equipment that is attached to an HD filter, which enhances the camera’s capabilities. Camera’s are sometimes even placed on a tripod or “jib” in order to create beautiful looking pan- in shots,and track shots.
After walking through the halls of Georgia Public Broadcasting, I can definitely see myself pursuing a job here. No to mention that GPB gives plenty of opportunities for internships and volunteer work. I’ll make sure to stay up on everything that is going on with GPB. I’m even thinking of taking the journalism class at Georgia State that offers hands on experience of GPB. Lastly, I learned that GPB uses all types of volunteers to run their station. Our tour guide said that Georgia Public Broadcasting do not have enough money to pay workers.
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